How to Make and Use Compost
The Ultimate Guide

Composting is easy, fun, saves you money and helps you to grow lovely plants. Whether you live in a flat with a balcony or have a family and garden that generate large amounts of food and green waste, this book shows you how to compost everything that can be composted – at home, work or school, and in spaces big or small. It covers:

•    creating the right mix for successful garden compost

•    how to compost your food waste safely

•    the full range of composting systems, from plastic ‘daleks’ to large-scale units, including prices and suppliers

•    composting with a wormery

•    making liquid feeds and your own seed and potting compost

•    composting in schools, with advice on getting a school scheme started.

How to Make and Use Compost features a comprehensive A–Z guide, which includes what you can and can’t compost, concepts and techniques, and common problems and solutions.

Introduction                                                                                          

PART ONE                                                                                          

1   Why make compost?                                                                       

2   How does it work?                                                                            

3   Making successful compost                                                              

4   Choosing the right composting system                                              

5   Composting with worms                                                                    

6   Using your compost                                                                         

7   Community composting                                                                    

PART TWO

8   A–Z Guide                                                                                       

PART THREE

9   Composting food waste on a large scale                                            

10 Composting in schools                                                                     

Resources                                                                                           

Nicky Scott

Nicky Scott is the coordinator of the Devon Community Composting Network; he helps set up community composting groups and advises schools and businesses on composting kitchen waste. He was involved in the development of the ‘Scotty’s Hot Box’ and the ‘Ridan’ composter, both now widely used for composting food waste. Nicky is the author of Composting for All and Composting: an easy household guide.