What I did on my Summer Vacation ~ A Hands-On Celebration of the Summer Solstice
What I did on my Summer Vacation ~ A Hands-On Celebration of the Summer Solstice
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| Okay. Got the new raised-bed garden happening this Spring and the veggies are going gangbusters, but I've been wanting to get an honest composting system up and running.
Yesterday a friend donated a 55-gallon heavy duty plastic barrel to the project. It had contained cola syrup originally so there was no worry about toxins. The first step was to cut a door for garbage in, compost out. |
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| This went smoothly. |  |
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Next, reinforce the barrel's ends so a heavy load of compost won't overstress the plastic and cause a tear. |
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Gorilla Glue, a sandwich of 1/2" plywood, and four bolts should distribute weight and preserve the barrel. |
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This composting barrel could produce almost two cubic yards of valuable soil each year |
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The two interior plates of plywood will probably rot out eventually. Maybe it wasn't a good idea. Oh, well. If it does the bolts can be tightened from the other side to draw everything up tight. |
| Make the access door functional. |  |
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Add internal rakes to stir the compost when the barrel is rotated. |
| Ready to be mounted once the cement sets around the supporting poles. |  |
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Almost finished. |
 Just have to drill ventilation holes and make some dirt. |
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