Adding compost to vegetable beds is perhaps the most rational, safe, and also environmentally friendly method of increasing soil fertility. It minimizes the use of mineral fertilizers and contributes to a tremendous increase in the diversity of microorganisms in the soil, which in turn process organic matter and make it available to plants.

However, organic waste composting is not the same. simple task as it might seem at first. If you delve into the study process, it turns out that this is not just a "method", but a whole science of how to turn organic matter into a nutrient substance that will be much more easily digestible for plants, non-living mineral fertilizers, the fashion for which seems to be slowly but surely coming to an end.

So, for example, organic waste must be interbedded with earth. Also, the compost must be shaken at least a couple of times during the entire composting period, shifting from place to place. This is done so that the mass is saturated with oxygen, and aerobic microorganisms receive an impetus to development in it, instead of anaerobic ones - for example, putrefactive bacteria.

The interbedding of the compost with earth and its shaking is not only time-consuming, but also relatively labor-intensive. In order to simplify the task, we decided to build a compost barrel that would be equipped with a swivel mechanism and could do the work for us.

To make such a summer "helper" you will need:

1. Materials:

Barrel (we took plastic);
- plywood 6 mm;
- wooden block section 50 by 100 mm .;
- furniture rollers, which are usually used in the manufacture of furniture - 4 pcs.;
- nails;
- self-tapping screws.

2.Tools:

Electric jigsaw;
- wood saw;
- screwdriver;
- electric drill;
- screwdriver;
- a hammer;
- a marker or pencil.

Step 1: making the lid

We chose plywood, 6 mm thick, as the material for the barrel lid.

Set the barrel on a sheet of plywood with the neck towards the surface and outline its outline. Cut out the resulting circle using a jigsaw.

Saw small squares from the bar. We need four in total. With a pencil, “write” an imaginary square into the circle and fix one square in each corner using nails or self-tapping screws (see photo below). To prevent the parts from splitting, pre-drill the holes for the fasteners with an electric drill.

In addition, drill a couple of dozen holes in the lid itself. This will provide the necessary aeration of the mass and prevent the development of unwanted bacteria and organisms in it.

Step 2: making the frame

The manufacture of the frame will not take much time, since its design is extremely simple and is a rectangle of timber with braces installed at the corners, providing it with rigidity.

The length of the frame is arbitrary, however, it should be slightly larger than the length of the barrel installed on it. While the width is 1/4 smaller sizes barrels. Considering these remarks, carry out the necessary calculations.

We took a bar with a section of 50 x 100 mm., But, in fact, you can choose any other dimensions that will provide the structure with the “load capacity” required from it.

We made the braces from scraps of plywood. According to the test results, it is clear that it is quite suitable for these purposes.

Step 3: Installing the rollers

During operation, the barrel will rotate thanks to the rollers. Our frame is ready, so proceed to install the rollers.

Each pair should be fixed on the long side of the frame as shown in the photo - slightly stepping back from the edge. Use self-tapping screws for fastening. This will greatly simplify the process of replacing the rollers, adjusting their location or adjustment.

If you are afraid for the safety of the barrel, choose rubber-coated rollers - they will not scratch the walls of the container.

Please note that the closer the rollers are to the neck and bottom of the barrel, the more stable the whole structure will be.

Step 4: install the stop

The emphasis in this design is designed to ensure that the barrel does not slip to the side during rotation. It is fixed on the frame and is a regular piece of board. Subsequently, it will hold the barrel in an axial position.

Step 5: Installing the Lid Lock

As you can see in the photo, the "fixer" is a set of rubber bands with hooks, which are usually used when transporting goods. You can find these in any market. Their length should not only ensure a snug fit of the lid, but also not prevent the removal of the harnesses. For convenience and reliability of the connection, it is necessary to drill several holes for hooks around the circumference of the neck of the barrel.

Step 6: Installing the Ribs

Inside the container, parallel to its walls, you need to install 3-4 bars, which will contribute to the effective mixing of the contents. Otherwise, the mass will simply slide along the walls, and the end result will be reduced to zero.

Barrel for organic waste composting is ready! Here you can load not only foliage and weeds weeded on the beds, but also food waste from the kitchen. Moreover, the second option is even preferable, since the nutrient medium will eventually turn out to be much richer.

In this article, we will talk about how to make your own compost using special devices. It turns out that you can quite easily make a compost bin with your own hands. This device is used as a fence for a compost heap in a summer cottage. You can also use empty barrels, containers from under various bulk substances.

