The Complete Compost Gardening Guide: Banner Batches, Grow Heaps, Comforter Compost, and

Invest composted for decades and first read this book as a digital edition borrowed from the local library. I liked it so much I bought a hard copy for myself. Most composting books focus on a very few techniques and the strength of this book is it covers a very wide variety of home composting methods as well as practical applications for each all in an easily accessible format. It also provides guidance on “hot” techniques vs “cold” techniques as well as ways to save effort and unlike most writers the authors don’t dismiss anaerobic compost out of hand though rightfully not much time is spent with the topic either.Another strength of this book is it provides information on how to integrate compost and even active compost piles into the growing process as well as providing a short but pretty in-depth section on vegetable plants that like (or hate) growing in compost as well as information on a few specific cover/compost plants including a superstar plant that is easy, super hardy, drought and bad soil tolerant, non-invasive, inexpensive and widely available but virtually no authors acknowledge. Also I found the section on using compost for making specialty soils to be brief but useful.Gardening related books rarely earn 5 star ratings from me but this book deserves the high rating because it is very readable, has lots of high quality photos/illustrations, well researched and virtually no material that I’d say is of questionable science or practicality even from my vantage of over 40 years actively composting using a variety of techniques. One could quibble and say the 47 pages (out of 319 total) spent on specific vegetables and compost/fodder plants is off topic and could have been spent on additional detail regarding composting but the entire book was focused on practical uses of the composting techniques (I.e. growing things) and while a bit of a surprise to see the plant information I was fully engaged by the information and it is a nice way to end the book.

Excellent book. Covers all aspects of composting. Highly recommended.

Great resource for the home gardener. Pictures, charts and diagrams add to the understanding of the text.

A great book. It reads like it is written by two old ladies, which it basically is. All bubbly enthusiasm for gardening and soil biology. Although not every technique or bit of information is correct for northern areas like Saskatchewan.

Lots of great information on all the different ways to compost - so whether you have a large or small space to dedicate to it, you can compost and make your garden better