DIY compost pit from a barrel. Do-it-yourself compost pit in a suburban area - is it that simple? Compost pit from a barrel. Compost in an iron barrel

In the absence of space for a stationary composter, you can equip it in an ordinary plastic or metal barrel. It is better to use a plastic one, and for convenience of mixing, hang it in a horizontal position and attach a handle for rotation. The compost in the barrel will ripen evenly and it will take less effort to shovel the contents.

Old metal containers quickly rot under the influence of moisture, and the plastic is neutral.

In addition, you can buy a barrel of any size, depending on how much waste accumulates on the site. If only leaves and grass, then a volume of 120 - 150 liters will be enough. If there is vegetable and fruit waste, tops, weeds, manure, then you need to take 200 - 300 liters.

Benefits of using a plastic composting drum

If the site is equipped with a wooden composting box, the bottom will sooner or later rot under the influence of the same bacteria. If there is no bottom, then nutrients will go into the soil under the box irrevocably. It is much more economical if the composter has a bottom and is resistant to microorganisms.

You can make a do-it-yourself composter from a barrel aerobic and anaerobic. In the first case, it is necessary to organize regular air access to plant residues. This compost matures faster. If you use accelerators - bacterial preparations, then you can get fertilizer in 1 - 1.5 months.

Video: Compost Barrels

For anaerobic fertilization, the compost barrel must be airtight. It is tightly closed or dug into the ground. Residues take longer to rot, but the fertilizer is more concentrated, since all the nutrients remain inside. Such compost is not used for seedlings in its pure form, but is always mixed with the soil.

A compost pit from a barrel is easier to arrange than making a storage bin out of concrete, although concrete is also very good stuff for a stationary composter. To immerse the barrel in the ground, it is enough to dig a hole corresponding to the size of the container.

Walls and bottom can be wrapped mineral wool or other heat-retaining material. In such a pit it will be possible to make fertilizer even in winter. The hatch will serve plastic coverwhich is sold in the kit.

How to set up a barrel composter

There are many ways how to prepare compost in the country in a barrel. The easiest one is to leave it in the garden without digging it into the ground.

To make a horizontal compost barrel, you need some tools and additional materials - wood or metal pipes. The first step is to weld or knock down the frame, which will hold the barrel filled with compost raw materials.

It can be something like a frame with welded support tubes or wooden bars. A barrel will be attached to them, in the center of which a metal pipe runs. In order not to damage the plastic, they put on the metal PVC pipe - it is smooth and durable.

How to prepare a barrel:

Make a hole in which the raw materials will be laid. To do this, cut a rectangular piece in the wall. With the help of metal canopies on one side, a piece of plastic becomes a door. On the other hand, it is necessary to provide a latch so that the ingredients do not fall out during scrolling.

On both sides - in the bottom and in the lid, holes are made to pass the pipe.

The lid is tightly closed and the barrel is put on the pipe, fastening it to the bed. You can make a handle for convenience, but many do without it.

Summer residents attach wheels to the base of the frame and transport the composter for the winter to a warm place - a shed or storage room.

Preparation and laying of raw materials

Before composting in a barrel, you need to prepare the raw materials. It must be a mixture of nitrogen and carbon-containing components. In this case, nitrogen is laid 4 times less. All green components and manure are nitrogen-containing. To carbon - straw, cardboard, dry leaves, sawdust, bark, cut branches of trees and shrubs.

Pour each ingredient a five-centimeter layer of soil, so that soil bacteria get into the compost and begin to multiply. If you use biodegradants, then you do not need to add soil. Bacterial preparations can be purchased at the store or made with your own hands from fermented milk products and yeast.

After composting withstand 5 - 6 days with the lid open and then inverted. When shoveling on the bed, the lid is closed, then it is opened again to give access to oxygen. In the future, the compost is turned every 3 - 4 days. This speeds up its maturation.

To get the finished fertilizer, a bucket, wheelbarrow or other container is placed under the lid and the required amount is poured.