After choosing a place, it was up to the filling container itself. Plastic box or wooden box? Plastic is prettier and more durable, but boards are more affordable - there is a stack of old boards in everyone's barn ...

DIY compost bin

In order to make a compost box with your own hands, you need only 4 short boards, 50-70 cm long. Set it on the grass in the form of a low box and secure with pegs. Or nail them together. Let the composter turn out to be low - in the early summer, the accumulation of kitchen waste and weeds is slow, and there will be enough time to come up with something better.

A box 2-3 boards high for many will be quite sufficient for the season, by the fall you will just fill it with a slide.

By the way, it is not necessary to enclose the composter on four sides: the simplest compost storage can be limited only on two sides by boards. Or even on the one hand - from the front.

Compost types

AT garden centers and other business outlets you can find plastic composters most different shapes and size (what they don’t offer us there: boxes, “suitcases”, tanks, “beehives”, “flying saucers”.). Volume from one barrel (150-200 l) and above (400-900 l). Such an organic store is installed in the garden. With their help, you can cook the most different kinds compost, because plastic container very favorable conditions are created for the overheating and processing of any type of waste.

plastic can be considered best material for organic processing. It is neutral (steel quickly corrodes from organic compounds), light, durable (unlike boards that rot from below) and relatively cheap.

The large plastic composter is reliable in maintaining conditions for compost maturation due to its size. It “breathes” quite well, so special slots in the walls that are available in some models are not necessary.

For composting, any other household plastic container is also used: boxes, buckets from under building materials, leaky pelvises. If necessary, plastic containers are immediately interchangeable, they can be temporarily withdrawn from fertilizer production for other garden needs (sheltering plants on cold nights, heating water in the sun for irrigation, growing seedlings ...). For this reason, it is impossible to give unconditional preference to large containers like 150-200 liter plastic barrels. Such barrels, of course, are very practical, very productive, but in addition to them, a “park” of smaller buckets and containers of 50-60 liters or 10-20 liters will not hurt. Organic top dressing at the height of the season is never superfluous!

Today, fruit vendors use all sorts of disposable plastic crates with a slatted bottom, which they often throw away after being released. These small boxes are suitable for a multi-tiered composter, as they have a slatted bottom, they are joined to each other with special grooves. So, they are used for vermicompost: another box with fresh food for earthworms is delivered above the lower boxes with food turned into humus. Boxes can also be used for ordinary compost, as the gratings will create layers of air between the layers - this is very favorable for compost, which is periodically moistened from a watering can.

The simplest plastic composter is plastic bag for garbage or a regular grocery bag. This "capacity" is used by some gardeners. The bag is filled with wet grass or foliage, tied up and left somewhere in the shade for several months, and the decomposed humus substance is removed. It is important that the packages do not cake during storage.

Compost at home

Compost at home is prepared using organic storage tanks, which differ from those considered in that they are located not in the garden, but somewhere in the living room: on the balcony, on stairwell or even in the kitchen itself. It has a modest size - 10-15 liters, apparently, in the expectation that a housewife could easily lift it.

For the first time, the gardener is perplexed: isn't it too small? But this is purely for peeling potatoes!

Yes, this composter is on winter period when the garden lies under the snow and the organic matter comes down to daily kitchen waste according to the principle “fill one composter, take it away, and put the next one in its place”. It would be more correct to talk about a battery of several such composters that can be started, say, while living all year round in country house. Filled, until spring they are stored in the cellar or on the veranda.

A small kitchen plastic composter is not just a “garbage bin”, it has its own structure: at the bottom there is a grate to hold the bulk of the waste. Under it is formed air layer, it provides the breath of the compost. It is important that this compartment is not filled with liquid. To drain it, a tap was made to drain excess liquid.

kitchen composter. It is understood that he is still standing not in the kitchen itself, but somewhere in the stairwell or in glazed loggia, in a garage, in a frost-free shed, in winter greenhouse etc. Because the smell from it will inevitably be “not Chanel”, it is enough to remove the lid once to discard the next trimmings. Of course, you won’t regret microbial preparations on it, but they just don’t always cope ... It fills up rapidly. In the city, in a glazed loggia, a battery of filled composters will be accumulated until spring. But in the spring they will go to the site on back seat car.

Compost and compost heap preparation

Boards are a favorite material for large composters among our gardeners. There are compost bins as high as a person and above, assembled from boards, sometimes upholstered with sheets of galvanized iron. Making compost and compost heaps starts with choosing suitable place on the site and installation of devices there.

