I LOVE compost. I've got several piles all over our property, in my vege garden, in the chicken coop, for dog poo , a humanure one, random one in the front yard... I'm in New Zealand and stumbled across your Substack and love it. You're one of three people I follow. Keep up the good work.
Oh wow, what a huge honor!! Thank you so much for subscribing and I'm glad you are enjoying. If you're ever open to sharing some pics of your compost piles, I love to see them!!!! my email is cm@cassmarketos.me <3
So happy for you, Cass, to teach people about this through a book! Congratulations!
And leaf litter, so valuable! I “steal” it, bagged by neighbors in their yards, and spread it out in my planting beds. Better for my garden than anything I can buy in the garden shop.
I feel so lucky to have a job in compost and I get it to do it everyday ❤️ I have soo many favorite parts but I absolutely love the transformative nature of it- it is a process of change but it also changes the structure of soil when added to it. So cool!
Hi! I have a question about compost - last year we had an issue with a skunk coming to our compost and then using a bush in our garden as a latrine. After that, I started using a tumbler to “pre rot” the scraps a bit to make them less enticing to critters. I feel like we’ve had fewer critter problems, but I also think my compost isn’t as good as it was otherwise. Does this method make any sense to you, and do you have any other advice for keeping large critters away? Thank you for all your wonderful work!
huge congrats on your book release, and thank you for all that you've shared over the years!
my favorite thing about compost is it has completely changed my outlook on life -- how genuinely transformative to go from throwing so much away, to repurposing so much thru feeding it back to the earth and its many denizens, getting to watch them not only grow but flourish <3 i feel a sense of abundance and gratitude thanks to my compost pile and the connections/relationships i've formed with my environment by tending to it
I'm so thrilled to have recently come across your Substack, as a proponent of decomposition and regeneration in all their forms and nuances!
One of my favourite recent composting moments was visiting the Hagamos Composta site outside of Mexico City, where they collect and compost food waste (and 'poposta') - over 10 million kilos since 2017! In this megacity where we don't even sort our solid waste (!!!), being able to support this initiative in order to compost what we can't manage at home in our tiny apartment has been really incredible! https://hagamoscomposta.org/
I would love to get my hand on your book! Any chance it's available in Mexico?
Ahhhh, I know the Hagamos folk! We met at a community composting conference a few years ago!!! Very very cool operation and I love it. I hope to one day visit!!!!!!!
I am not sure about my book's international availability, but it's on Amazon and Bookshop and other major retailers, so you should have no problem ordering it - I think? Haha I really need to ask my publisher for clarification on this.
Compost, when reading n learning about it from other compost nerds, reads like religon to me <3
One thing I find interesting about compost is that it exists as a true example to the contradiction of life, the more u live the closer to death u get. N i see composting being a skill n practice that, especially for those of us such as myself living in a society that is dominated by capitalist imperialist ideology, recalibrates us towards being in harmony w death. renewing an understanding of death to be what it gives rather than what it takes, or maybe balances the two. <3
Question i’m thinking about is, can anywhere in the process or a certain method of composting be adapted to filter water?
Totally agree with this perspective and find it to be such a powerful part of composting! Re: water filtration, this is not an area I've explored before with compost! I have seen/explored methods for water filtration that involve gravel/rock systems. But never utilizing the compost process as a means of filtering water. It might be tough, since compost uses moisture? (whereas gravel/rock, the water moves through.)
Gosh, I can't wait to read this! I know very little about the soil by us, but I did learn recently that it's quite sandy (not surprising, given that we're only a few blocks from Lake Michigan). Are there any special considerations we should take into account when working with a lot of sandy soil in terms of utilizing the compost best? Our backyard is quite "bumpy," likely due to how much snow we get and how I believe the melting can mess with stuff like that (I feel like I read that somewhere?), and I'm curious if using compost to try to even it out could potentially help, but I also am totally out of my depth when it comes to just about anything yard/garden/etc.
Great question! If you're open to it, I have a GREAT person who can help me answer this question for you, and I'd love to publish your question & our answer in a future issue of the Rot?
I <3 rotting and decaying. What sweet memory first comes to mind of watching someone really click with compost for the first time? Trying to organize a community compost out here in Central Texas!
ooo what an exciting thing!!!! my most treasured memory is definitely showing one of the kids who worked at the food bank how the compost gets hot - letting him see the steam rise and feel the warmth with his hand, and he was truly amazed and delighted. to this day (years later) he still brings up this moment whenever i see him. it was amazing to see somebody have such a visceral reaction, and to be so changed afterward from such a simple and open encounter.
