Pretty composter

[minnikin1]

WE saw this charming composter for sale but the price is just obscene.
I'd like to have it though, it's attractive enough to put right near the kitchen door:

http://pathtofreedom.com/peddlerswag...omposter.shtml


Anyway, we've decided we're going to try to make one. Does anyone have more info about the principles involved?
Any ideas for what we could use for the dome? I'm thinking a
cheese server would work great.

Or maybe I could find something like it
on an old broken appliance. Weren't there popcorn makers that had dome lids similar to this?

[NWoods_Hippie]

Oh my gosh, you are right the cost is completely crazy.

As to the dome thing, I have clear plastic domes over my bird feeder to keep the squirrels away, and I think it would work great. I paid $10 for the dome at the local hardware store. The link is just for reference as to what the dome looks like.
http://www.havahart.com/bird/squirrel_proof_dome.asp

As to the rest of the design for the composter, when you click on the second picture it shows a cut away of the composter, shouldn't be hard to make one after studying that picture for a while.

Cool idea, hope it works out for you!
Margie

[moonwolf]

$450 is a lot of money to spend on a fancy composter. It's not that big either!

Here is a picture of my fancy double bin, roofed over, all local cedar composter that I built over a decade ago and still holding up. It's in a permanent location and can't be moved. The corners are well anchored round cedar posts (hidden inside the unit) and is made with second grade beetle bored 2 x 8 cedar boards I got for about $50. Inside the truss is conventional 2 x 4 spruce and the roof is cedar also. Never leaks and never has budged. I grew 110 lb. pumpkin in one compartment in a wet cool year because of the ability to control the growing environment within. Never gets 'soggy', but if dry, I do water the contents. works great. One compartment is 'heating' to decompose, and the other has finished compost. I get a lot of comments about it.

[hunter63]

moon, very cool, that's has to be the best looking, most practical, and reasonable compost-er I seen.
Mine are the 4 pallets/on end/screwed together type.
I can't believe the price for the Sun frost barrel?
Would anyone here seriously consider spending that much money?

[sleeps723]

i found a double composter, 10 bushels per, for 400. im gonna order it in feb.

[minnikin1]

Originally Posted by NWoods_Hippie

Oh my gosh, you are right the cost is completely crazy.

As to the dome thing, I have clear plastic domes over my bird feeder to keep the squirrels away, and I think it would work great. I paid $10 for the dome at the local hardware store.

Perfect! Thank you for the suggestion!


I love those permanent composters and plan to add some like them eventually for composting garden waste and the like, but our landscape plan doesn't have a space to put one so its right near the kitchen.
That's why I thought this pretty little barrel would be perfect by the door.
Moonwolf, did you design your own plans for it?
It kind of reminds me of the one from the humanure guy's site.

[moonwolf]

Originally Posted by minnikin1

Moonwolf, did you design your own plans for it?
It kind of reminds me of the one from the humanure guy's site.

All I did really was mark out the dimensions and square off a base on where to sink the corner posts. From there I nailed on the boards starting from the bottom, keeping them level. There is a separation in the middle to make it two compartments. That also is the same 2 x 8 boards. The ends simply are cross braced like a simple half door plan and removable to access the compost. Nothing difficult about making it. Took maybe 20 hours time to build. I did do one thing in the 'heating' part of the composter. I added perforated tile drainage tubing (4") at the bottom, and angled it up so it had a stack all the way up about 3 ft. That helps it 'breath' when full and keeps compaction to a minimum. In other words, it aids to help faster decomposition and composting. I stick a long metal thermometer with a dial on it. It registers 160 degrees fahrenheit and steam comes up showing it's working. If I overwater it, no big deal as it can drain out the bottom. But I try to keep it just moist enough to not let too much nutrient drain, or cooling it while it's at the peak of composting. When it cools (generally a couple of weeks later from a full bin), I move the finished contents over to the other compartment ready to use. each unit holds about 64 cubic feet of material.

[Mid Tn Mama]

I compost in situ. That way, any nutrients that drain are aiding my soil right where I need it. Works for me. I used to have a big pile, but hey, why not have it do it's thing while also preventing weeds?

Those are all really nice products, but I like the old margarine container with a piece of junk mail at the bottom instead of the 30-40 ceramic one.

I like recycling milk jugs and 2 ltr bottles to use instead of the expensive ceramic models.

It doesn't have to cost a lot of money to feed your family. We are proof.

[free-2-b-me]

I just have a pile out by the fence . I add stuff for a while and then start another and let the first cook . All my garden soil is made this way . I just add peatmoss to fluff it up a bit when adding it to the garden . I have worms a plenty around here and they make short work of composting.

[Beeman]

I'm a little confused about the dome. For material to become compost it takes heat not sunlight. I don't think you would need sunlight as much as you would need air. I don't see why you couldn't use a piece of PVC pipe with holes drilled in it and a cap on top. I would make it more of an earthworm feeder instead of a composter.

[minnikin1]

Originally Posted by Beeman

I'm a little confused about the dome. For material to become compost it takes heat not sunlight. I don't think you would need sunlight as much as you would need air. I don't see why you couldn't use a piece of PVC pipe with holes drilled in it and a cap on top. I would make it more of an earthworm feeder instead of a composter.

The way I'm understanding it, it is more difficult to build up heat in a small
composter, so the solar dome helps boost the internal temps. The outer area of the bin acts as an insulating layer, which also helps keep the temps up. The center of the bin is the composting chamber.

Moisture condenses under the dome, and it is sized so it drips back in at the outer perimeter where it waters the plants. The center where the
real composting is taking place is kept drier, so there is less need to
add dry material. (That's a real bonus because our kitchen waste is usually very moist.)
the dome doesn't cover the whole top of the composter so air is still allowed in.
I would guess that keeping rain off the main compost area is also a benefit, to prevent the nutrients from being washed away.

The plants root reach down to the bottom of the planter for the nutrients.
They say you can put worms in there, also. They avoid the heat in the center and so spend their time closer to the plants roots.

I'm thinking strawberries and cherry tomatoes would be perfect in this thing.