GardenBanter.co.uk - View Single Post

08-03-2003, 09:22 PM

In article ,
(Beecrofter) wrote:

Did you build a tumbler bin out of an old oil drum?

Jan

No, I compost 15 cu yds at a time in a big pile.

You could use a 55 gallon drum but I would still reinforce the area
where the axle passes through.
Carwashes and commercial laundries buy soap in plastic drums and will
part with ones not having a deposit cheaply.

Are you using a front end loader to turn the pile? I have beef cattle, a few
old 800 lb. round bales that didn't get fed out in previous years, and want
to compost a bunch of the manure. I don't want to spend a lot of time using
a pitchfork to do this : )

I have neighbors who are organic gardeners who sell at the Farmer's Market.
I want to give them some manure, but it's full of hemp nettle seeds, and I
refuse
to give away material that's full of invasive/noxious weed seed. So the stuff
needs to be hot composted. (I could use a few yards of compost up here at the
house, too. I'm just starting to landscape this place. The topsoil is gone where
the house got built.)

Clues, hints and suggestions would be *highly* appreciated : )

Jan