For the base of a bulk box, 4 stakes, beams or logs are usually driven into or driven into the ground. Boards are nailed to them from the sides. If there are not enough of these side boards, then a sparse frame is made of them and then strips of galvanized iron or, for example, ondulin, sometimes roofing material, are nailed.

In the first season, it is filled with all kinds of plant material, and the next season, while it ripens, pumpkins are planted on top so that the garden area does not go to waste. Very large pumpkins are obtained here. So much in the compost nutrients that taking some of their gourd roots will not deplete our fertilizer. You must have seen such high thickets of pumpkins near fences and sheds - these are ripening compost heaps. Sometimes cucumbers are planted instead of pumpkins.

The same boxes are made for composting manure or peat.

Compost in a barrel

In European countries, all kinds of compost walls made of concrete are common. Often these are just two "walls" installed at right angles (horizontally or vertically) somewhere near the outbuildings, where garden debris is thrown, including autumn foliage(it is necessary to put it somewhere, sweeping the yard). Temporarily inactive greenhouses from concrete slabs. Concrete is also environmentally friendly pure material, is one of the most suitable materials for the composter device, as it is durable and strong, maintains the desired humidity well, and contact with organic materials it does not destroy, unlike wood.

Unfortunately, we rarely sell flat concrete blocks especially for composters. Wide as a substitute garden tiles. A box of such tiles looks neater and more fundamental than a “kennel” made of boards. It is also worth considering the option of how to make compost in a barrel: this container is great for overheating any waste.

I needed compost. It does not matter whether he is ready to the end or not, but autumn has come, and it is time to act. We extract wealth and economically spend it "on the squares." Compost box, it is more convenient to remove it immediately, if possible.

How to make compost in a barrel?

Undecomposed stem fibers will definitely remain in the compost, which will make it difficult to extract, transfer and dig. Therefore, you usually have to grind it a little with a shovel right on the spot with blows from above, so that the blade goes to the ground. But now the compost is easy to mix and pour into buckets.

Compost can also be crushed there, at the place of application, in the garden or in trunk circle, if worn close and managed to throw it on a pitchfork. This contributes to a more uniform digging: they scattered the compost over the surface of the beds, chopped it with a shovel - it had already mixed a little with the ground - and then dug it in.

A small bonus is loose and nutritious soil from under the compost to the depth of a shovel bayonet, which doubles the amount of our highly nutritious fertilizer. It always becomes more nutritious than it was, because toilet drain accumulates here, and if the compost is entirely vegetable, then earthworms, they saturate it with caprolites. Compost ennobles everything on which it lies: sand, peat, overgrown garden soil. This land is also spread over the plantings, and the resulting hole is filled with turf or earth from another place. With a plastic composter, the situation will be somewhat more painstaking: the humus material is carefully removed with a wooden spatula or scoop.

But what if the compost is not ripe, is it possible to make it already?

If it has been enriched with nitrogen, then it can be applied with confidence. After all, in the fall you can make a digging along with nitrogen fertilizer even just obtained, completely undecomposed plant residues.

Compost heap for the lazy
11/20/2009 Labels: humus, compost, compost bin, manure, do it yourself

On the summer cottages compost heap is required attribute. After all, compost is unique organic fertilizer which enriches the soil with humus. Compost can partially or completely replace manure, which has now risen in price, as well as mineral fertilizers and specially imported fertile soil. In addition, by collecting organic debris throughout the site, we simply clean up the area around.

Of course, you should place a compost heap or waste composting boxes in secluded places so that they do not catch the eye and do not spoil the view. Nevertheless, they should always be at hand. When classical solution composting requires three sections for the production of compost: in one, the process of laying waste is underway, in the other - the compost is ripening, in the third - the finished fertilizer is ready for export to the beds. In terms of size, many converge to the following proportions: width -1.5 m, height - 1-1.2 m, length - up to 3-4 m. These dimensions are given in many reference books, they are considered the minimum necessary to ensure temperature and stable humidity for the normal course of the composting process. According to the same theory, it is advised to shovel the contents of the compost heap annually to supply air to the ripening compost, i.e. to speed up the process of waste decomposition. This task requires serious physical effort.
How to speed up the composting process?