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Cultivated plants and trees require a regular supply of nutrients, and the soil is gradually depleted. Therefore, it is required to regularly apply additional fertilizing to the soil - organic and mineral. Chemicals have not only a positive effect on green spaces, so modern vegetable growers prefer not to use such means for fertilizing vegetables and fruits, but prefer dressings made from natural ingredients.

One such fertilizer is compost. It can be made from vegetable waste that remains after weeding in the garden or vegetable garden, as well as from food and other ingredients. To get a complete top dressing, the necessary elements must be rotted.

Pits are dug under the compost on the plots, where plant waste is piled, from which an excellent tool for improving soil fertility is later obtained. But some growers do compost feeding in old bins, iron barrel and in any other containers that are no longer used for their intended purpose.

Below we will talk about how to make compost in a barrel, about the main advantages of natural fertilization, as well as about the nuances of preparing organic matter in this way.

Top dressing, obtained by decomposition of organic elements, has a positive effect on the composition of the soil, increases fertility, and there are practically no costs for its preparation. As a basis for compost, they dig a hole (or make a container in which it will re-heat organic waste), and then put all plant residues from the site there.

If there is no room for a hole in the garden (or there is no way to dig it), then an ordinary barrel is suitable for preparing organic fertilizer. So that the process of fermentation of plant waste is not accompanied by unpleasant odor, a lid is attached to this container.

Benefits over compost pit

Barrel pros:

1) it can be located in any free corner of the site;
2) The installation does not require much space;
3) appearance more aesthetic (compared to the pit);
4) small holes can be made in the neck of the barrel for oxygen to enter, which is needed for beneficial bacteria to function;
5) it is possible to make a hole in the lower part of the structure through which ready-made compost can be taken;
6) in a barrel organic fertilizer will not dry out or be washed out by melting snow or other precipitation;
7) cucumbers or zucchini can be grown in a container with already ripe top dressing.

But composting in a pit has benefits too:

no need to start large-scale construction, it is enough to dig a square depression with sides 1.4 m and a depth of 0.5 m;
the pit can be filled throughout the season without thinking about the possible lack of space;
plant components are put into a pit and after filling it, if there is no way to dig another one, then a compost heap will grow on top.

But such depressions without covers with accumulations formed on top spoil the view of the site, spread an unpleasant smell around.

What to put in the barrel?

Make compost in the country with my own hands easily. A barrel of any size is suitable for this, but a large one is better - it will fit more waste. The only caveat is that there should be no metal parts in the container for the decomposition of organic residues that come into contact with decay products.

Put into the barrel:

weeds, plant debris, small tree branches;
grass, fallen leaves, straw, sawdust and shavings, peat;
food waste and slops;
wood ash, chicken droppings.

Weeds with seeds, diseased plant parts, and animal manure must not be added to the compost: along with it there is a risk of introducing pathogenic microflora into the prepared organic matter.

The procedure for laying raw materials

It is necessary to put all plant and food residues in a container in a crushed form so that they rot faster. Layers of organic matter are sprinkled with earth, peat or chicken droppings.

The process of composting waste is faster if water or slop is added to the barrel every day (for such irrigation, weed infusion, drunk tea leaves, coffee grounds are used).

It is best to alternate the following layers of organic matter and other substances:

plant remains;
bird droppings;
wood ash;
priming.

Maturation of compost in a barrel

To get rotted organic fertilizer, you have to wait: the rotting process in the compost barrel lasts 2-3 seasons. The time interval depends on the degree of grinding of the raw material and the presence of favorable microflora, under the influence of which decay occurs.

If you start using the produced top dressing at the end of the first season, then it will be better than simple soil from the site, but less valuable in terms of the amount of nutrients than 2-3 year old compost.

Signs of compost maturation

Determining the degree of readiness of organics is easy:

in a high-quality fertilizer, all plant residues rotted;
it is homogeneous and loose (no sifting is required before applying to the soil);
you can safely take it in your hands - it will be soft and dry;
completely rotted compost smells pleasantly of forest, mushrooms and fallen leaves.

