Created by: Steve Solomon ssolomon@soilandhealth.org
Organic Gardener's Composting
by Steve Solomon
Foreword
Back in the '70's, I made the momentous move from the East Coast tothe West and quickly discovered that much of my garden knowledgeneeded an update. Seattle's climate was unlike anything I hadexperienced in Massachusetts or Ohio or Colorado, and many of myfavorite vegetables simply didn't grow well. A friend steered me toa new seed company, a tiny business called Territorial Seed, uniquein that, rather than trying to tout its wares all over the country,it would only sell to people living west of the Cascade Mountains.Every vegetable and cover crop listed had been carefully tested andselected by Steve Solomon for its performance in the maritimeNorthwest.
The 1980's saw the revival of regional gardening, a concept oncewidely accepted, but since lost to the sweeping homogeneity of the'50s and '60s. Steve Solomon and his Territorial Seed Companydirectly influenced the return of regional garden making by creatingan awareness of climatic differences and by providing quantities ofhelpful information specific to this area. Not only could customersorder regionally appropriate, flavorful and long-lasting vegetablesfrom the Territorial catalog's pages, we could also find recipes forcooking unfamiliar ones, as well as recipes for building organicfertilizers of all sorts. Territorial's catalog offered informationabout organic or environmentally benign pest and disease controls,seasonal cover crops, composts and mulches, and charts guiding us tooptimal planting patterns. Every bit of it was the fruit of SteveSolomon's work and observation. I cannot begin to calculate thedisappointments and losses Steve helped me to avoid, nor the hoursof effort he saved for me and countless other regional gardeners. Wecame to rely on his word, for we found we could; If Steve said thisor that would grow in certain conditions, by gum, it would. Betteryet, if he didn't know something, or was uncertain about it, he saidso, and asked for our input. Before long, a network ofenvironmentally concerned gardeners had formed around Territorial'scustomer base, including several Tilth communities, groups ofgardeners concerned with promoting earth stewardship and organichusbandry in both rural and urban settings.
In these days of generalized eco-awareness, it is easy to forgetthat a few short years ago, home gardeners were among the worstenvironmental offenders, cheerfully poisoning anything that annoyedthem with whatever dreadful chemical that came to hand, unconsciousof the long-term effects on fauna and flora, water and soil. Now,thank goodness, many gardeners know that their mandate is to healthe bit of earth in their charge. Composting our home and gardenwastes is one of the simplest and most beneficial things we can do,both to cut down the quantity of wastes we produce, and to restorehealth to the soil we garden upon I can think of no better guide tothe principles and techniques of composting than Steve Solomon.Whether you live in an urban condo or farm many acres, you will findin these pages practical, complete and accessible information thatserves your needs, served up with the warmth and gentle humor thatcharacterizes everything Steve does.
Ann Lovejoy, Bainbridge Island, Washington, 1993
To My Readers
A few special books live on in my mind. These were always enjoyablereading. The author's words seemed to speak directly to me like agood friend's conversation pouring from their eyes, heart and soul.When I write I try to