No-Waste Composting

A great introduction to composting. I picked this up because I have been thinking about upping my compost game (or doing it correctly). I had just enough info to know it is possible and even easily doable but never knew the finer points. I knew about anaerobic and aerobic because of a science background but not how to prevent anaerobic bacteria. This book helped piece together all the pieces I had. Basic internet searches can lead you to a rabbit hole and this book condenses and simplifies. I appreciate the different composting options described. This has been my biggest deterrent because there are so many options, and some are expensive. This book gives a variety of options for a variety of prices. If you are a newbie to composting, I would recommend this as a starting point. The biggest criticism for me was not a lot about winter composting in the Northern areas when the world is frozen.

4 stars for being easy to follow, new ideas, and explaining the different composting bin options. Lost a star for not addressing regional notes. Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing and Michelle Balz for the ARC. This was an honest review.

A well-laid out guide to various kinds of composting and composters including a very attractive terracotta tower and a pet manure composter. Most of the options do require an outdoor space but two do not!

Beautiful beautiful. Many photos with a lot of details. I've been composting awhile, but my experience would be the lazy guide's way. This book offers a lot of motivation to keep things simple, but doable. Although a short book, there's a lot of great information to get started composting, even for people like me who have been doing it awhile. Also simple enough that we could get started right now. A great keeper book.

This guide is so so helpful! I’m not a complete newbie to composting but it was a good refresher and I learned a lot of new things as well. The guide is fairly short, but well laid out and interesting to read. The DIY projects are also cool for those who want to recycle some more.

If there is one thing I am passionate about, it is my vegetable garden. I start seeds indoors in February, start growing cool-season plants outdoors in March, and am busy with my garden until it goes to sleep in November(Zone 7, NY). So how do I spend the nongardening months(December and January)? By reading books, perusing seed catalogs, and making a plan for next year.
I started composting two years ago when I found two bins on clearance at a big box store( love end of season sales). I knew that I could add leaves, grass clippings, and kitchen scraps, keep it moist(like a damp sponge), and turn the pile occasionally, and eventually, I had black gold for my garden. So I knew the basics but had no idea that there were so many choices for outdoor composting, or that you could compost indoors
No-Waste Composting is divided into seven chapters, highlighting everything from composting basics, to harvesting and using your finished compost. By the time I finished reading this book, I knew a lot more about getting the most out of my resources. Did I know that my compost pile should be balanced with 75% brown and 25% green materials? Why yes I did. But did I know that chopping up food scraps like banana peels would help my pile by aiding the microorganisms that digest them? No, I did not.
Whether you have been composting for years or are interested in starting, this book provides a wealth of information. Everything is presented clearly and concisely, whether it is how to build a kitchen bin compost liner from a newspaper, or how to pit compost right in your garden beds. Whether you have a large yard or just some room on your patio, or if you have a little or a lot to spend, you will find something that works for your situation. The best part is you will have great compost without having to lug those bags home from the garden center, and you will have reduced your contributions to the trash. The pictures in this ebook were great too, and I do not doubt that when I get my hands on a physical copy, it will be a lovely addition to my gardening bookshelf.
If there was one thing I would have liked to see in this book, it would have been some information on winter composting. That might just be me though since we had a major snowstorm yesterday and it looks like my compost bins will be frozen for quite a while.4.5 stars.

No- Waste Composting by Michelle Balz is a great book if you are clueless, as I was, about how to begin composting . She walks you through everything you could need to know from what to compost, how to mix the right “scraps” together, and how to make composite bins and gardens. I highly recommend this book if you are a beginner!

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto publishing for the opportunity to read this book.

This book covers more than I was expecting. As a person who has done some composting in the past, I was interested in viewing this book for methods on a smaller scale, however this book covers everything from small composting to larger personal composting using MANY different methods. Everything from composting in the home, patio, bins and a couple of methods of composting in the garden itself. A well done book with full color illustrations that is a good resource for beginner or experienced gardeners.

FTC disclosure: I would like to thank Quarto Publishing Group – Cool Springs Press for providing me with an advance reader copy via access to the galley for free through the NetGalley program.

To answer to the book’s first question, I would say I’m definitely obsessed with composting. Whenever I throw a banana peel away without having access to throwing it into a compost, my heart turns a little, thinking of what could be in the little garden of mine.

This is an excellent book. Content, organization, visual appeal and composition, it’s just perfect. I learned a lot. I’m a hobbiest gardener, it’s one thing I’m super passionate about, and one thing I could do all day, every day, gardening is so incredibly rewarding!

I’d recommend this to any gardener, whether a novice gardener starting out, nervous and a notorious killer of your gifted house plants to an expert who can grow passion fruit and lemon trees indoors like my sister, I think anyone will find a treasure of gardening value in this book.

First, the sans serif stylistic heading and body fonts made the reading experience fun and allowed for an ease of reading that drew me in, which is what I’ve really felt I needed this year.

As far as content, it makes a great case for composting and the enthusiasm is inspiring. I liked the troubleshooting, many methodologies, and the boldness to present how domestic animal manuring could be done.

The writing style is very conversation like, inviting, not overly academic yet packed with useful scientific information and rationale.

