right now

right now

Jun 9, 2010

Don't pay big bucks for a Composter!

Kristi, this one's for you!

Someone in my Meetup Group was inquiring about the different compost systems our members use. I was going to just snap a photo of mine and email it to her, but I figured it would make for good blog fodder, too!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours....!


Everything I have heard is that expensive tumblers are stinky, rotten, and don't hold enough! These are super cheap, work like a dream! I have had them for 4 years now, they are expandable to up to 4 ft in diameter. They were about 20.00 apiece. I am even smarter now and know that a roll of fencing is 14.00 and will make several of these, and have enough leftover for some planters! I am a lazy composter - I rarely turn it but there is enough air that they never stink, yet enough is kept out that they heat up nicely. Super easy to take care of, rather than turning it, I just yank it off, place it on the ground a few feet away, and fork it all back in, voila - compost is turned!

We used recycled fence boards from the last hurricane blowdown to build this little baby. Hubby got to drill holes and pound rebar into the ground and stacked the boards, with enough leftover to serve as a cover. While a pain to turn compost in, we use it instead as a place to store our compost that is "ready" in. We can keep out the rain so it doesn't wash any beneficial stuff out, yet it can breathe due to the board spacing vertically. Whenever I need some, I just shovel it out of this.


More food for thought: I have used vinyl fencing and a piece of drainage pipe I scored as potato cages, but these could just as easily be compost bins!

We have already seen your forks, so now let's see your compost bins, everyone!

Knee deep in a good harvest this evening, will update later!

15 comments:

  1. Oh, that's a cheap shot! My composter is over 20 years old, and the top half was broken and warped, so I threw it away this spring and only use the bottom. I've only made good compost in it once in all those years, so I don't know why I even bother to try. I've already admitted to being a composting failure, but I'll show you mine tomorrow, since you showed me yours ;-)

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  2. LOL Gran! I can't wait to see it!

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  3. Aw man! I don't have a composter. THat's where the man drew the line. I'll have to sit this round out. Phoey.

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  4. Erin - I have a home-made trash can composter and I just got a "real" composter for Mother's Day. One of our issues is that we can't have anything remotely exposed because our dogs would just become obsessed with the compost pile. The trash can composter works, but it's impossible to turn it so it just sits there... I'm interested to see how my "real" composter compares to my trash can version.

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  5. Mine are up for viewing on my blog. They all work well, all are cooking, even the 'big pile of stuff'.

    Garden On.

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  6. Ribbit, of course the man drew the line, he didn't want to turn the big pile, LOL!

    Kate, I am thinking about using a trash can for a root cellar and sink it in the ground, I would probably still hit the water table with that! My dogs don't pay any attention, but the pile smells the same as the soil in the raised beds, none really - and they can't get into it anyways. Those trash cans can cook it pretty fast I hear, but I know there's less air circ so it might smell more. I could have mine out my back door with the window open, can you tell I am a lazy composter and never turn it LOL?

    DaBeardedOne, I'll check yours out tomorrow! My hubby's "big pile o'stuff" behind one of my sheds turned out the best compost, and to think I yelled at him for just heaping stuff in a mountain!

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  8. You are super brilliant . . . just in can you didn't hear it today. Peace

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  9. I've got a houseful of kids today, but I'll try and get some pics up of ours.

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  10. RuralRose, why thank you, (blush)! I don't feel too brilliant most of the time LOL!

    Dani, wow - a houseful of kids - can you believe our school are still going here until the 20th? Then my time will come!

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  11. Oooh! Nice piles! I have one made from recycled pallets that I've turned once in a year. DH only let me have one since it's totally hidden from sight when looking out the window. I'll share mine later today since you shared yours! Thanks for a fun idea for a post.

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  12. Oh, I meant to add: I *love* your new title picture!

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  13. Great idea for a post Erin....mine up for viewing :)

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  14. Finally figured out how to post comments on this thing.
    Got a tumbler for my bday present last month so been faithfully adding kitchen scraps, dryer lint, shreded paper, chicken poo and coffee grounds. turning it about once a week and that is the lazy feature I am excited about. We will see what magic is created. I have 3 old fashioned wood box composters in the garden which never get turned so they are slower but I alternate green-brown layers and will compare difference a little later this summer. Ever tryed compost tea?

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  15. Hi Back Bay! That is so about the turning feature, if I had one close by that I could just spin as I walked by it, I know I would definitely have my compost faster. I haven't tried compost tea yet although I have gotten as far as reading about how to do it, LOL!

    I love all the different piles and bins you all posted, I think collectively we have got a lot of compost goin' on!

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