Compost Station

I've been wanting a composter for several years now. I love gardening, and I hate wasting, so a composter is just perfect for me. This year, Randy is going to build me a raised garden since I have a hard time getting down on the ground. Now we will be able to fill it with nutrient rich compost! This is the frame that Randy built by tearing apart pallets. Since the pallets were free, this part didn't cost us anything.

OK ... the barrel fit. The 55 gallon barrel was free too, so thus far my compost station has still not cost us anything.

This is Randy cutting the hole in the side of the barrel for the door.

The hinges, locks, and handle have been installed. This is the only part of this project that cost us. We purchased the hardware at Walmart, which cost us less than $10.00. We used long bolts because they will help in breaking down the materials inside the composter.

Next, we filled the composter with the materials I have been saving. The proper ratio for a productive compost is 30 parts carbon material to 1 part nitrogen material. The carbon material I used was shredded paper and dried leaves. The Nitrogen material I used was coffee grinds, fresh vegetable clippings from the kitchen, tea bags, egg shells, and apple cores. Besides the Carbon/Nitrogen ratio, the other two most important factors are air and water. We drilled holes in the 55 gallon drum for air and drainage. After we filled the composter with the materials, we wet them down really well and turned the drum to mix it all well. This is what we are starting with:

I placed a large garden trash can beside my composter to told excess materials until there is room in the composter for them.

I will be posting a photo each week of the progress of the compost. If I have the proper C:N ratio, the temperature inside the composter will reach about 140 degrees. The microorganisms breaking down the compost will generate this heat, along with the sun on the black drum. Without the heat, the compost won't break down.