Barrel style compost bin questions

[Jared77]

Anybody using the barrel style compost bins? The ones that are above ground, black plastic drum looking thing? Saw them at TSC and wondered how good they are.

Thank you

 

[hoodat]

Personally I don't like to enclose compost in plastic. It doesn't allow the compost to be aerated enough and you can easily end up with a stinking mess that harbors bacteria that are unhealthy to you.
I tried one of the tumbler bins and didn't care for it at all. Contrary to the advertising it takes a long time to get good compost from one of them. My compost heap that sits in the open does the job as fast or faster.
I'm presently using the tumbler for soldier fly larvae that will eat anything including a dried out pot roast and moldy cheese. You can't put things like that in regular compost, but the soldier fly larvae eat it up in no time.

 

[Ridgerunner]

I have not tried one so cannot speak from experience. I'd think if you get your balance of nitrogen and carbons close, keep the moisture about right, chop your stuff up into small pieces, and turn it when it needs to be turned, it would probably work OK. If you are situated where you cannot do a compost pile on the ground, they may be the best answer for you, but do not expect them to work as well as advertised. If you get your nitrogen percentage too high or your mositure too high or they don't get enough oxygen, they can become stinky. If you get your ingredients just a little away from the exact requirements, they are a lot slower than advertised. For some people they may be a decent option, but I think for most of us, there are better options.

 

[TanksHill]

I have the thick black barrel one. That turns end over end. I have had it for several years and never produced anything in it. I have a hard time opening and closing it. When it's full its heavy and hard to turn. I think if you were very diligent and cut everything up very small and remembered to turn it things might go well. I now just dump all my stuff in a large pile at the end of my yard.

Just my .02

gina

 

[bills]

I have one of the square black plastic compost bins. You can open a door at the bottom of it and empty it as you continue to fill it from the top. It sits on the ground which I think is important..you don't want a bottom on them. I think layering the brown/green adding's is really important to get decent soil from them.
I save a bag of leaves from the fall to add during the summer, as the green is added, as well chicken poop with shavings are added occasionally. This bin is used only for (suitable) plate scrapings, that coons may be attracted to.

My main compost bins are constructed of wooden pallets. I get beautiful soil from them after a full years rot down. I have two bins, which I switch every spring when I empty the old one out.

 

[Jared77]

It seemed a little too good to be true. Ill have to talk to the wife about where to put a traditional one.

Thank you

Jared

 

[journey11]

I built one out of a black plastic 55-gal drum. It works well and it can turn out compost in like 30 days, but you gotta have your carbon/nitrogen mixture right, keep it moist and turn it daily. I put in a couple shovelfuls of garden dirt to innoculate it. It is a little heavy when it's loaded, but I just have my hubby give me a hand when I'm ready to dump it.

 

[curly_kate]

DH made me a composter out of a 55 gallon drum & a pvc pipe frame. It is OK, but I wouldn't recommend it. You do have to keep it moist (a challenge during a drought like this one!), and make sure to turn it frequently. Also, at a certain point, you can't put anything else in it so that what's inside can compost. Because of that, I ended up starting just a plain ol' pile, and now that's mainly what I use.

 

[journey11]

DH made me a composter out of a 55 gallon drum & a pvc pipe frame. It is OK, but I wouldn't recommend it. You do have to keep it moist (a challenge during a drought like this one!), and make sure to turn it frequently. Also, at a certain point, you can't put anything else in it so that what's inside can compost. Because of that, I ended up starting just a plain ol' pile, and now that's mainly what I use.

Me too. I need more compost than a barrel can hold!