|
| I've been thinking a lot about ways to make mixing Al's mix not so strenuous as it is with a shovel and wheel barrow. I thought about trying a composter but didn't want to spend a fortune on one, so when this post appeared on my local forum (Florida Gardening) I bought one. The question is, are any of you using a composter to mix soil? And, if not, how do you make the mixing process less strenuous?
Tom |
Follow-Up Postings:
|
| I make the gritty mix in about 3 gallon batches & fill big bins with it. For the 5:1:1 mix I spread the ingredients on a large tarp and rough-mix them with the flat side of a garden rake before finish-mixing by tugging on the tarp and rolling the ingredients over until they are fully mixed. It only takes a few minutes to mix. It goes faster with 2 people, but I usually do it alone with no trouble at all. Al |
|
| Thanks Al, that seems simple enough and I have a 3 car driveway so if this thing falls apart quickly I'll try your method, since I also have a large tarp ;-) I could get a 55 gallon steel barrel with a lever-hinged ring around a removable top but I wasn't convinced rolling this thing around and tipping it over would be any less strenuous, and it was $30. The tarp sounds like a good backup plan.... Tom |
|
| I have thought of using my concrete mixer. The reason I don't is because once set up it is impossible to move without taking it apart. I am using the loader on my tractor, which allows me to mix about 35 gallons at a time. It does require a lot of shovel work to mix. At least I can mix at the best height and easily move it to other locations. Almost everything I do requires a lot of shoveling and my shoulders are beginning to give out. Al |
|
| Well, it's been almost a year since I made this post and I don't recall seeing any pictures of Al's Mix being made so I thought I'd post a link to the Florida forum where I did just post some pictures of my process for the mix. Tom |
|
| Hey Al, I posted this response over at the other forum.... Women! She thinks the garage is something that looks better empty, than chock full of 'useful things'. I guess I'll be relegated to mixing mine on a tarp on the driveway. ;-) Al, the trade off is my two car garage is really a one car garage, but I'd rather keep my composter in the garage than my truck ;-) Tom |
|
| I make my gritty medium mix in about 2 gallon increments, so mixing can occur with a kitchen utensil. I use either 2,4, or 5 gallon buckets. If I had to make large batches, I'd probably fill a 55 gallon drum, cover it, and roll it around. I could also enlist my husband to build/weld a frame for turning it. That wouldn't be too difficult, I imagine. He's very handy. For medium sized batches, I'll probably just use a baby pool and my little estate shovel... or use the tarp method Al suggests. It shouldn't be too strenuous to mix an average sized batch. |
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in. If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Container Gardening Forum
Instructions
- You must be a registered member and logged in to post messages on our forums.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review the contents and make changes.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in order to see it.
- It is illegal to post copyrighted material without the owner's consent.
- HTML codes are allowed in the message field only.
- No advertising is allowed in any of the forums.
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we will be happy to help.