You can prepare such a high-quality organic additive in any container, the main thing is to put only plant residues and food in it, and also regularly add moisture for better decay.

Fully matured compost is an excellent fertilizer for garden plants, flowers, shrubs and trees. It is used to prepare a nutrient substrate for growing seedlings. vegetable crops, added to the soil when transplanting indoor flowers (those that benefit from organic fertilizing).

This nutritional supplement is introduced in large quantities when digging a garden and vegetable garden in the fall, when during the season the plants have taken a large amount of nutrients from the soil.

Composting in a barrel is a simple and inexpensive method. Despite the duration of ripening, top dressing can compete with artificial fertilizers due to its effectiveness and safety for plants.

In order to make a compost barrel with your own hands, you needed:

two plastic barrels of 200 liters each, a metal pipe (of such a diameter that it does not bend under the weight of the barrels), a PVC pipe, 4 door curtains, 2 latches, bolts and nuts M12, wooden beams 6 × 6 cm, and slats 6 × 4 cm.

Installation of the "compost barrel"

In a barrel in the middle of the side, I cut out a window 36 × 28 cm with a jigsaw for loading raw materials. From the inside, I screwed a strip of metal to one of the long sides (photo 1) - this is a stopper so that the door does not fall inside the container.

I fixed the cut piece on the curtains (opposite the metal strip), attached a handle to it (photo 2) Added two latches that hold the lid closed. Along the entire surface of the container, I drilled chains of holes d 12 mm at a distance of 10 cm from each other with a drill. About half pro drilled holes inserted M 12 bolts 10 cm long (photo Z) (as long as possible) and secured them with nuts so that the ends stick out inside the container. I prepared the second barrel in the same way.

On metal pipe a piece of PVC pipe should be put on so as not to damage the edges of the drums when rotating.

At the ends of the containers, I drilled holes in the center and inserted a pipe, which I horizontally fixed on a wooden T-shaped base 110 cm high from beams and slats in advance drilled holes suitable diameter.

Loading compost into a homemade barrel

For compost I use chicken manure, straw and a little soil (you can dry leaves, mowed grass on the site, chopped eggshell, food waste) - I load them into barrels and moisten them with water.

I rotate the drums every three days - the pins loosen and mix the biomass, which gradually decomposes under the influence of heat and moisture. With the usual method of composting in boxes knocked down from boards, “maturation” takes from 6 to 9 months, and in my device it takes 1-1.5 months.

Container for making compost with your own hands - photo

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Are you against mineral chemical fertilizers? You want to minimize the use of chemical fertilizers on your garden plot? Then this article is for you. Take a look around. Right under your feet is what is correct use will become humus, which can be scattered in the garden, vegetable garden and flower beds.

Interesting fact:
Already in the 10th century, the secrets of composting
were known to the Slavic tribes,
for example, the Polabian Slavs.

Compost is a natural universal organic fertilizer, which can be obtained by any gardener, gardener and summer resident without extra material costs and without much difficulty. Compost has a beneficial effect on the structure and fertility of the soil. You just need to be able to properly prepare it.

Rule 1
Where and what is better to compost

There are two options:

Compost pit / heap
Compost box or barrel

Benefits of a compost pit / heap

No need to look for additional materials and no need to build anything. You just dug a hole no more than 0.5 m deep and 1.5 mx 1.5 m in size and put organic residues (kitchen waste, weeds, fallen leaves, etc.) into this hole (over time, a heap will turn out).

If desired, when the pit is filled flush with the ground, you can build on the walls. I have them about 0.5 m high. However, the compost heap has long passed this mark. But I didn't build on anything.

If the compost pit / heap is supported by walls, then comfortable conditions will be created inside the pit for the work of anaerobic organisms that live only in the absence of atmospheric oxygen

Disadvantages of a compost pit / heap

There is a compost pit on my site, which has already turned into a heap. However, it is bulky, looks untidy (fortunately, it is located behind the barn and hidden from view). And most importantly, it's impossible for me to shovel it.

