Useable Compost in 6 months.A Compost Bin that works.

Part 1 of 3.The plan is to convert this summers grass clippings into next springs compost.My design of compost bin does just that.I`ve tried recommendations by alternative technology centres & bought manufactured plastic bins & obtained same free off the council.None of them work as fast as mine.In fact most either never work or take at least 3 years.I sent details of my first model to the Permaculture Magazine back in the early 90s.This is my second model.You have to start with a circular base to which are bolted old thin sheets of corrugated iron that bend around the base.5 to 7 foot long.Leave a gap at the front to shovel compost out in the spring.Put a concrete lid on the base inside your circle of corrugated iron.Fit a drainage spout and put channels in the wet concrete with a trowel directing drainage to the spout. It takes about 2 days to build one & uses up a lot of 1 inch nuts & bolts bolting the corrugated iron securely together down the edges.Wet grass is very heavy so its got to be supremely strong.Once a month minimum or even weekly add a bucket of water into the top of the bin on your grass clippings.This will slowly work its way out of your bottom spout into a waiting bucket.This black liquid is actually bottled & sold as a liquid manure by some enterprising folk but I heartily recommend pouring it back in at the top because it helps the rotting process.Mid summer start pushing steel rods through 1 inch holes made in the side of the bin.Pull out immediately.This leaves ventilation holes right through the compost.I add leaves & horse manure if I can get it.Come winter,cover it over or better still dig the lot out & replace it upside down & then cover it up.Write to me if this effort fails!

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• compost
• compost bin
• permaculture
• corrugated iron
• garden
• manure

[mortimersmiller]

The system works really well for creating huge quantities of liquid fertiliser but the height of the bins meant I could not get in them and compress the grass cuttings when adding them and I think the top open area was too small for that volume of compost so not enough air was getting in.IAs it happens all 3 bins failed to live up to expectations and I resolved to cut 2 feet off each one with a disc grinder & start again.Then my grass collector broke so nothing happened in 2010.No money to fix.

[mortimersmiller]

This film is Part 1 of 2. The 2nd video shows 2 more bins constructed alongside. This system soon becomes as important as the rest of your garden as you continue to pop back in your collected black liquid & pushing rods through the whole compost bin for ventilation. If you cut other peoples grass for a living you may be able to sell their grass clippings back to them the following spring by building lots of these compost bins.Now thats a laugh & a half !!!

[MrMaleBee]

Check out this speeding up the composting time and making it so that you will not have to add more "tubes" to hold your pile. But great video and idea!!

you tube(.)com/watch?v=eSYDtPB4_TI­&feature=related

[djeraser]

thanks for this vid :D great idea