“Compost: How to Make and Use Organic Compost to Transform Your Garden”
By Clare Foster (Octopus Books, 144 pages)
Skee-diddly-do! I’ve reached the 600s in my wonderful world of Dewey tour! Why am I so happy about this particular Dewey Decimal area, you ask? Well, gee, maybe it’s because this section includes important topics like medicine, business, parenting, gardening … and, oh yeah, COOKBOOKS! Now, that’s something to cheer about! The ironic thing is I’m not really a cook. A few simple dishes here and there, just so I don’t forget how to turn on the stove, but, in general, the kitchen is not my favorite hangout. But give me a cookbook filled with pretty photographs and yummy recipes, and I’m as happy as a clam in a bowl of chowder.
So, out of the entire 600s — a big ol’ range of wonders that includes sewing, resume guides, the authoritative “Physicians’ Desk Reference,” goat-raising, leather crafts, bathroom remodeling, and so much more — what compelled me to select a book about composting? Well, why not?
I’ve devoted many “Check It Out” columns to cookbooks, and a fair amount to gardening books; favorite subjects of many a reader. Sometimes, though, I feel it’s my duty as a librarian to point out other titles; perhaps less exciting and enticing than the biggies like food and flowers, but important nonetheless. Take composting, for example. Shelved under the call number 631.875 (although some titles are also located in the 635s), books about decomposing and recycling organic matter aren’t nearly as flashy as their bibliographic neighbors, 635.9337 (rose gardening) and 641.5 (cookbooks). A bit like an unkempt, frumpy relation always hanging back behind her more popular cousin, compost material lays low — literally.
While a garden’s bounty tends to get all the glory from gardeners and passers-by alike, the soil itself deserves more credit. Clare Foster, the author of this week’s book, says it best in her introduction: “In this convenience-driven, supermarket-ridden world, we may not feel very connected to the soil, but, like it or not, every one of us depends on it. It is the crucial link in the human food chain; without it we would not survive.” So, for all you gardeners out there, why not enrich your body by enriching your soil with banana peels, onion skins, and decaying leaves? If you’re new to the field of composting, Clare Foster’s book will guide you through all the necessary steps to creating a little piece of compost heaven, perfect for every gardener’s needs.
