Composting

A composter is easy to build. And, with a bit of luck, very very cheap! My old composter was a plastic thing that was coming apart and difficult to get the compost out of. So I built a new one for next to nothing. Someone down the street was throwing out a large skid. Combined with a small skid I already had, there was just enough wood for the project. By carefully pulling the skids apart I was able to reuse most of the 2 1/2" spiral nails, plus I added a few more that I already had. The finished size of about 19" X 19" X 4' was determined largely by the size of the wood I had. I made as few cuts as possible. It may seem kind of high, but right now it is overflowing. The lower boards have spaces of about 1/8" between them. Up higher these spaces increase to allow the composter to be built higher. The upper part is really just a holding section. The real composting takes place in the lower part. On the front, the lower 1' approximately is hinged so that compost can be removed using almost any kind of shovel. Hooks and eyes hold this flap shut. I used white carpenters glue on all the joints, and composter is solid as a rock. Once in place, I put a small piece of cement under each corner and leveled it up. A coat of dark stain to make it last longer and make it stand out less visually and it was ready to go.

Here it is after being stained, in action at the back of the yard.

The city won't pick up grass clippings, so composting is one of the few options for disposing of them. In the fall, lots of leaves go in the composter even though I also put lots out at the curb for pick up. Additionally, I am trying to put more kitchen scraps in the composter: egg shells, banana peels, etc., and of course this Halloween's Jack-o-lantern is in there now.
This composter was made for just the cost of a small can of stain. I did no sanding, and just put some glue into pieces of wood that were split.

Good job.

What are you going to use the compost for? Very Happy

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

Great Topic Busrat ! Smile

glad you brought it to light.
Ive composted for years ... its just the way Shocked

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Carry Less by Knowing More
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Cool, nice work BushRat Very Happy

eric

Flash, I have a modest vegetable garden where most of it will go. Also, I use some in potted flowers.

The amount of compost produced varies. It can be saved in those big plastic bags that topsoil and manure comes in.
You can put almost any vegetable matter in a composter. Most common are grass clippings, leaved, kitchen waste such as egg shells, banana peels, fruit and vegetable leftovers, etc. Dead flowers and other yard clippings can also be put in. Anything that is particularly dense such as branches should be chopped up, otherwise it will come out the other end more or less intact. Small amounts of newspaper, cardboard and paper towels are fine. If you carry some messy peels, etc., out to the composter in these materials, just put the whole thing in, paper and all.
Composters operate on heat and moisture. Place it where the sun will shine on it all year. In dry times, pour some water in. In the summer, leave the top open so rain can get in. In the winter, if you find there is a cycle of snow, thawing, freezing being repeated, you might want to try a lid to keep snow from melting into the composter then freezing into a ball of ice.
Throw in the odd shovelfull of soil, especially with worms in it. This helps the decomposition process.
You should not put perennial plants that have gone to seed in the composter. If you do, the seeds will grow wherever you use the compost. All those weeds you pulled a couple of summers ago will now be growing in your garden.
You should not put excrement in the composter. If it's from a herbivore such as a cow or sheep it's okay, but it makes more sense to just dig it directly into the garden. Discourage everyone within evil eye distance from using the composter as a garbage can. The smallest bit of plastic or foil lazily tossed into the composter will annoyingly reappear in the compost you harvest a couple or so years later.
Anyone else got some tips or photos? Very Happy

I figured you had a garden or flowers. Just thought I'd ask. Smile

What vegetables do you grow? Very Happy

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Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17

I usually plant peas, beans, cucumbers (for making pickles), radishes, green peppers, and green onions. Plus, raspberry bushes produce each year, as do rhubarb plants. And this year I planted a pumpkin seed from last year's jack-o-lantern and it actually grew a pumpkin that I used last month as a jack-o-lantern! (See the Halloween thread in the "Projects..." section for photos of both generations. Laughing

) Yes, I saved some seeds from it to see if I can keep the lineage going. And I grow lettuce in pots.
I plant about 40 sq. ft. not including the raspberry bushes. The more I do, the more I like it. Not that I know what I'm doing: whatever Mother Nature lets me get away with each summer. I never cease to be amazed that a tiny speck of something can be put into the ground and a few weeks later it grows into something good to eat.

Yep, nature is pretty amazing. Cool

Enjoy the fruits of your labor. Very Happy

_________________
Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. - Prov. 27:17