Choice Reviews, Outstanding Academic Title Techniques and systems for processing food scraps, manure, yard debris, paper, and more Turning waste into wealth sounds too good to be true, but many worm farmers are finding that vermicomposting is a reliable way to do just that. Vermicast—a biologically active, nutrient-rich mix of earthworm castings and decomposed organic matter—sells for $400 or more per cubic yard. Compare that to regular compost, sold at about $30 a cubic yard, and you’ll see why vermicomposting has taken root in most countries and on every continent but Antarctica. Vermicomposting is also one of the best sustainable solutions for organic waste management. Vermicomposting manure and crop wastes on farms improves crop yields while reducing demand for off-farm inputs. Vermicast has higher nutrient levels and lower soluble salt content than regular compost, and it improves soil aeration, porosity, and water retention. Plus, vermicast suppresses plant diseases and insect attacks. Municipalities, businesses, community gardens, schools, and universities can set up vermicomposting operations to process food residuals and other waste materials. The Worm Farmer’s Handbook details the ins and outs of vermicomposting for mid- to large-scale operations, including how to recycle organic materials ranging from food wastes and yard trimmings to manure and shredded office paper. Vermicomposting expert Rhonda Sherman shares what she has learned over twenty-five years working with commercial worm growers and researchers around the world. Her profiles of successful worm growers across the United States and from New Zealand to the Middle East and Europe describe their proven methods and systems. This book digs into all the details, including: Choosing the right production system Regulatory issues and developing a business and marketing plan Finding and managing feedstocks Pre-composting: why and how to do it Monitoring an active worm bed Harvesting, screening, testing, packaging, and storing vermicast Markets for earthworms and vermicast Food security: how vermicast benefits soils and plants Keys to success: avoiding common pitfalls From livestock farms and restaurants to colleges, military bases, and prisons, Sherman details why and how commercial-scale vermicomposting is a fast-growing, sustainable solution for organic waste management. The Worm Farmer’s Handbook is the first and only authoritative how-to guide that goes beyond small-scale operations and demystifies the science and logistics of the fascinating process that is vermicomposting.

A Guide To Starting A Profitable Worm Farming Business The demand for worm compost is rapidly increasing as part of driving environmental sustainability and as fertilizers for the plants and soil. In light of this among many other reasons, venturing into a business like worm farming is the ideal thing to do. This book is for you if: - You are completely new to worm farming and want to know everything about it. - You already have an idea of what worm farming is about and want to increase your knowledge of the business. - You are looking for a new profitable agricultural business to venture into. - You are looking for productive ways to recycle your kitchen waste materials and food scraps. - You want to know how worm farming is profitable and more ways to make money as a worm farmer. In this book, I carefully explain worm farming and the business aspect in the simplest terms possible with the necessary tips and secrets to help your worm farm to thrive as a worm farmer. The Worm Farming Business Handbook gives a detailed and informative guide on: • The importance of worm farming • Types of worms for worm farming, their attributes, and which is most widely used • Planning your worm farm vis-à-vis getting your worm, setting up your worm bin, feeding your worms, troubleshooting worm bin issues, maintaining your worm bin, etc. • Methods of harvesting worm compost • Worm farming FAQs • Transforming your worm farming hobby into a profit-making venture And so much more! So, what more are you waiting for? Ready to get started? Get a copy of this book RIGHT NOW

The Composting Handbook provides a single guide to the science, principles and best practices of composting for large-scale composting operations facing a variety of opportunities and challenges converting raw organic materials into a useful and marketable product. Composting is a well-established and increasingly important method to recycle and add value to organic by-products. Many, if not most, of the materials composting treats are discarded materials that would otherwise place a burden on communities, industries, farms and the environment. Composting converts these materials into a valuable material, compost, that regenerates soils improving soils for plant growth and environmental conservation. The Composting Handbook expands on previously available resources by incorporating new information, new subjects and new practices, drawing its content from current scientific principles, research, engineering and industry experience. In both depth and breadth, it covers the knowledge that a compost producer needs to succeed. Topics include the composting process, methods of composting, equipment, site requirements, environmental issues and impacts, business knowledge, safety, and the qualities, uses and markets for the compost products. The Composting Handbook is an invaluable reference for composting facility managers and operators, prospective managers and operators, regulators, policy makers, environmental advocates, educators, waste generators and managers and generally people interested in composting as a business or a solution. It is also appropriate as a textbook for college courses and a supplemental text for training courses about composting or organic waste management. - Created in conjunction with the Compost Research and Education Foundation (CREF) - Includes the latest information on composting and compost, providing the first comprehensive resource in decades - Written with focus on both academic and industrial insights and advances

From the creator of the wildly popular website and Facebook group “Vertical Veg” comes the complete guide to growing delicious fruit, vegetables, herbs, and salad in containers, pots, and more—in any space, from window boxes to garden yards. If you long to grow your own tomatoes, zucchini, or strawberries, but thought you didn’t have enough space, Mark Ridsdill Smith, aka the “Vertical Veg Man,” will show you how to make the most of walls, balconies, patios, arches, and windowsills. Ridsdill Smith has spent over ten years teaching people to grow bountiful, edible crops in all kinds of containers in small spaces. Inside The Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardening, you’ll find: • Mark’s “Eight Steps to Success” • How to make the most of your space • How to draw up a planning calendar so you can grow throughout the year • Planting projects for beginners • Compost recipes and wormery guide for the more experienced gardener • Troubleshoots for specific challenges of growing in small spaces • How growing food at home can contribute to wellbeing, sustainability, and the local community With quick, proven results from his own tests, failures, and successes, Mark will show you how gardening in containers is not just a hobby, but a way of creating a significant amount of delicious, low-cost, high nutrition food. Don’t be confined by the space you have—grow all the food you want with Mark’s Vertical Veg Guide to Container Gardening.