About Scott Russell Smith

Scott Russell Smith

Scott Russell Smith is a lifelong backyard gardener, writer, and compost enthusiast based in Westport, Connecticut. His acclaimed book, On Compost: A Year in the Life of a Suburban Garden (Christmas Lake Press, 2024), has been named one of Kirkus Reviews’ Top 100 Indie Books of the Year. The book blends memoir, gardening wisdom, and gentle humor to illuminate the quiet power of composting and the joys of seasonal living.

Articles by Scott Russell Smith

Scratching the Surface

Scratching the Surface

It’s a Friday in late June, a perfect midsummer’s eve for some leisurely yardkeeping. In my world, cocktail hour is garden hour, and unwinding from the workweek by reconnecting with  …
My Compost Pile: A World Unto Itself

My Compost Pile: A World Unto Itself

It’s a bright, breezy Saturday, first week of June—a fine time to be a backyard composter here in southern New England. I wander outside to check up on my pile,  …
As the Worm Turns

As the Worm Turns

I am sure there’s a systematic way to add to, aerate, and otherwise mix my backyard compost heap in the most efficient and productive way possible, a process with inputs  …
Mow, mow, mow, you go

Mow, mow, mow, you go

It’s the middle of May, and my backyard compost pile here in southern Connecticut is now fully six months old. As much as the first half of its life was  …