Got experience with backyard composting?

[67HEAVEN]

If so, some tips would be appreciated.

My intention is to get into it in a serious way, generating usable compost for a food and flower garden.

What do you think of this one?
http://www.eartheasy.com/composter_continuous_use.htm

[MsSchroder]

I have always wanted to try composting, but just couldn't bring myself to spend money like that on something that small. It just seemed like you could build your own little 4x4 fenced area and accomplish the same thing? :confused

I would also like to hear if anyone has had good luck with something like that.

[67HEAVEN]

Tammy,

My concern with a small fenced-in area is that it will attract rodents. And, the problem with building a box so tight that rodents can't get in is that it becomes very difficult to turn the waste over as the composting process proceeds.

The beauty of the drum system is that it facilitates turning, and the one I posted actually funnels the oldest contents out first.

With some of the drum designs, you almost need two of them. One to stop adding to as it breaks the contents down.....and the other to add fresh stuff to.....then back to the first after emptying it. ;shrug

[6 Shooter]

http://i18.tinypic.com/2ec0ln4.jpg (http://www.barnowlvideo.com/rodents.html)

[DDLS1]

Bob,

Back in the days (years actually) that I spent in the frozen north we composted everything from kitchen waste to grass and leaves. I found the 4 X 4 box to work well with everything but the kitchen waste which I kept in an elevated black plastic drum that I rotated once a week. During the summer I found that occasionally I needed to add a bit of water to the mix to keep in moist but that's about it. I have a pile of grass and leaves here in KY that decomposes fairly rapidly in the southern sun.

[67HEAVEN]

Thanks, Dale. Did the kitchen waste get thrown in with the yard waste when it reached a certain level of decompostion? We do a lot of cooking from scratch and there's going to be lots of fruit and veg material to deal with.

Dwayne, after I get the owls to control any rodents that are attracted.....and the owls get out of control....do I then get hawks? If so, what comes after the hawks?
:boogie

[6 Shooter]

http://www.elahoadventures.com/images/thumbnails/ElahoPics/eagles%20on%20beach(1).jpg (http://users.mrl.uiuc.edu/petrov/birds/turkeyVulcher.jpg)

[U.P. John]

Don't worry about any waste from all the carnage, Bob. If you have hawks and bald eagles around you'll also see these guys circling way up there in the airstream. Beautiful in flight, but...;shrug

http://vulturesociety.homestead.com/Photos.html

Regarding fruits and vegetable waste, throw that on top of an open compost pile and let it dry out for a couple days, then mix it in.

Compost makes the best (natural) fertilizer for fauna and vegetable gardens. Just make sure it's downwind on a humid day;LOL

[67HEAVEN]

All I want to do is compost -- gotta save the planet, ya know. ;)

Now, I've got predators swooping down around me.
http://vulturesociety.homestead.com/files/headshot_mini.jpg

Before you know it, I'll have to buy me some firearms, just to keep everything under control. Maybe I'll just throw the stuff in the garbage. :chuckle

[wishuwerehere82]

Bob,

I have been composting since I moved into my house 15 years ago.
First, there are no rat problems with a properly digesting compost pile.
Second, that little barrel thing is not big enough.

I made my pile by buying a pallet of rocks and formed them into a circular wall with 1/4 open for access. All of my fall leaves go into the pile after chewing them up with the lawnmower, as well as the grass clippings and ash from the woodstove.
Some kitchen waste goes in, but the bulk is yard waste.
The main thing to avoid rodents is to not dispose of meat in the pile.
The leaves digest down to 1/5th volume over the winter, and the grass clippings dissapear in about a month in the nice weather.

The important thing to remember is to loosen and aireate the pile on a regular basis so that you get aerobic decomposition and not anaerobic(swamp) bacteria growing. Shoving a pitchfork in once in a while will provide sufficient ventilation.
The temperature of a good compost pile can get to 140 degrees F on the inside of the pile, with a little plume of steam coming out in cool weather.

It takes 2-3 years to digest all that mass (with a little help from the bugs and worms) to a beautiful black humus that is ready to put in the garden, but worth the wait. Then comes the rewards.

My gardens aren't big enough to use all of it, so I'm moving the rocks to a new location every once in a while and letting the compost build up the ground level where it was to improve drainage and standing water buildup.
The Ivy that grows there has leaves 2-3 times bigger than off the compost.

[Mac]

I would echo what Pete said. A decent space in a quiet corner away from the house and don't forget to use your fork regularly, especially if you're putting substantial quantities of lawn clippings into it.

-Mac

[Chas]

keep it turned over often....feed it a can of beer and a can of cola every few weeks. the beer gives it enzimes and the pop helps feed them and keeps them busy.:beer

[6 Shooter]

http://i19.tinypic.com/2ir55y1.jpg (http://www.firearmscanada.com/gun_dealers.html)

[toms94]

Bob, I built my own compost barrel (actually I made two). I used a 55 gallon drum that was plastic lined. According to the plans that I had it would compost in 2 weeks. Once I got it going I got compost about once a month.

I quit doing it because my barrels rotted out. These barrels you are looking at are plastic and will probably work quite well. But I would invest in two of them, as I have a hard time believing that it will compost fast enough to work with one.

The principle of the one you are looking at is just like the one that I made.

[67HEAVEN]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. You guys have talked me out of the drum system, mainly because I expect to have plenty of material to work with here at my new place.

So, here's where my thinking is at now.
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/xml/services/home/environ/waste/recycle/compost/WoodWire3BinFlyer.pdf

Comments, please. :)

[MsSchroder]

That looks like an excellent DIY project.
I might have to save that off for MY future reference :upthumbs

[Mac]

I'm guessing you have rodent concerns? We had mice and rats until we figured out how to make the compost "work" which seemed to discourage the rodents. For a while, we had a resident owl who was likely disappointed when we solved the problem but we preferred to miss the owl rather than have the rodents.

Nice looking project and it should work better than my open pile did. I would be tempted to use that recycled plastic composite lumber for the bottom. Yeah, I know cedar is supposed to last forever but the plastic lumber is supposed to outlast cedar.

-Mac

[DDLS1]

Thanks for the feedback and suggestions. You guys have talked me out of the drum system, mainly because I expect to have plenty of material to work with here at my new place.

So, here's where my thinking is at now.
http://www.co.pierce.wa.us/xml/services/home/environ/waste/recycle/compost/WoodWire3BinFlyer.pdf

Comments, please. :)

I'm thinking I like it....a lot. The barrel was a bit of pain sometimes, and absolutely no meat products!!!! It's tough enough to keep the varmints out of the vegetable waste, although they were never a huge problem. Mine here is going on two years and it looks like I can sneak some off the bottom in a few weeks when it's time to plant a few things.