Product Description
by Tom Wilkinson (Author)
PLUS! After a very good run as a guidebook for medium-sized vermiculture, "Beyond Compost" has been updated to include chapters on BIOCHAR! Biochar is horticultural charcoal that provides microscopic homes and factories for the microorganisms in vermicompost that you learned about in the first edition. PLUS, the carbon that you bury in your soil will stay there for centuries as sequestered carbon removed from the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. PLUS, a fascinating story of neglected history revealed only recently from the jungles of the Amazon. PLUS, references to research scientists who are convinced that burying biochar in depleted soils may be the solution to the disastrous changes in the climate of our planet. Imagine an organic soil amendment that can be as much as 880 times more effective than typical chemical fertilizers. PLUS, an improved design feature for the VermiHarvester that reduces even more of the tedious work of harvesting your vermicompost.
Author Biography
Raising a large family resulted in a 12-page resume of a wide variety of experiences and learning opportunities, mostly connected to the outdoors. Retirement provided Tom Wilkinson the time to write about converting organic waste to vermicompost. Researching the literature revealed that while much was written about small classroom-sized worm farms, and huge commercial vermiculture operations, there was very little written about the medium-sized system needed by most serious gardeners. After many attempts to build an ideal system the VermiChester system evolved that is inexpensive to build. An appendix includes instructions for building your own "worm farm". After a few years of telling his story, Tom was presented with the amazing story of BIOCHAR, which needs a source of microorganisms to function well, and of course, the worms filled that need with flying colors. Read about the birth of AbonoChar LLC and the blend of VermiCompost with Biochar that is known as "BioPreta". "Beyond Compost, PLUS!" is a guidebook based on hands-on experience, and written in a practical style that you will enjoy. Tom Wilkinson explains why we need to convert our organic wastes away from landfills and into our soil and convert carbon dioxide in our atmosphere into sequestered carbon that stays in the soil, where it stays forever, in a way that produces healthier, more disease resistant and insect repellant plants for increased production and more nutritious food and more luxurious flowers. His "VermiHarvester" separates worms and undigested compost from worm castings (vermicompost) in an easier way, and the guidebook includes illustrations for building your own from simple inexpensive materials. "BioPreta" is one of less than five similar products in the USA and is produced in Hastings, Michigan.