But progress does not stand still, composting technologies are being improved and the compost production process has been accelerated by 2-3 times. For example, to preserve moisture and to increase the temperature in the compost heap, they began to cover it with plastic wrap with holes for air access. Also, to speed up composting, various accelerators of this process have been developed, for example, the drug “Tamir”. To speed up the process, you can also choose a certain composition of organic and other components of the compost heap being laid so that composting will be significantly accelerated. This suggests that today it is not necessary to follow the rigid recommendations developed in the last century.
Composting in an iron barrel
1 - holes in the barrel wall;
2 - green mass;
3 - manure;
4 - ash;
5 - earth;
6 - polyethylene.

So modern compost heap you can make it compact or put the waste into a small container with a capacity of about 1 cubic meter for this purpose. meters, making it from boards.

But, as you know, laziness is the engine of progress, so it may not cost anything to build. Just take the old metal barrel without a bottom and modify it a bit:

Firstly, to ensure air access in the lower part of the barrel along its perimeter, we make 20-30 holes with a drill with a diameter of 8-10 mm, or you can punch them with a punch. We place the holes at a height of 20-30 cm from the base of the barrel. And no insulating gaskets are needed between the barrel and the ground - microorganisms and moisture must move freely in both directions.

Secondly, we paint the outside of the barrel in a dark color for better heating in the sun, which will ensure high temperature inside and speed up the composting process.

The process of making compost in a barrel is very convenient and simple. Several of these barrels can be placed around the site, placing them in places where waste accumulates most quickly. It could be summer cuisine, beds, etc.
Layers for laying compost

To speed up the production of compost, the fertilizer components should be laid in a certain order, forming layers of a certain thickness:

First, we place green plants or carbon-rich substances, making a layer of them 15-20 cm thick.

Then we put 5 cm of manure or substances rich in nitrogen.

After we break everything with a centimeter layer of earth.

So we fill the barrel to the top, continuing to lay the layers in the same sequence - weeds, manure, ash, earth.

We cover the filled barrel with a piece polyethylene film with holes, which we tie with twine, so as not to be blown away by the wind. From time to time water the prepared compost with water so that it does not dry out. You can water at the same time as watering the beds. But it is not necessary to overmoisten the compost mass. In terms of humidity, it should correspond to the squeezed sponge.

If there are ants in the barrel, then the compost heap has dried up and the composting process has been interrupted. To automatically maintain the desired humidity in the barrel, plant a zucchini, pumpkin or cucumber there. In this case, the film is no longer needed. Watering these plants will keep the compost heap moist. The complexity of the last method is only to immediately fill the barrel with all the layers of compost to the top.

In this design of the compost heap in the form of a barrel, there is a significant acceleration of the composting process. And you do not need to wait 3 years, as in the classic version. No need to shovel the compost. In one summer, you can get several hundred kg of excellent fertilizer.

A leaky metal barrel is a great mobile place to make compost.
Usually compost is prepared in special containers, boxes or piles. The preparation time is from two - three months to two years, depending on the volume of the contents and the number of its transshipments.

To create our own unique place and method of composting, we need a pipe large diameter. Hammer and chisel (instead of a chisel better ax) cut down both bottoms in a leaky barrel. Here is the finished pipe.

For good country houses or suburban always need to buy new furniture. Furniture for a summer residence is bought in the same place where kitchen tables are sold. After all kitchen table- very important element interior country house. Choosing quality furniture to the kitchen, you take care of your wife, who can easily cook you a lot of delicious and healthy meals.

With the help of a grinder (angle grinder), we make two cuts into two unequal parts, put them “on the priest” and connect them with a strong synthetic rope, but the wire is more reliable. It turned out a new easily detachable pipe. This is a compost container. It is necessary to make several holes - "pockets" for air access.

They put there: cut knots, mowed weeds and grass, turf, collected leaves, sawdust, paper waste, rags and so on. The composting process goes faster if the container is covered with a lid, and to increase the temperature inside, it is necessary to paint it dark. And also periodically water the contents with a solution ammonium nitrate(matchbox on a bucket of water) and use organic waste: leftovers from dining table, fish waste during processing, and so on, but this is provided that your unique container is tightly closed.

The advantages over a compost pit are obvious:

• maneuverability of the object, it is enough to put it near the treated area and you do not need to wear selectable roots, sod land to the place of the compost heap;


• ease of manufacture, when marking and cutting, complex engineering solutions are not required;


• availability source material(for worms and bacteria from below) and for a gardener - just untie the rope (wire) and you have 20 buckets (a barrel of 200 liters) of the most beautiful and beloved compost by plants. And if there are two or more barrels ...

