Modern Composting
- The modern era of composting began when Sir Albert Howard published his influential book "An Agricultural Testament" in 1943. His work in India during the early part of the century convinced him that organic farming and recycling composted material back into the soil was the preferred method of sustainable agriculture. The process he developed from traditional Indian composting became known as the Indore method.
- The "Organic Gardening" magazine, published by J. I. Rodale and based upon his work and discoveries at his farming research center in Pennsylvania, helped spread the word about composting to gardeners around the world. It remains an influential publication.
- Today there are almost as many ways to compost as there are gardeners. Large and small communities have government-owned composting facilities to reduce land waste and commercial companies produce and sell compost by the bag in local gardening centers. Farmers are now joining with backyard gardeners to produce home-grown compost from debris that normally would have been discarded.
