How to Make a Compost Plastic Drum
Composting is a great addition to any garden, and is an environmentally-friendly choice. Not only can you recycle kitchen scraps and yard waste, but you avoid chemical fertilizers that can seep into the groundwater. So why don't more gardeners have a home compost pile? An outdoor compost pile can involve a lot of heavy labor, and some consider it unsightly. If it's not properly managed, it can attract pests. Put the same pile in a compost turner and you virtually eliminate the heavy labor, hide the evidence of decomposition, and since it's enclosed, there are no pests to worry about. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 50-gallon plastic drum with removable lid
- 8 sandbags
- Power drill with 1-inch and 1/2-inch bits
- 5 feet of 1-inch PVC pipe
- 2 sawhorses
- Pipe-mounting brackets with screws
- Power screwdriver
Instructions
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Lay the 50-gallon drum horizontally on a solid surface. Use some of the sandbags to brace it so it doesn't roll or shift. Use the power drill to drill a series of 1/2-inch aeration holes along the length of the drum. Turn the drum 45 degrees and drill another line of aeration holes. Continue to turn the drum 45 degrees and drill lines of aeration holes until you have eight lines of holes evenly spaced around the drum.
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Stand the drum upright and mark the midline. Drill a 1-inch hole 3 inches above the midline. Drill another 1-inch hole on the exact opposite side of the drum, 3 inches above the midline. Make sure the two holes line up exactly, or your composter will be off-balance.
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Insert the PVC pipe through the 1-inch holes. Use the PVC pipe to lift the drum off the ground. Push the drum and make sure it pivots easily on the pipe. If it sticks, enlarge the pipe holes slightly.
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Choose a level area near your garden to place your compost drum. Avoid soft soils, or the compost drum could tip or sink when it is full. Place the sawhorses in this area, 4 feet apart. Use the sandbags to brace the sawhorse legs.
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Balance the PVC pipe (threaded through the 50-gallon drum) on the crossbeams of the two sawhorses. The drum should not be resting on the ground. If it is, dig out a few inches below the drum. Use the power screwdriver and pipe-mounting brackets to secure the PVC pipe to the sawhorses.
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Start composting by adding several inches of yard waste -- grass clippings, raked leaves, or branches that have been cut into small pieces. Add any kitchen scraps you have accumulated, such as coffee grounds, tea bags, and vegetable trimmings. Give the drum a good push to rotate it three or four times to mix and aerate the compost materials.
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Give the drum a push to rotate it every two to three days, and any time you add compost materials. Check the moisture level of the compost every week. It should feel like a wrung-out sponge. If it is too dry, sprinkle it with water, close the lid and rotate to mix. Within four to six weeks you will have rich, dark compost ready to mix into your garden soil or spread as a mulch.
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Tips & Warnings
It will help to have a second person available to hold the PVC pipe steady while you screw down the pipe-mounting brackets.
Never add meat, grease, or pet waste to the compost. These materials take much longer to decompose than plant material, and they can introduce pathogens to the compost that would transfer to your garden.