Are you against mineral chemical fertilizers? Do you want to minimize the use of chemical fertilizers on your garden plot? Then this article is for you. Look around. Right under your feet is what correct use will become humus, which can be scattered in the garden, vegetable garden and flower beds.

Interesting fact:
Already in the X century, the secrets of making compost
were known to the Slavic tribes,
for example, the Polabian Slavs.

Compost is a natural universal organic fertilizer, which without unnecessary material costs and without special work can get any gardener, gardener and summer resident. Compost has a beneficial effect on the structure and fertility of the soil. You just need to know how to cook it right.

Rule 1
Where and what is the best way to compost

There are two options:

compost pit/heap
Compost box or barrel

Benefits of a compost pit/heap

No need to search additional materials and you don't have to build anything. You just dug a hole no more than 0.5 m deep and 1.5 m x 1.5 m in size and put organic remains (kitchen waste, weeds, fallen leaves, etc.) into this hole (you will get a bunch over time).

If desired, when the pit is filled flush with the ground, you can build on the walls. I have them about 0.5 m high. However, the compost heap has long overcome this mark. But I haven't built anything yet.

If the compost pit / heap is supported by walls, then inside the pit will be created comfortable conditions for the work of anaerobic organisms that live only in the absence of atmospheric oxygen

Disadvantages of a compost pit/heap

There is a compost pit on my site, which has already turned into a heap. However, it is bulky, looks untidy (fortunately, it is located behind the barn and hidden from view). And most importantly - I can not shovel it.

In a compost pit for 1 year it will not be possible to obtain high-quality compost. It will take at least 3 years. But in it, it is apparently invisible. Worms are free there, they grow long and fat. It is in the compost pit that the husband digs for worms when he goes fishing. And carp on such a worm are excellent.

(pelvis diameter - 40 cm)

Compost bin or barrel

In the garden, I also placed a box and two compost bins. It's comfortable. While plant residues for compost are collected in one container, in another container the compost matures under the lid, and the finished compost is removed from the third container for gardening needs.

I adapted a leaky metal barrel and a cracked plastic one for compost. I additionally punched holes in the bottom of the plastic.

The height of the barrels is no more than 70 cm, so that with my short stature it would be convenient for me to put plant residues in them and pour out the slop.

My compost bin is made from boards. But you can make it from cement-bonded particle boards with a thickness of 20 mm or metal mesh.

Benefits of barrels or boxes

Can be placed anywhere in the garden/garden.
Thanks to its compactness, it won't take up much space.
Looks more aesthetically pleasing than a pit/pile.
Thanks to holes and crevices, we get a kind of ventilation, which means that enough air enters the future compost, which is so necessary for the life of microorganisms.
Ready compost can be taken from the lower layers (through pre-made holes) as needed.
In a barrel or box, the compost does not dry out and does not wash out.
A barrel or box with ripened compost can be adapted for growing cucumbers or zucchini. It turns out a kind high bed.

Rule 2
What can be put in compost

1. All plant residues and weeds from garden beds and gardens, except:

* weeds with mature seeds
* diseased plants
* weeds treated with herbicides

Plant residues that are not suitable for compost I put in a special pile, hidden behind the fence in the back. Or take it out of the field.

2. Mowed grass, fallen leaves, straw, sawdust and, if any, peat.

Speaking of fallen leaves.
Leaf litter significantly improves the quality of the compost. But it all depends on the type of wood. For example, linden leaves, containing a lot of lime, quickly decompose and form neutral humus, thereby enriching the compost.

3. Household (kitchen) waste, slop.

If slop from the kitchen is regularly poured into the compost barrel, then the barrel can not be specially watered. And so it takes up to 3-4 buckets of water per day.

4. Ash and, if any, bird droppings.

The alternation of layers occurs by itself, which has a beneficial effect on the compost. The fact is that vegetable peelings, weeds, cut grass contain a lot of nitrogen, sawdust - carbon, ash - potassium and trace elements.

Manure (slurry) I don't compost. Firstly, we do not have this "good". Secondly, with manure there is a risk of introducing diseases and pests into the compost. Here it is necessary to ensure that the compost rots for 2 years, or maybe 3, depending on the conditions.

It is not necessary to add earth to the compost heap. This can lower the rotting temperature and thus slow down the organic composting process.

Rich harvests to you,
Katerina Shlykova

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