Composters.....Ideas????

My mom wants a composter for christmas. One of those barrel types that you turn....i think. anyone built one of these??? where can you buy one at??? HELP!!!!

Composters/// The type you indicated to purchase are a little more expensive. I do not own one, have seen them in use, quite effective for composting. To purchase inquire at your Hardware Store. If they do not sell the type you want , they should be able to direct you where one can be purchased. Cheers, Murray

you might be able to find plans if you do a search inside countryside magazine

I have seen them at both my local TSC and a Home and Garden shop that was formerly an Agway. Could probably make one if you can come up with a plastic 55 gal drum.

Good Luck,

Kirk

contact Cornell Cooperative Extension service for plans or ideas, or your local extension service ... Also The gardners network or online search for them... many hits.

Hi sparktrician,

Those barrel composter's are really a waste of money. I make allot of compost using the pile method.

The object of the barrel composter is to add oxygen and drain off any excess water too the compost for faster decomposition. Ya, well I can do the same thing without the $100 plastic barrel at HD. Lowes, garden centers.

I first started off with chicken wire rolled into 3ft cylinders x 3ft tall. Put in my ingredients and 60 days later I had compost. The draw back was I had to tip over the cylinder then take a shovel too dig out the compost. Not bad but a PITA.

I next tried the pile method, just pile my ingredients into a pile and 30days latter I had "hot" compost, meaning very high nitrogen content. If I waited 60days then it was just about right for feeding producing vegetable garden.

It's the compost ingredients that are the most important to complete the process.
Composting takes:

(3parts) carbon (wood, leafs, toilet paper, newspaper, wheat straw. saw dust etc) Also called "browns"

(1part) nitrogen (manure, human or animal it don't matter, hay, vegetable scraps, or other nitrogen source) Also called "greens"

Water (enough water that it will slightly drip when squeezed in your fist in a earth ball) or a place for the excess water too drain off.

Oxygen (as much as it can get, as in turning the pile for fast composting)

T_Bone

I made a double composter out of hog panels. Each bin is about 6' square. I don't know the science of composting like T-Bone, but I make a lot of compost. I throw everything but grease (Meat scraps) into it. Add a handful of nitrogen occasionally. Hay, turnip tops, Sweet potato vines, bean plummies, downed apples, grass clippings - just about anything green. The second bin is handy so you have a convenient place to "turn" the pile. I've heard that manure from meat eating animals (cats/dogs, maybe humans?) should not be used, due to some sort of desease potential, but then I don't know the science, just that it works. I enjoy fooling with it, and it makes some very fertile plant growing material.

Paul

Way to much work when you can just take the spreader over the garden at about 3-4 inches thick and let it set over the winter then plow it down in the spring wala organic matter till the cows come home. For potting soil just get the corners on any cattle lot there will be plenty for that work already to go.