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hking_gw

high maintenance composter wanna be

16 years ago

Ok, I don't want to be a high maintenance composter, but unfortunately I just am high maintenance and I want to compost. I am a mother of 3 small children and I have rheumatoid arthritis and an organic garden I love. I don't want these challenges to prevent me from composting, but need some advice on how to proceed.

Due to my rheumatoid arthritis I cannot turn a pile and my hubby has a VERY full plate that I wish not to add to.

I also have a new baby duckling and will soon be adding another duck. This means I will have duck manure and shaved pine bedding. The duck manure is a new addition I am unsure how to handle in composting.

Did I mention the 3 sm kids...I don't want my 6 year old and 3 year old twins venturing in the compost or messing with it. So a heap is out. I think I need some kind of frame work.

I have looked at a few tumblers/bins and see a couple I am interested in despite the cost. I know most of you don't seem to be fans, but with my circumstances it appeared to be my best option. The Earthmaker looks the best to me, but I am a rookie. I also like the Envirocycle, but it is small so i think I would need 2 to get be able to constantly feed one. The advantge with this one appears to me is that I can roll it over to the duck pen, fill it, roll it back. The roll it to the garden or flower beds to empty when the compost is ready.

Will tumbler/plastic bins get hot enough to compost manure in with kitchen waste, lawn clippings and such?

Any other option I haven't considered??

Comments (5)

  • 16 years ago

    One more possible option, maybe not.
    I am a lazy composter, however, I think quite effective. I bought a fifty foot rolled section of what I call "horse fence" (probably wrong moniker for the fence), 4' tall that has 2" x 4" grids. When OM goes in, it doesn't fall through very much.
    My bins are made of 1/2 of a purchased rolled fence section, in essence an 8' diameter bin. Got a pile wired, one wired aging and another unwired being run through the screener, and the last area screened and finished.
    I toss in stuff all season. As it dries and develops a 1' layer of OM I pitch in a bit of urea and a 1-2" layer of good ol' dirt, then water and wait. Pile drops like a rock.
    My stuff takes a minimum of 2 years to finish, often 3-4 years before I use it. But, EVERYTHING in my yard gets re-used. Don't use any chemical weed preventers or tree bug treatments to contaminate fall leaf drop. Must admit I use a bit of glyphosate here and there. I use urea on the compost pile as a nitrogen source.
    Anyway, I am a "passive" composter. When I screen my oldest piles they are sweet (except this year, see "Compost Sins"). I never turn the pile. If there is stuff that hasn't "worked" I throw it into the next hot pile for the next round.
    I don't have to turn stuff, just water and apply N.
    Sounds like something YOU might try.
    Lazy hortster

  • 16 years ago

    Once, some years ago when I had much more time and energy, I was one of those that turned my compost fairly often. Now that I am retired I do not seem to have enough time, and certtainly not the energy anymore and my compost piles have not been turned for years, I just add stuff and make sure it is just moist enough, but not too wet, has enough Nitrogen in the mix and the compost composts with no further activity by me. Granted it takes much more time, I do not have finished compost ready it 14 days, more like 1 year.
    The full bin has been digested to 1/2 now, I started that one last summer, and it is time to start the second bin and this fall I will move the compost in the first bin to the gardens.

  • 16 years ago

    Composting can be as cheap or expensive as you want. As simple or as complicated as you wish. I once compiled a list of ten reasons I found a cheap mesh bin superior to my ($350) tumbler. I'm sure the thread fell off the forum by now, it was several years ago.

    I recommend 14 feet of hardware cloth (sturdier chicken wire-like product), 24" high, about $20. If you want to try hot composting, buy a compost thermometer for about $20 on up. A fork or something to turn the pile will be necessary; unless you're a practioner of very cold composting, and are willing to wait a year or two when only a shovel is required.

  • 16 years ago

    You can build wire bins, layer the stuff in, and turn it whenever you get around to it or need some compost.

    Toddlers would require a finer mesh bin than I use to keep them from messing in it, but the idea is the same. Pile it in, and when the bin is full, keep it moist until it has settled to about half the bin height.

    You can leave them that way for months, or plant in them. I use them as raised beds for tomatoes and squash.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wire bin composting

  • 16 years ago

    First, sorry to hear about your RA. DW has this as well as fibro so I can understand where you're (and especially DH) at.

    I suppose you need to find something you can handle. With good days/bad days you probably don't want to get into anything with a time commitment/schedule that you can't maintain. I'm gonna recommend stuff on wheels. A {{gwi:295539}} with a bucket bungeed on or something like that. Easy to move around and no lifting. The bigger the wheels the better.

    For composting, small wire bins that are set up in the location where you are going to use the compost (middle of a garden area). Several of them, so one can be filled and left alone whilst the others are getting filled. If you are not using higher risk materials, high heat isn't necessary so a small enclosure is fine. Fill, let sit for a year and then spread it out in place, repeat as necessary.

    If you find it becomes too much for you, not a lot of cost was involved and you did your best.

    If you find you can't handle the work another option might be to hire a student and teach them how to do what you want done, you get your 'post and the student learns something (and gets a bit of cash and exercise).

    Good luck

    Lloyd