Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

To: Mamzelle
"That’s the way I have done it in the past. Trouble is, fresh compost on top and no way to get the good stuff on the bottom without turning. Then I get the new mixed up with the old. Then I tried several compost piles at once."

Our farming neighbors had a 55-gal. drum with a door in the side, a pipe through the top and bottom, and resting on risers. The pipe had two 90 degree angles to make a crank handle. Add kitchen waste and soil into the door, latch it, give it a turn or two, and when it is ready, you put the wheelbarrow under the door, open it, and dump out as much as you need.

7 posted on 03/15/2009 12:23:33 PM PDT by redhead (Don't look at ME! I voted for SARAH!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies ]


To: redhead

I agree that unless you have a way to turn the compost, you’ll wait a LONG time to get decent compost going.

Plastic garbage cans can be too flimsy to allow turning unless you are clever.

You CAN do this —

Build your self an 8 foot (or so) long ‘park bench’ where the seat is canted to about 30 - 45 degrees (like a recliner.

Then you place the garbage cans (plastic or metal) on the park bench, with the open ends (duh) of the garbage cans pointed higher.

Each can can then be *partially* filled and rotated periodically (by rolling the cans along the ‘park bench’

You can also build a smaller park bench and use it only to rotate the cans.

I have found it useful to keep cans off the ground to keep interested vermin discouraged.


8 posted on 03/15/2009 12:33:37 PM PDT by Blueflag (Res ipsa loquitur)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies ]

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article


FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson