Tip of the Day - Make Your Own Composter
Posted on May 20, 2008 by
I’ve been eying compost tumblers for awhile now, but I just can’t get past the price tag. Most of them run over 100 bucks. So, I did a little research and made my own.
I followed the directions for this homemade composter at Thrifty Fun.
I used a medium sized garbage that we already had. It’s small, but I plan to make another when this one is full so I can stagger the “harvesting.” Plus, this way, it won’t get too heavy for me to turn weekly. I’m hoping the size won’t be an issue in the composting process.
The whole process took me less than a half an hour, and was one of those satisfying making something out of nothing situations. Plus, playing with power tools is fun. But if you don’t have a power drill, a hammer and a thick nail will do the trick too.
That’s the way I’m doing my compost right now, but I’m having a hard time mixing it. The shovel is too big. I need something like a pitchfork, but I’m hesitant to buy one just to mix compost.
I bought a long handled cultivator to break up the dirt, mix soil, etc. Kind of like this one — http://www.amazon.com/Union-Tools-ToughBuilt-Long-Handled-68019/dp/B000EGHX0K
It was about 8 bucks at the garden store, and it works for a lot of things — probably more so than a pitchfork. That, a simple shovel, and a set of hand tools are pretty much it for my gardening tool list. I hate to buy stuff that won’t get a ton of use.
I have to say I’m a little disapointed in myself that I couldn’t come up with such a simple and easy design! I already have one compost bin that my mom bought me, but soon I will need another and most of my online hunting has only turned up building bins that look to hard for me to try. Please keep us updated on how it works for you!
Will do! It took me a long time to find the instructions for this. I spent a lot of time looking at the really hard to make bins and the really expensive bins too. I really hope it works!
[...] The composter I made a few weeks ago has holes in the bottom. I’ve balanced it on some bricks and placed an old plastic tray underneath it to collect the juice that flows out. As a part of the composting process, I wet down the compost from time to time, so it’s pretty juicy. [...]
[...] Make Your Own Composter [...]
[...] Make Your Own Composter [...]