Book Review: Let It Rot - by Stu Campbell

One of my many projects this summer in my quest to be more self-sufficient and environmentally friendly was to start composting. Something about the rural outdoors of Fisherville makes me feel like reducing my footprint and consumption. Our soil is plagued with heavy clay, weeds, disease, and poor nutrients. While it might be easy to dump several bags of Scott's on it and call it a day, I find that method too dangerous for the creek that borders our property. I would much rather take a more natural, albeit slower, approach and gradually work in compost each year.

After scouring Amazon for a book on composting, I finally settled on a short, but informative little book called Let It Rot . Written by Stu Campbell, this was an easy read that made collecting garbage and playing with worms sound like a joy.

What I liked about this book was that it took what is actually a very complicated biological process and convinced me that it is very simple and even fun. That it is ok to mess up because I'll probably still end up with something useful. The author presented a multitude of options on how to build a compost pile, ranging from the basic pile in a sunny spot to investing in an expensive compost tumbler to building an indoor worm farm.

The passion of the author on the subject of composting is refreshing. The book reads like someone telling you the most interesting story they have ever told. At one point, he explains how he got so excited about composting that he would be on constant lookout for things to add to his pile even if it meant jumping out and taking it from someone's yards. Well, I may have exagerated a little bit there, but it was that sort of passion that draws you in and makes you want to start composting immediately.

I would recommend this book for any level of composter. It is simple enough to instruct a beginner without overloading them and complex enough to help even an advanced composter learn to improve their compost methods. There are wonderful, straight forward lists and drawings to follow to get you started. Most importantly, the author does a wonderful job convincing you that you can do this and you will love it!

I am still deciding which method of composting I will try. While I would like to invest in the compost tumbler that can make it in as little as 21 days, it might be best to go the free pile route in the beginning. I also am interested in collecting the compost tea that results from water pouring through the compost. I have found some composters, like the Envirocycle Composter, that collect this valuable tea while composting. Compost tea would be an easier way to get nutrients into my lawn.