Composting was once considered a fringe activity that was only practiced by back-to-nature enthusiasts. But now composting is a mainstream activity done by anyone who wants to improve his soil or fertilize naturally. Although you can purchase expensive composting bins in many garden centers, you can easily make your own using a 15-gallon barrel. A barrel of this size will hold enough to perform hot composting. Does this Spark an idea?
Instructions
1. Select a 15-gallon barrel with a tight-fitting lid. Many metal drums have lids that tighten onto the barrel with a metal band. Ensure that your barrel was not used to store oil or other toxic chemicals prior to composting.
2. Collect organic compost materials. Avoid using meat, fish, oils and fats. Instead, select organic green compost materials that are high in nitrogen, such as grass clippings, vegetable scraps, and peat moss. You should also collect an equal amount of organic brown compost material that is high in carbon, such as sawdust, dead leaves, wood chips, straw, and cornstalks.
3. Cut all your organic compost materials to 1 inch in diameter, except for cornstalks. Use kitchen shears for your kitchen scraps or a lawn mower for your dry scraps. Select wood chips and sawdust that are already the correct size.
4. Place the cornstalks in the center of your compost pile. Cornstalks will create air pockets in the compost until they decompose. Build the pile around the cornstalks. Pile organic brown and organic green compost in alternating layers in the compost pile. Fill the barrel only two-thirds full.
5. Soak the pile with a garden hose until it is as damp as a wrung out sponge. The compost pile will begin to heat.
6. Check the compost daily with a thermometer. The internal portion of the compost pile should be between 120 and 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow the compost to cool on its own if the temperature rises above 160 F. If the compost is below 120 F, fold the corn stalks over, so you can close the lid of the barrel.
7. Tighten the lid onto the barrel so it won't come off. Turn the barrel onto its side, and roll it to turn and mix the compost. Turning and mixing the compost will help raise the temperature and make the compost decompose faster. When you have finished, set the barrel upright and remove the lid.
Tags: compost pile, compost materials, 15-gallon barrel, barrel with, green compost, onto barrel, organic brown