Structurally this book is very solid. Introductions to a concept, followed by real-life examples, then how to, step-by-step instructions in creating your own project with very affordable options. You can go fancy or budget.

It has a great amount and mix of photos with graphic images along with excerpt tidbits of supportive, detailed side notes that expanded on a lot of good topics.

I will say there were just a few small parts that were repetitive in nature like the urine being higher in nitrogen, benefits of coffee grounds, layering with leaves, burying the fruit and vegetables to avoid pests, but they were minor and I suppose it was good to be reminded of those principles.

I am so excited for next gardening season! If you are too, I’d highly recommend this one!

Looking forward to trying Bokashi method and I’m curious to try spraying the Bokashi tea on leaves, the terra-cotta method, and the Hügelkultur method. Be sure to tag me with your gardening adventures, I’d love to see what you’ve been up to and what methods you use to amend your soil.

No-Waste Composting is the *ULTIMATE* composting book! This book breaks it down and is a must-read for anyone who’s looking to compost, or learn why we should. It is filled with DIY projects for your home and backyard, what you can compost, what you shouldn’t and all the many benefits of composting. I love all of the many photos and the ways I can get my kids involved. I cannot wait for spring to work on a few of these outdoor DIY projects offered in this book for my own home and yard. This is a book I’ll be sharing with my friends who are homesteaders, and also those just interested in composting!

I am new to composting and have a simple bin in my back yard. I’m constantly looking for new tips and tricks to reduce my carbon footprint, and this book is an excellent introduction into the whole world of composting.

There are all sorts of ways to compost, and this book is a great guide with information about what kind is best for your situation, the things you’ll need for each method, and what to keep in and out of your compost bin.

It’s a quick read overall is a great manual to have around, especially if your living situation changes, or if you’re looking to expand your methods/ways to reduce waste and feed your garden. It’s out in March, just in time for spring gardening.

This the first time I have read a book by this author, starting part way through a series is never the best idea but I do have to say that these books well as a stand-alone. The obvious benefit of reading in order means that you get to know the characters traits and how they interact, I soon found myself getting to grip with these as I read.

This story starts with the discovery of a body, that of an ex DCI. The crime is murder, the reasons for it are not easy to come by for DI Denning and his team. This case will test them all and when results are slow to come the hierarchy do what they do best and add unnecessary pressure. Another similar murder and some accusations and rumours start to emerge of historic crimes that may have been covered-up start to emerge.

I really enjoyed this book, it is not a fast-paced story and this was good for me as I got to know more about the characters as while they were dealing with the cases before them. Sometimes it is nice to get into a more detailed book as far as the investigation, the characters and the storyline goes. As the characters are new to me I did occasionally forget who was who, but this didn't stop any enjoyment. The investigation is a slower more dogged one, knowing that something isn't right and proving it are two very different things and this kind of sums up the story in a way. Finding the evidence, connecting the dots and proving that your gut instinct is correct provides a very gripping read.

I really liked this and yes I do wish I had read the previous books, this is a series I do think I will keep going with. I really enjoyed the mix or current crimes with links to historical ones, the power struggles and how the case was worked through and sorted. A crime, with a strong police procedural and more of mystery aspect rather than a full-on crime thriller and one I would definitely recommend it.

This is by far the best book I’ve read as a beginner composter. I have toyed with the idea for a long time only to be quickly overwhelmed every time I began try to research where to start. With this book in hand, I know where to begin with setting up a composting system, what can go into it, and how to use what comes out of it. For once, I feel like I might actually have control over some of the scraps that leave my kitchen instead of just sending them to the dump.

I loved this book! I thought it was very useful with all the DIY projects and accompanying photos, and the info on indoor composting. The troubleshooting charts were handy, too. The authors notes on reuse/recycle/no-waste is a great addition to a compost book. I reviewed this for my garden blog.

I found this book to be so helpful! Homesteading and becoming more self sustaining is a big interest of mine so I'll take what I learned from this book and it'll go a long way!

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* Really interesting book! i wouldnt mind buying a copy when we get a house!

Michelle Balz, the self-proclaimed @compostgeek, is a longtime composter with a passion for reducing our impact on the planet.
She had already written a book called Composting for a New Generation and has a blog called Confessions of a Composter Blog.

This No-Waste Composting, is a great beginner's start point for small-space waste recycling, indoors and out. It has 10 DIY projects to repurpose household items into compost-making machines.

For me, that has begun vermicomposting over a year, it was a great source of information for multiple types of composting. It really broadened my understanding of composting.

This is a great guide to composing for newbies or more advanced gardeners. It features a variety of types of compost options with lots of projects. I wish there was a little more focus on the day to day maintenance of each type. I've had several types over the years and that's always where I got hung up so compost always takes me forever. A lot of these methods are pretty commitment-intensive, like an indoor method where you add a special ingredient after each food scrap addition. I do the pit method sometimes myself (dig a big hole, bury the pail's worth, leave it) but I am still searching for reliable advice on how to really maintain compost piles in an easy way. This is great for showing options and giving great tutorials for building your own with lots of types, but less good about troubleshooting and making it more foolproof for overstretched gardeners.

I read a temporary digital ARC of this book for review.