Liquid Gold: The Lore and Logic of Using Urine to Grow Plants

by Carol Steinfeld, Malcolm Wells (Illustrator)

Nitrogen pollution of lakes, rivers, and oceans by human urine is a growing problem. Liquid Gold shows how urine can safely be used to grow food, fuel, fiber, and beautiful landscapes while protecting the environment and providing free and safe fertilizer. Featuring a short history of urine use—from ritual to medicinal and even culinary—and many whimsical illustrations, this great bathroom reader is an ideal gift for irreverent gardeners, homeowners, campers, environmentalists, and anyone who urinates.

Carol Steinfeld is a writer, urinal designer, and ecological wastewater consultant.

Malcolm Wells is a well-known illustrator and author specializing in underground architecture.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction, Nature

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Tracie · Rating 3 out of 5]

What an interesting, unusual book. I read it because I have been using bedding from my horse's stalls in my garden for the last two years (which is soaked with horse urine) and my garden just exploded.

[Hester · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a thought-provoking book. My real problem with it was, in many ways, a collection of anecdotes rather than a survey of scientific work and suggestion of ideas on a larger level. Most people do not want to think about pee, let alone collect their own and put it on the compost heap. They will, however, happily pee into their school urinal, knowing the urine collected will later be collected to fertilize the school orchard. I think the book did not tackle this dilemma head on. The attitude seemed to be that if people just learned enough about urine, they would change their ways. I do not think that is true.

[Kris Rafferty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recycling urine to prevent it from polluting our waterways is a serious solution to a serious problem. This book takes a practical look at one more way we can save our planet. Well written and thoroughly researched, the author has important information to share. Maybe we need to start listening.

[Clivemichael · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible and entertaining. Much emphasis on patent devices. Remember, Urine Charge

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty interesting. I wish the pictures of the toilets were better

to present:

Chapter on Liquid Gold pg. 10-25

[Cheryl Devine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great so far. Not as good as the Humanure book, but I'd still recommend it

[Jenna Citrus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! What a change on my perspective this book has given me. I highly recommend everyone with an open mind reads this book.

[Judith Proctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

A light, entertaining book about the benefits of urine as natural fertiliser.

This book, wisely in my view, tells you all kind of interesting historical facts about urine, shows urinals designed by artists, has photos of urinals in unusual places, etc. before getting into the hard data about actually using the stuff in a practical manner.

It gets you more comfortable about the subject before diving in.

I came across this book many years ago and was mildly sceptical, but I applied dilute urine, as directed, on my rather limp and yellowing French beans.
Two weeks later, the vigorous beans were green and growing fast.
I was a convert.

I've used urine as a fertiliser ever since - not on salad crops such as lettuce, where there is a risk of contamination - but on pretty much everything that I grow. Tomatoes thrive on it: so do squashes, runner beans, flowers, lawns (best applied before rain on lawns so you know it will wash in quickly and then you'll be more comfortable walking on the grass). The list is endless.
It's also great as a compost activator or for accelerating the rot of leaf-mould.

The simplest trick is to keep a plastic, screw-top milk bottle in your toilet, then you can fill up your supply without worrying about anything smelling.

You can save a small fortune on commercial fertilisers.

I'd have rated the book higher if it wasn't getting a bit old now. It was published in 2007 and the section on toilets is bound to be out of date, though the principles are pretty basic..

[Fernleaf · Rating 2 out of 5]

This a short book about urine. Includes some interesting history and lore of urine throughout the ages, and then a pointed argument for the use of urine as a fertilizer instead of as a pollutant. This is particularly appropriate since the main nutrient component of urine is nitrogen which is currently made using natural gas for synthetic chemical fertilizers. Urine is relatively easy to use and fairly safe compared to feces. An informative book and a great ice-breaker.

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has good information, but there's just not enough of it to make a book (even a 95 page one like this is.) I've summarize the most important points of using urine as fertilizer in the garden on my blog.

[Kathely · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too weird.