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| I want to start a compost I was looking today at the green steams of a lot of kale that I had separated and old food and though " I need a compost".....so here I am I want to do it but I live in a town house I have a small back patio so I was thinking maybe I could do it in a food grade plastic barrel like this my question is can this be done in a barrel. thanks in advance. |
Follow-Up Postings:
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| Consider composting with worms instead. |
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- Posted by purpleinopp 8b AL (My Page) on Mon, Aug 13, 12 at 10:09
| You may want to investigate sheet composting. |
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- Posted by tropical_thought San Francisco (My Page) on Mon, Aug 13, 12 at 10:45
| I have a question. If you don't have a garden why do you need compost? Compost does not work well in container gardening. |
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| thank you for you answers, I am moving to a house next year and I wanted to have compost to take with me to put into my garden. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Mon, Aug 13, 12 at 13:34
| A barrel like that will work, but it needs holes in it. Holes in the bottom so water will drain, and holes in the sides for air to get in. You can use a hole saw, about 1" to 1-1/2" diameter. Google up some images of compost bins and you'll get an idea how many holes to drill. Good luck and happy composting! |
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- Posted by tropical_thought San Francisco (My Page) on Mon, Aug 13, 12 at 13:53
| If you put side holes in for air, you are likely to get a lot of flies laying eggs and then hatching. Compost does not need side holes. It still get air when you turn it. Holes are non helpful. That idea that holes are helpful is a myth, not backed up science. I have both kind of bins, and I like the ones without side holes much better. It does need to drain out the bottom into the ground or else you will have a mess. You can get a tumbler, I really don't like tumblers, but if you have no access to soil or ground drainage. A tumbler would be the way to go. If you don't put bottom holes in you will be a soup like mess that will smell horrible. It will be so hard to make compost this way and expensive, that you would be better off waiting to start later on when you have access to the ground. |
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| Worm composting sounds like a good way to start. Especially if fisherman are in the family. Usually gardeners do not move compost from one house to another. I do wheel my large plastic can down the block to gather leaves other neighbors are pitching. Consider buying compost the first year from a place that specializes in compost (some deliver), rather than from a grocery or hardware store. |
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- Posted by toxcrusadr (My Page) on Mon, Aug 13, 12 at 18:08
| Oh, but real garden wackos will take their compost with. Seen it happen around this very forum... :-D PS A well-maintained compost bin will not have excessive flies, so don't get the wrong impression before you even start. When you add kitchen scraps, cover them with browns, such as leaves, shredded paper, etc. and you'll be fine. |
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| Who wouldn't take their compost with them? If you ask me the whackoes are the ones who leave it behind Hahaha! |
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| I am strange enough to take it with me lol. this is my first year gardening and I just wanted to learn about more stuff gardening is kind of the best thing that has happened to me in a while it give me something to focus on and spend my free time loving (other than my boys lol. I talk about my garden like its my third kid. If I have my camera I will show people pictures of it <---that sounds weird but I do. thank you all for all of the advice. |
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- Posted by mustard_seeds 4 -Onalaska Wisconsi (My Page) on Tue, Aug 14, 12 at 7:44
| is the location of your new house known? If you have access and a willing seller, adding a thick layer of shredded leaves in your gardening area this fall will make it so nice next year. Welcome to the addiction! |
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| I've been composting in trash barrels for many years, with great success...so I say go for it. I drilled 1/2" holes on the sides and bottoms of my barrels, and I leave the lid on. I add water when necessary, and I "turn" by dumping out the contents and shoveling them back in with a pitchfork. My barrels don't get as hot as the bigger piles that some people have, but things *do* compost. I also brought my compost from my previous home to my current one. |
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| I have found open-bin mesh composting to be much easier than composting in a closed container. I used a tumbler for two years. Now there are two large mesh bins 4 foot by 8 foot by two feet high. Cheap, easy to turn (easier than then tumbler believe it or not), great for problematic ingredients like smelly fish parts (put in the middle or core), etc. As to the learning idea, I've always loved to learn new stuff. This week, however, I've been rethinking it. My first two years of gardening versus the last two years. Years 1 and two -- Fifteen tomato plants -- two to five pounds of fruit many days. Little knowledge of gardening and tomatoes. This year and last year -- Twenty plants -- enough tomatoes for ONE salad, and not many left over. Knowledge of gardening and tomatoes -- quite a bit. Years of reading threads, and articles. Much compost added each year, some as mulch, some dug in soil. Hummmmm... The earth is still flat, right?? Seriously, a number of factors come into play. The weather was quite hot this year, with many days from 100F to 108F. But last year was good, with maybe one 100F day. While I add lots of compost each year, planting is still done in the same area of the back yard. I would like to vary it, but due to the shade from the neighbors trees, one five by thirty foot area has to be my main gardening area. |
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- Posted by rosiew 8 GA (rosemarywalsh@bellsouth.net) on Wed, Aug 15, 12 at 18:28
| azzure, your boys are learning from what you're doing also. Unless they're both infants, consider doing some worm composting inside, if you have space for one of the Rubbermaid bins. That will engage all of you this winter when not much gardening can be done. Best wishes, Rosie, in Sugar Hill, GA |
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