Share your Compost Container pics!

[nellynelly]

i'm done with trying to keep it contained.

 

[chart]

I've already given my 9 wk. old chicks their own pile. They love it. I took some straw, leaves, bark and made a smallish pile and have just begun throwing some vegetable scraps in it. They go through it, then I rake it back up every few days and wet it down. I have another one waiting for them in what will be their permanent run and I will add my tumbler compost (mostly kitchen scraps) to it when I turn them out. I have a fair amount of land and several piles around the property with weeds, leaves, twigs and several tumblers of garbage, that I'm sure they will attend to once they are free-ranged. Years ago, I worked in restaurants and would take home big buckets of scraps for my chickens. I used a place that was sort of contained and out of the way. I unwittingly created a monstrous compost pile that 'fed' my gardens for many years. No work! They always had chicken feed on hand, but rarely ever ate it. In fact, they pretty much only ate it if they were 'locked-in' due to weather or something. It was a cardinal sin for any leftovers to go anywhere but the chicken bucket on the kitchen counter. I had such great results with this approach. Now it is new and improved! I don't eat my birds and have an allergy to egg whites, but I won't have a lot of bugs or a shortage of compost for my garden!

 

[lilmizscareall]

I just started composting a few months ago. I don't have room for a compost pile, so I built a tumbler. If it goes well I might make another so one can be an "add as you go", while the other one is a "batch". Some of you mentioned checking your ph levels, how do you do that? Here is a shot of my tumbler.

How is your tumbler working out? Where did you find the directions for it? I'm only semi handy, so I'd love to see more photos of peoples compost bins! I need some inspiration.

 

[Balloonjuice]

It so happens I have a bunch of unused pallets out in the shop. I like the idea of using pallets, but I was concerned that the wood would rot along with the vegetation. How do I keep the pallets in decent repair out in the weather? I was thinking I could use some welded wire on a u-post for a "gate."

 

[lazy gardener]

Balloonjuice... and anyone else planning to use pallets for compost bins or construction. You might want to check to be sure the wood is not pressure treated. As I understand, there will be a marking on the pallet: either HT or PT which stands for heat treated or pressure treated. Happy building!

 

[Balloonjuice]

Thanks for the tip, "lazy." The pallets I have were all built locally and none of the wood is pressure treated. What would the problem be if it were? Do the chemicals used in PT interfered with the decomp in some way?

 

[lazy gardener]

Pressure treated lumber has some nasty chemicals that leach into soil, and are carcinogenic. You'll have to do your own research to determine your own comfort level, but I wouldn't have it any where around plants or animals. Pressure treated is especially toxic if burned, and a single scrap of PT will contaminate your whole ash bin, and kill any animal that ingests it.

 

[Balloonjuice]

Thanks for the info. Can't be "too careful."

 

[Sill]

These are my new bins! My Dh made these compost bins out of 15 pallets. He took about half of them apart to use the wood to put the slats closer together. Since we live with summer temps at 115 for months with single digit humidity we are more worried about the compost drying out than not enough oxygen through the walls which I can get by just turning the pile. It's amazing how fast the piles can heat up after turning! The two bins on the left are for "cooking" the compost and the one on the right which is smaller is for holding extra brown material before using it in the other two bins. He made the front slats removable so I can use as many or few as needed for the amount of compost material in each bin and makes turning and mixing the bins easier. Since it's in the chickens' run they get to jump in and help turn the piles. There are metal covers to use during the heat to help conserve water in the piles

 

[chickenstricken]

How is your tumbler working out? Where did you find the directions for it?

I'm only semi handy, so I'd love to see more photos of peoples compost bins! I need some inspiration.

It's working out well, I'm working on my second batch. I found the directions online. It gave the measurements for the stand. I'll see if I can find it.