It takes about 9-10 months to prepare compost in the usual way. In a rotating closed plastic barrel-drum, the cooking time is reduced to 15-20 days.
Loading - from the cylindrical party. The cover clings to the hinges and is fixed with two screws. From the sides - openings for air intake, blocked by fine-mesh nets. The barrel is placed on the frame. There are toothed rollers at the corners of the frame, they are connected to the toothed rim of the drum, and it can be turned by hand to mix the compost. The smaller container is structurally made somewhat differently and rotates on an axis passing through the center. To obtain compost, ordinary plant and household waste is used.
We use:
Used barrel (with lid)
A galvanized pipe on which the composter will rotate (a bar of smooth reinforcement is also suitable)
Bolts with washers and nuts
4 latches
Door hinges
1. We drill two holes in the barrel in the center of the ends for the pipe - the axis. The axle will rest on a wooden frame
2. Cut out the door in the barrel, fasten it to the hinges. We fasten the latches. An impromptu pen was made from a cord that fell under the arm. 
3. We punch or drill many holes in the barrel for ventilation. In several places we drive long nails into the barrel - dividers for better mixing of the contents (instead of nails, you can use a shlilk, tightening it with bolts).
3. We make a frame for the composter from the boards. We install the barrel on the frame. 
4. We launch the finished composter into work
For quick composting, it is enough to load the waste into the composter and spin it every few days.
Variations on a theme
Vertical arrangement of the barrel:
Two-level composter (for it, the wooden frame posts were concreted into the ground): 
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 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;
- a wooden block with a section of 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;
- 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.
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, if properly used, 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 any gardener, gardener and summer resident can get without unnecessary material costs and without much difficulty. 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 bin 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 comfortable conditions will be created inside the pit 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.
Adapted for compost leaky metal barrel and cracked plastic. 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 of 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
Quoting and partial copying articles and stories, possibly indicating the source in the form active link to the corresponding page on the site.
In order to make a compost barrel with your own hands, you needed:
two plastic barrels of 200 liters each, a metal pipe (of such a diameter that it does not bend under the weight of the barrels), a PVC pipe, 4 door curtains, 2 bolts, M12 bolts and nuts, wooden beams 6x6 cm, and slats 6x4 cm.
Installation of a "compost barrel"
In the barrel in the middle of the side with an electric jigsaw, I cut out a 36 × 28 cm window for loading raw materials. From the inside, I screwed a strip of metal to one of the long sides (photo 1) - this is a stopper so that the door does not fall into the container.
I fixed the cut-out piece on the curtains (opposite the metal strip), attached a handle to it (photo 2). I added two latches that hold the lid closed. Over the entire surface of the container with a drill, I drilled chains of holes d 12 mm at a distance of 10 cm from each other. Approximately half of holes made inserted bolts M 12 10 cm long (photo Z) (longer possible) and secured them with nuts so that the ends stick out into the container. In the same way prepared the second barrel.
On the metal pipe a piece of PVC pipe should be put on so as not to damage the edges of the barrels during rotation.
At the ends of the containers, I drilled holes in the center and inserted a pipe, which I fixed horizontally on a wooden T-shaped base 110 cm high from beams and slats in advance drilled holes suitable diameter.
Loading compost into a homemade barrel
For compost I use chicken manure, straw and some soil (you can use dry leaves, grass mowed in the area, chopped eggshell, food waste) - I load them into barrels and moisten them with water.
I rotate the drums every three days - the pins loosen remarkably and mix the biomass, which gradually decomposes under the influence of heat and moisture. With the usual method of composting in boxes knocked down from the boards, "ripening" takes from 6 to 9 months, and in my device it takes 1-1.5 months.
DIY compost bin - photo
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Cultivated plants and trees require a regular supply of nutrients, and the soil is gradually depleted. Therefore, it is required to regularly apply top dressing to the soil - organic and mineral. Chemicals have not only positive influence on green spaces, so modern vegetable growers prefer not to use such products for fertilizing vegetables and fruits, but prefer dressings made from natural ingredients.
One such fertilizer is compost. It can be made from vegetable waste that remains after weeding in the garden or in the garden, as well as from food and other components. To get a complete top dressing, the necessary elements must rot.
