COMPOSTER INFORMATION
|
|
Aerating Spinning Composter on hand-built stand of pressure-treated lumber. The 55-gallon capacity barrel spins to aerate and process compost quickly and naturally. Our testers turned out finished compost as quickly as 5 weeks. Individual results will be based on the Compost Variables listed and detailed below. Screw-on lid with screened aeration holes, drip holes in the composter bottom. You may capture excess moisture ("Compost Tea") in a drip pan or large plant pot basin under the composter to use in fertilizing garden plants.
No longer meet rodents at the compost! The barrel is heavy-duty #2 plastic food shipping barrel, up-cycled to bring you the best composter ever! Easy to turn: fill it only 1/2 full at most (stop filling when it gets harder to turn), set it in the sun where rain can fall into it, and change your compostable scraps, razor clippings, vacuum bag contents, & shredded paper into rich compost to improve your garden. Our carefully constructed Spinning Composter is designed with input by Master Gardeners.
Compost variables:
1. Feed-stock and nutrient balance
2. Particle Size
3. Moisture
4. Oxygen Flow
5. Temperature
1. Feed-stock and nutrient balance:
• Controlled decomposition requires a proper balance of "green" organic materials and "brown" organics, with more Carbon and less
Nitrogen.
• A varied diet for the composing organisms is best
• Obtaining a balanced nutrient mix takes experimentation and patience, and is part of the art and science of composting.
• “Green” materials have higher Nitrogen content: Chicken, horse, and cattle manure; peelings; rinds; cores; bits of fruits or
vegetables; fresh lawn clippings (do not used grass that has been chemically treated); fleshy yard weeds that have not gone to
seed; flower heads; algae and fresh-water aquarium scum; tea and coffee grounds; feathers; hair.
• “Brown” materials are Carbon-rich. Typically, woody dry plant materials (free of mold, bacteria, or parasitic infection) and dried:
leaves; paper; peat moss; sawdust (do not use from treated lumber); cornstalks; hay; straw; dryer lint; floor sweepings; vacuum
lint; wood chips; used paper towels w/o grease or chemicals; shredded paper; paper rolls.
Do NOT Compost: Meat; Fats; Oils; Bones; Dairy; Human and Pet Waste (no carnivore waste); chemically treated items; items contaminated by body fluids; pathogen-infected items.
2. Particle Size:
• Grinding, chipping, and shredding materials increases the surface area on which the microorganism can feed. Smaller particles:
• Produce more homogeneous compost mixture
• Improve insulation to help maintain optimum temperatures in a pile.
• But particles too small can reduce air flow through a compost pile.
3. Moisture:
• Microorganisms living in a compost pile need adequate moisture to survive, best at “Wrung-out Sponge.”
• Moisture helps transport substances within a compost pile to make nutrients in organic material accessible to the microbes.
• Organic material contains some moisture in varying amounts; supplement as needed by rain and intentional watering.
• Do not dry it too much, which will slow decomposition.
4. Oxygen Flow:
• Aerating the pile allows decomposition to occur faster
• Turn the pile; place the pile on a series of pipes, or include bulking agents such as wood
chips to help to aerate the pile.
• Spinning composter: Just give the composter a daily spin!
5. Temperature:
“Decomposers” are organisms which do your composting work. Different types perform optimally at different temperature ranges, 55-130 °F, promoting rapid composting.
At 140°F many pathogens, weed seeds and decomposers die. Core temp can exceed 160°F – too hot - with many decomposers gone, anaerobes take over (you’ll know!)
Balancing & Finishing Compost
• If the pile doesn't heat, check moisture, and it may need more “green”
• If it smells like ammonia, it may need more “brown.”
• Stop adding to a compost batch to let it finish, you should still be able to turn the composter barrel. Start a passive pile next to the composter to get a head start on your next batch.
• When it is done it will be uniformly brown, earthy, and cool.
The above is information for getting started with your composter. There are many resources on-line that can give more details on composting. Enjoy the experience.
No longer meet rodents at the compost! The barrel is heavy-duty #2 plastic food shipping barrel, up-cycled to bring you the best composter ever! Easy to turn: fill it only 1/2 full at most (stop filling when it gets harder to turn), set it in the sun where rain can fall into it, and change your compostable scraps, razor clippings, vacuum bag contents, & shredded paper into rich compost to improve your garden. Our carefully constructed Spinning Composter is designed with input by Master Gardeners.
Compost variables:
1. Feed-stock and nutrient balance
2. Particle Size
3. Moisture
4. Oxygen Flow
5. Temperature
1. Feed-stock and nutrient balance:
• Controlled decomposition requires a proper balance of "green" organic materials and "brown" organics, with more Carbon and less
Nitrogen.
• A varied diet for the composing organisms is best
• Obtaining a balanced nutrient mix takes experimentation and patience, and is part of the art and science of composting.
• “Green” materials have higher Nitrogen content: Chicken, horse, and cattle manure; peelings; rinds; cores; bits of fruits or
vegetables; fresh lawn clippings (do not used grass that has been chemically treated); fleshy yard weeds that have not gone to
seed; flower heads; algae and fresh-water aquarium scum; tea and coffee grounds; feathers; hair.
• “Brown” materials are Carbon-rich. Typically, woody dry plant materials (free of mold, bacteria, or parasitic infection) and dried:
leaves; paper; peat moss; sawdust (do not use from treated lumber); cornstalks; hay; straw; dryer lint; floor sweepings; vacuum
lint; wood chips; used paper towels w/o grease or chemicals; shredded paper; paper rolls.
Do NOT Compost: Meat; Fats; Oils; Bones; Dairy; Human and Pet Waste (no carnivore waste); chemically treated items; items contaminated by body fluids; pathogen-infected items.
2. Particle Size:
• Grinding, chipping, and shredding materials increases the surface area on which the microorganism can feed. Smaller particles:
• Produce more homogeneous compost mixture
• Improve insulation to help maintain optimum temperatures in a pile.
• But particles too small can reduce air flow through a compost pile.
3. Moisture:
• Microorganisms living in a compost pile need adequate moisture to survive, best at “Wrung-out Sponge.”
• Moisture helps transport substances within a compost pile to make nutrients in organic material accessible to the microbes.
• Organic material contains some moisture in varying amounts; supplement as needed by rain and intentional watering.
• Do not dry it too much, which will slow decomposition.
4. Oxygen Flow:
• Aerating the pile allows decomposition to occur faster
• Turn the pile; place the pile on a series of pipes, or include bulking agents such as wood
chips to help to aerate the pile.
• Spinning composter: Just give the composter a daily spin!
5. Temperature:
“Decomposers” are organisms which do your composting work. Different types perform optimally at different temperature ranges, 55-130 °F, promoting rapid composting.
At 140°F many pathogens, weed seeds and decomposers die. Core temp can exceed 160°F – too hot - with many decomposers gone, anaerobes take over (you’ll know!)
Balancing & Finishing Compost
• If the pile doesn't heat, check moisture, and it may need more “green”
• If it smells like ammonia, it may need more “brown.”
• Stop adding to a compost batch to let it finish, you should still be able to turn the composter barrel. Start a passive pile next to the composter to get a head start on your next batch.
• When it is done it will be uniformly brown, earthy, and cool.
The above is information for getting started with your composter. There are many resources on-line that can give more details on composting. Enjoy the experience.
