This topic contains 3 replies, has 4 voices, and was last updated by Leif 9 years, 9 months ago.
-
Posts
-
Hello Julie. I can certainly vouch for the books by Charles; they have been most helpful and answered many questions I had about certain ‘how to’s’ etc. Of course, a book can’t answer every query and these forums certainly are most valuable in that respect.
I also found lots of useful info under the banners at the top of the site; this month archives, useful advice and no-dig vegetables were particularly helpful.
I hope you enjoy the books as much as I and good luck with your gardening.
1. Composting with Worms, George Pilkington (Eco-Logic Books).
2. ‘An Agricultural Testament’ by Sir Albert Howard (Other India Press).
3. THe Rodale Book of Composting (Rodale Press).
4. Hot Beds by Jack First (Green Books).
Charles’ books are also fantastic.
Obviously, everyone has their own individual takes on things, but from what I can gather, the aim has to be to optimise the ecosystem of beneficial bacteria and fungi in your growing area, although the application of scientific rigour to the analysis of compost, soil etc is still in its relative infancy in terms of turning compost production into a meticulous, uniform, reliable, scientific process.
The book I refer to most is Organic Gardening by Geoffrey Hamilton, old but not out of date, and full of useful information. I have some ‘expert’ books, but for some reason I just find they are not very useful when it comes to actually doing gardening. I recently ordered Organic Gardening by Charles. I have read the first few chapters, and I think it will be very useful, I get the impression it is written by someone with a lot of experience, so the information is based on what actually works. It is also well organised (like Hamilton’s book), and not too wordy.
Why do you need an entire book on composting? The one thing I would like is a guide to making a hot composter i.e. a composter with some insulation to keep the temperature high. I once had a heap about 4 foot high by 8 foot wide, and it got very hot inside. But my 900L bin does not get hot in the cooler months. I wonder if strapping insulation around a dalek would do the job?
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.