Hi from a fellow compostable book maker :) I'm excited to read this new version !!! I love the way a pile becomes a living breathing organism with so many different layers of matter, I also love the scent and feel of dirt coming straight from a hot compost pile !!
yeah !! I started making riso printed comics with instructions on how to remove the saples and compost them in 2019, and in 2024 started binding them with 100% cotton thread so the whole thing is compostable ! I have a new one coming out in September, if you email me your address I'll mail ya one :) ana@deeperclarity.net
I love composting and really enjoy how you write about it! I love seeing how it absorbs everything I add to it and then I get rich humus full of happy worms and insects to add all around the garden :) Keep up the good work! Greetings from Hendaye, France
I don’t know that it’s my most favorite thing about composting, but I do love how much less often I have to take out the trash. And it always blows my mind that I dump probably 2 or 3 gallons into it every week but the pile never seems to grow, or if it does it drops fast. When I first built my bins I was concerned they would quickly get full but it’s like a little miracle, how it never fills up because it’s always breaking down. My favorite thing about it is probably just feeling like I’m doing a tiny bit to make the world a better place.
Haha omg wait, I totally feel this. I guess I'm technically an 'expert' in compost, and yet I am still amazed at how hot my own tiny backyard pile gets - and how quickly it breaks down my food scraps!! I'm putting so much out there every few days, and the pile just seems to stay the sammeeee size.
I'm visiting my sister's new home in Kentucky, big beautiful yard and no plans for what to do with it other than my 4-year-old newphew running around and playing. I planted the seed about the scientific fun that could come from starting a modest compost pile and teaching him how it works. Any general advice for how the composting will look different in a very humid, hot/freezing environment throughout the year (compared to the California environment we're used to)?
I LOVE compost. I've got several piles all over our property, in my vege garden, in the chicken coop, for dog poo , a humanure one, random one in the front yard... I'm in New Zealand and stumbled across your Substack and love it. You're one of three people I follow. Keep up the good work.
Oh wow, what a huge honor!! Thank you so much for subscribing and I'm glad you are enjoying. If you're ever open to sharing some pics of your compost piles, I love to see them!!!! my email is cm@cassmarketos.me <3
So happy for you, Cass, to teach people about this through a book! Congratulations!
And leaf litter, so valuable! I “steal” it, bagged by neighbors in their yards, and spread it out in my planting beds. Better for my garden than anything I can buy in the garden shop.
Thank you so much! And YES, totally, re: leaf litter. I'm the same way (no surprise there, hehe)
I feel so lucky to have a job in compost and I get it to do it everyday ❤️ I have soo many favorite parts but I absolutely love the transformative nature of it- it is a process of change but it also changes the structure of soil when added to it. So cool!
Love this!!! Where do you work in compost?
I work for big reuse, a zero-waste nonprofit in NYC! we do both mid & small scale compost work all over the city :)
We teach a course about compost and one of my students sent me your substack!
Omg that's incredible! How cool - and so glad to connect with you in the comments. What cool work you're doing!
Yes will definitely be purchasing your book for our class! If you're ever visiting NYC and want to check out our site LMK!
I would love to! I will def let you know the next time I am in NYC!
Hi! I have a question about compost - last year we had an issue with a skunk coming to our compost and then using a bush in our garden as a latrine. After that, I started using a tumbler to “pre rot” the scraps a bit to make them less enticing to critters. I feel like we’ve had fewer critter problems, but I also think my compost isn’t as good as it was otherwise. Does this method make any sense to you, and do you have any other advice for keeping large critters away? Thank you for all your wonderful work!
Excellent question! If you are open to it, I'd publish this with my answer in a future issue?
Yes please! That would be awesome. Thank you!!
Thank you for writing about compost. I like the saying "Let's stop treating our soil like dirt!"
Great quote! You should make a shirt of that hehe
huge congrats on your book release, and thank you for all that you've shared over the years!
my favorite thing about compost is it has completely changed my outlook on life -- how genuinely transformative to go from throwing so much away, to repurposing so much thru feeding it back to the earth and its many denizens, getting to watch them not only grow but flourish <3 i feel a sense of abundance and gratitude thanks to my compost pile and the connections/relationships i've formed with my environment by tending to it
i love this SO MUCH, thank you for sharing <3 <3 <3
I'm so thrilled to have recently come across your Substack, as a proponent of decomposition and regeneration in all their forms and nuances!
One of my favourite recent composting moments was visiting the Hagamos Composta site outside of Mexico City, where they collect and compost food waste (and 'poposta') - over 10 million kilos since 2017! In this megacity where we don't even sort our solid waste (!!!), being able to support this initiative in order to compost what we can't manage at home in our tiny apartment has been really incredible! https://hagamoscomposta.org/
I would love to get my hand on your book! Any chance it's available in Mexico?