It will not be possible to obtain high-quality compost in a compost pit in 1 year. It will take at least 3 years. But it is visible and invisible in it. Worms are free there, they grow long and fat. It is in the compost pit that the husband digs worms when he is going fishing. And carp on such a worm is excellent.

(pelvis diameter - 40 cm)

Compost box or barrel

In the garden, I also put a basket and two compost barrels. It's comfortable. While plant residues for compost are piled into one container, in another container the compost matures under a lid, and the finished compost is removed from the third container for gardening needs.

Adapted a leaky one for compost metal barrel and cracked plastic. I also punched holes in the bottom of the plastic.

The height of the barrels is no more than 70 cm, so that with my short stature it would be convenient for me to put plant residues in them and pour out the slops.

My compost box is made of boards. But you can make it from cement-particle boards 20 mm thick or metal mesh.

Benefits of barrels or boxes

Can be placed anywhere in the garden / vegetable garden.
Due to its compactness, it will not take up much space.
Looks more aesthetically pleasing than a pit / heap.
Thanks to holes and cracks, we get a kind of ventilation, which means that enough air is supplied to the future compost, which is so necessary for the life of microorganisms.
The finished compost can be taken from the lower layers (through pre-made holes) as needed.
In a barrel or box, the compost does not dry out and is not washed out.
A barrel or box with matured compost can be adapted for growing cucumbers or zucchini. It turns out a kind high bed.

Rule 2
What you can compost

1. All plant residues and weeds from the beds and garden, except:

* weeds with ripe seeds
* diseased plants
* weeds treated with herbicides

I put plant residues unsuitable for compost in a special pile hidden in the back behind the fence. Or I take it out of the site.

2. Mowed grass, fallen leaves, straw, sawdust and, if present, peat.

By the way, about the fallen leaves.
Leaf litter significantly improves the quality of the compost. But it all depends on the type of wood. For example, lime leaves, which contain a lot of lime, quickly decompose and form neutral humus, thereby enriching the compost.

3. Household (kitchen) waste, slops.

If slops from the kitchen are regularly poured into the barrel with compost, then the barrel does not need to be watered on purpose. And so it takes up to 3-4 buckets of water a day.

4. Ashes and, if any, bird droppings.

The alternation of layers occurs naturally, which has a beneficial effect on the compost. The fact is that vegetable peelings, weeds, mown grass contain a lot of nitrogen, sawdust - carbon, ash - potassium and trace elements.

Manure (slurry) I don't put it in compost. First, we do not have this "good". Secondly, with manure there is a risk of bringing diseases and pests into the compost. Here it is necessary to ensure that the compost is rotted for 2 years, or maybe 3, depending on the conditions.

It is not necessary to add soil to the compost heap. This can lower the putrefaction temperature and thus slow down the organic composting process.

Rich harvests for you,
Katerina Shlykova

Quoting and partial copying articles and stories, possibly indicating the source in the form active link to the corresponding page of the site.

It takes about 9-10 months to prepare compost in the usual way. In a rotating, closed plastic barrel, the cooking time is reduced to 15-20 days.

Loading - from the cylindrical side. The cover clings to the hinges and is secured with two screws. On the sides there are openings for air intake, enclosed by fine mesh. The barrel is placed on the frame. There are gear rollers in the corners of the frame, these are connected to the toothed rim of the barrel, and it can be turned by hand to mix the compost. The smaller container is structurally made somewhat differently and rotates on an axis passing through the center. To obtain compost, ordinary plant and household waste is used.

We use:

Used barrel (with lid)

A galvanized pipe on which the composter will rotate (a bar of smooth reinforcement is also suitable)

Bolts with washers and nuts

4 latches

Door hinges

1. Drill in the barrel in the center of the ends two holes for the pipe - axes. The axis will be supported by a wooden frame

2. Cut out the door in the barrel, attach it to the hinges. We fasten the latches. An improvised handle is made from a cord that has come to hand.

3. Punch or drill a lot of ventilation holes in the barrel. In several places, we drive long nails into the barrel - splitter for better mixing of the contents (instead of nails, you can use a slotting machine, tightening it with bolts).