Any pile, freestanding or contained, should be at least 3'
X 3' X 3' to insure that there's sufficient mass for the
composting process to take place. I find 4'-tall by 5'-wide
ones even better. The bottom of the pile should be exposed
to the earth, and the top should be covered with black
plastic or a waterproof tarp to protect it from extreme
rain or drying sun. Contained piles should also have enough
open spaces in their sides to allow for good air
circulation.
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VACUUM AND NITROGEN PACKING
August/September 1999
Issue # 175 - August/September 1999
Free ...
Readers' tips to live by....
DELUXE COMPOSTER
ANY WAY YOU STACK IT...
The great thing about organic decomposition is that it's
always ready to start without you. However, if you want to
be assured of consistently composted material on a regular
basis, you'll need to take the matter into your own hands
and provide a setting in which the breakdown process can
occur under the best conditions and with your supervision.
Fortunately, compost doesn't ask much in the way of
accommodations . . . so, depending on how much you're
willing to spend, your bin can be as unassuming as a simple
wire enclosure, or as fancy as the covered "post-and-beam"
model featured in our photograph.
If you're short on time and not ready to spend much money
on a composter, the "quickie" version is right up your
alley. It'll take about $40 and less than two hours to put
together, and it's made of a 16'-long, 14"-wire stock panel
hacksawed into 48" X 52" sections and clipped together at
the corners with quick-connecting chain links. To ease the
chore of filling it up, one of the wire sections can be cut
in two, halfway up its 4' height, and similarly linked at
the horizontal split to make a hinged flap which you can
secure at the top with a couple of snap hooks.
Since the panels' wire openings are 2" X 8" at the bottom
and increase to 6" X 8" toward the top, it's necessary to
line the walls with cage fencing (or some other product
with openings no larger than 2" X 4"); this inner grid can
be secured to the outer with baling wire or leftover
strands from the trimmed-down panels. To put the lid on the
kettle, just invest a couple of bucks in a 5' X 7'
polyethylene tarp and some S-hooks or rope to keep the
heavy rain of your working pile. Then when it comes time to
start a new heap, simply open one corner of the enclosure,
remove it, and set it up at a different location.
The "uptown" model shown in the illustration costs
considerably more — perhaps as much as $200,
depending on where you get your materials — and is
nothing less than a weekend project. In return for this
investment, though, you'll get a sturdy and attractive
compost crib that's been specifically designed for ease of
use. Our version has two bins, though it could be built as
a single or a triple, depending upon your compost rotation
schedule. Its front doors hinge both down and outward, the
ventilated partition between the bins can be lowered in
stages, and the front center-posts fold down against the
ground; fully opened, with the framed covers flipped back
on their supports, each stall is surprisingly accessible
for routine turning.
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