Ahhhh, I know the Hagamos folk! We met at a community composting conference a few years ago!!! Very very cool operation and I love it. I hope to one day visit!!!!!!!
I am not sure about my book's international availability, but it's on Amazon and Bookshop and other major retailers, so you should have no problem ordering it - I think? Haha I really need to ask my publisher for clarification on this.
Compost, when reading n learning about it from other compost nerds, reads like religon to me <3
One thing I find interesting about compost is that it exists as a true example to the contradiction of life, the more u live the closer to death u get. N i see composting being a skill n practice that, especially for those of us such as myself living in a society that is dominated by capitalist imperialist ideology, recalibrates us towards being in harmony w death. renewing an understanding of death to be what it gives rather than what it takes, or maybe balances the two. <3
Question i’m thinking about is, can anywhere in the process or a certain method of composting be adapted to filter water?
-thx!! <3
Totally agree with this perspective and find it to be such a powerful part of composting! Re: water filtration, this is not an area I've explored before with compost! I have seen/explored methods for water filtration that involve gravel/rock systems. But never utilizing the compost process as a means of filtering water. It might be tough, since compost uses moisture? (whereas gravel/rock, the water moves through.)
Gosh, I can't wait to read this! I know very little about the soil by us, but I did learn recently that it's quite sandy (not surprising, given that we're only a few blocks from Lake Michigan). Are there any special considerations we should take into account when working with a lot of sandy soil in terms of utilizing the compost best? Our backyard is quite "bumpy," likely due to how much snow we get and how I believe the melting can mess with stuff like that (I feel like I read that somewhere?), and I'm curious if using compost to try to even it out could potentially help, but I also am totally out of my depth when it comes to just about anything yard/garden/etc.
Great question! If you're open to it, I have a GREAT person who can help me answer this question for you, and I'd love to publish your question & our answer in a future issue of the Rot?
Omg for sure!! It would be very much appreciated! ♥ Thank you!
I <3 rotting and decaying. What sweet memory first comes to mind of watching someone really click with compost for the first time? Trying to organize a community compost out here in Central Texas!
ooo what an exciting thing!!!! my most treasured memory is definitely showing one of the kids who worked at the food bank how the compost gets hot - letting him see the steam rise and feel the warmth with his hand, and he was truly amazed and delighted. to this day (years later) he still brings up this moment whenever i see him. it was amazing to see somebody have such a visceral reaction, and to be so changed afterward from such a simple and open encounter.
I love being able to "close the loop" and cycle back into the garden instead of into "yard waste" (I mean, what's that?!!)
Hi from a fellow compostable book maker :) I'm excited to read this new version !!! I love the way a pile becomes a living breathing organism with so many different layers of matter, I also love the scent and feel of dirt coming straight from a hot compost pile !!
Ana! What is your compostable book? Can I see?!
yeah !! I started making riso printed comics with instructions on how to remove the saples and compost them in 2019, and in 2024 started binding them with 100% cotton thread so the whole thing is compostable ! I have a new one coming out in September, if you email me your address I'll mail ya one :) ana@deeperclarity.net
I love composting and really enjoy how you write about it! I love seeing how it absorbs everything I add to it and then I get rich humus full of happy worms and insects to add all around the garden :) Keep up the good work! Greetings from Hendaye, France
Thank you so much, Fanny!!!!! <3
How do I know when my compost is ready for the garden?? <3 <3 <3 :)
I don’t know that it’s my most favorite thing about composting, but I do love how much less often I have to take out the trash. And it always blows my mind that I dump probably 2 or 3 gallons into it every week but the pile never seems to grow, or if it does it drops fast. When I first built my bins I was concerned they would quickly get full but it’s like a little miracle, how it never fills up because it’s always breaking down. My favorite thing about it is probably just feeling like I’m doing a tiny bit to make the world a better place.
Haha omg wait, I totally feel this. I guess I'm technically an 'expert' in compost, and yet I am still amazed at how hot my own tiny backyard pile gets - and how quickly it breaks down my food scraps!! I'm putting so much out there every few days, and the pile just seems to stay the sammeeee size.
I'm visiting my sister's new home in Kentucky, big beautiful yard and no plans for what to do with it other than my 4-year-old newphew running around and playing. I planted the seed about the scientific fun that could come from starting a modest compost pile and teaching him how it works. Any general advice for how the composting will look different in a very humid, hot/freezing environment throughout the year (compared to the California environment we're used to)?