Pits are dug under the compost in the plots, where they put plant waste, from which in the future an excellent tool is obtained to improve soil fertility. But some gardeners make compost dressing in old boxes, an iron barrel, and in any other containers that are no longer used for their intended purpose.
Below we will talk about how to make compost in a barrel, about the main advantages of natural fertilizer, as well as about the nuances of preparing organic matter in this way.
Top dressing, obtained by decomposition of organic elements, has a positive effect on the composition of the soil, increases fertility, and there are practically no costs for its preparation. As a basis for the compost, they dig a hole (or make a container in which organic garbage will overheat), and then put all the plant residues from the site there.
If there is no place in the garden for a hole (or there is no way to dig it), then an ordinary barrel is suitable for preparing organic fertilizer. So that the process of fermentation of plant waste is not accompanied by an unpleasant odor, a lid is attached to this container.
Advantages over a compost pit
Barrel advantages:
- 1) it can be placed in any free corner of the site;
- 2) installation does not require much space;
- 3) appearance more aesthetic (compared to a pit);
- 4) small holes can be made in the neck of the barrel for oxygen to enter, which is necessary for beneficial bacteria for life;
- 5) it is possible to make a hole in the lower part of the structure through which ready-made compost can be taken;
- 6) in a barrel, organic fertilizer will not dry out or be washed out by melting snow or other precipitation;
- 7) in a container with an already ripe dressing, you can grow cucumbers or zucchini.
But there are benefits to composting in a pit too:
- no need to start large-scale construction, it is enough to dig a square recess with sides of 1.4 m and a depth of 0.5 m;
- the pit can be filled throughout the season without thinking about a possible lack of space;
- plant components are put into a pit and after filling it, if it is not possible to dig another one, then a compost heap will grow from above.
But such recesses without covers with clusters formed on top spoil the view of the site, spread an unpleasant smell around.
What to put in a barrel?
Make compost in the garden with my own hands easy. A barrel of any size is suitable for this, but a large one is better - more waste will fit in it. The only caveat is that in the container for the decomposition of organic residues there should not be metal parts in contact with decay products.
Put into the barrel:
- weeds, plant debris, small tree branches;
- grass, fallen leaves, straw, sawdust and shavings, peat;
- food waste and slop;
- wood ash, chicken manure.
You can not add weeds with seeds, diseased parts of plants, as well as animal manure to the compost: along with it, there is a risk of bringing pathogenic microflora into the preparing organic matter.
The order of laying raw materials
It is necessary to lay all plant and food residues in a container in crushed form so that they rot faster. Layers of organic matter are sprinkled with earth, peat or chicken manure.
The process of composting waste is faster if water or slop is added to the barrel daily (for such irrigation, weed infusion, drunk tea leaves, coffee grounds are used).
It is best to alternate the following layers of organics and other substances:
- plant remains;
- bird droppings;
- wood ash;
- priming.
Compost maturation in a barrel
To get rotted organic fertilizer, you have to wait: the process of decay in compost barrel lasts 2-3 seasons. The time interval depends on the degree of grinding of raw materials and the presence of favorable microflora, under the influence of which decay occurs.
If you start using manufactured top dressing at the end of the first season, then it will be better than simple land from the site, but less valuable in terms of nutrients than 2-3 year old compost.
Signs of compost maturation
It is easy to determine the degree of readiness of organics:
- in high-quality fertilizer, all plant residues have rotted;
- it is homogeneous and friable (no sieving is required before entering into the soil);
- you can calmly take it in your hands - it will be soft and dry;
- Completely rotted compost smells pleasantly of forest, mushrooms and fallen leaves.
You can prepare such a high-quality organic supplement in any container, the main thing is to put only plant residues and food into it, as well as regularly add moisture for better decay.
Fully matured compost is an excellent fertilizer for garden plants, flowers, shrubs and trees. It is used to prepare a nutrient substrate for growing seedlings. vegetable crops, are added to the soil when replanting indoor flowers (those that benefit from organic top dressing).
This nutritional supplement is applied in large quantities when digging the garden and vegetable garden in the fall, when during the season the plants have taken a large amount of nutrients from the soil.
Making compost in a barrel is a simple and inexpensive way. Despite the duration of ripening, top dressing can compete with artificial fertilizers due to its effectiveness and safety for plants.
