Homemade Compost Tumbler

[cynthia_h]

Beautiful compost. I've driven through Lubbock in August; it was quite..."warm" that day! But beautiful.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Ninelives]

I removed this post because it had nothing to do with the topic, Im new here, I will keep things on topic.

[The Helpful Gardener]

Ahh, the screening part...I like, I like...finished drops out and unfinished goes back in the loop as innoculant. Nice!

HG

[Ninelives]

Thank you

[Blunt]

I not positive but youre wheelbarrow tire may be a little low on air

I really like you're composter. I was going to buy a large one for composting dog manure. But 4 or 5 of those from 30 gal black trash containers should be sufficient to keep up with my supply. Hopefully for a good long time even in coastal maine. were not quit as sunny as Texas. Just need to break it down enough to dump out back in a long term pile without causing a big stink

[Noobee]

Thank you for the great pictures of your composter. That REALLY helps me to understand how you created it. I've thought about getting started on making compost for quite a while now. Your design makes it look quite doable!!

[perennialgardener]

Wow, what a great system! Thanks for sharing all the pictures and results!

[cynthia_h]

Great tag line, Blunt:

"If you have a fertile mind. Does that mean it is full of compost"

I lived in Berkeley--home of the famously weird and wacky--for almost 17 years. (Yes, I'm weird, but not quite *that* weird--I don't think...)

One of the happy little moments was seeing a bumper sticker which said:

A rind is a terrible thing to waste.

Thank you for the reminder!

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

[Blunt]

cynthia_h glad you liked the line

[wolfie]

2 questions:

how do the bugs/worms get into the trash can to break down the compost?

isn't it unsafe to put dog feces in the compost?

thanks from a newbie!

[gixxerific]

Great idea really. Funny I fell upon this post actually.

I composted last year in a black trash can much like the one you have. I didn't mix it as much as I should have. I just did it again today added some already half composted stuff with fresh greens and brown i had all over. Just threw them in the can today a little late but what are you gonna do. Last year I put a 4" PVC pipe in the middle with holes drilled in it for air in the middle in the can.

Today after filling it I turned it on it's side and rolled it while shaking the can to mix it up. I already had a little in the can that was just mush and stinky. Actually I was thinking about how I could turn it upside down to get all that bottom moisture mixed through out. You have the answer. Thank you for your ingenuity I may have to steal that idea though I'm sure it will be heavily modified, that's what I do.

Dono

[white118]

I think that I will start my bin this weekend with a water drum with a good turn top with maybe some holes on top to let water run in with some PVC pipe through it with holes and a good stand made of 2x4's I will post a picture when it's built.

Can I throw my old weeds in the bin for compost? I would think that the seeds would still live and you would be planting weeds in your garden that you pulled out.

[gixxerific]

Can I throw my old weeds in the bin for compost? I would think that the seeds would still live and you would be planting weeds in your garden that you pulled out.

I myself do not put weeds in my compost, I actually just toss them out in the yard our on my wood pile to cook than throw them in the yard. Not a great analogy but I think weeds in the compost is like eating your own barf, something in there was bad in the first place why ingest it back in.

Dono

[rot]

..
Sufficient heat will kill the seeds that come with weeds. Maybe in a regular turned tumbler you will kill almost all if not all of them. Any surviving weeds will come out of the ground easily once sprouted because you've composted the ground.

Further mitigation from weed seeds can be achieved by removing flowers or buds. Get your weeds early to minimize that work.

Rhizomes are another matter. For bermuda grass or something like it, I leave in the sun for a week or two to desiccate. Others will drown in a bucket or something but I've never tried that in this dry country.

Just gotta know what you're dealing with when it comes to weeds. Some folks use the weeds as a source of greens for their bin or pile.

two cents
..

[gixxerific]

Really the main reason I don't put weeds in my compost is because I don't have any in my garden, well very, very few that is. I mulch heavily in spring with grass a few times that usually keeps them at bay. My neighbor has a million weeds in her garden. I keep telling her to mulch with grass or whatever. But she say's that were the weeds came from in the first place. Some people don't listen. I told just don't cut the grass when weeds are present. Of course my yard is virtually weed free as well. Yes I was born with a green thumb.

Dono

Blunt and wolfie dog manure is NOT good for the garden or you. Please skim through this link from Minn Extension.

http://www.extension.umn.edu/yardandgar ... g-cat.html

[white118]

Good info on the cat and dog poo. I don't even like it when the dog and cat poo in the yard let-alone in the garden.