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Soil, Compost & Mulch

Has anyone made?

16 years ago

Hello,

I am new here and I am wondering if anyone has made a compost tumbler out of a 55 gal plastic drum? I can get them for $6.00 each and they have been steam cleaned and seem to have no residue. Any help would be greatly appreciated as I want to join the compost crowd.

Thanks in advance

1eyedJack and the Dawg

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Comments (10)

arjo_reich
16 years ago
Get yourself a drill and drill a set of holes every 2-3" apart forming a set of "rings" which are 3-4" apart...all the way around the barrel itself. Also drill 20-30 wholes into the bottom and lid of the drum as well. These will be your breathing and drainage holes...

You'll also need several bricks to raise it off the ground so air can pass underneath it properly during the whole process...

Remember to only fill it about 2/3'rds of the way full and never compress the materials down when loading it. You need them to be light and fluffy and you need the extra space so it can be "turned".

Take the lid off, water, replace lid, kick/roll it around the yard a little bit, and put it on the bricks upside down. Next time you "turn" the pile, kick/roll it around the yard a little bit and put it back on the bricks right-side up. Repeat until composted.

I heard about it as a great way to create premium compost in an urban setting and yea, it works wonders - from what i hear.
robertzone6
16 years ago
I hope that you are a 'projects' person, because this is not the easiest way to compost. My tumbler stands rusting next to my seven mesh bins; an example to future purchases.

If you are a Do-It-Yourself person, I would suggest a Compost/Bench project. This will combine a attractive wood bench with two decent size bins.
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gumby_ct
16 years ago
If it were me...I would use a ring of wire fence to make a compost ring and make a rainbarrel with the barrel.

3.14 times the width of the ring will tell you how much fence you need. So 3.14 x 3ft=9.42ft of fence to make a ring 3ft wide. Or 3.14 x 4ft = 12.59ft

I would not go any higher than 3ft. You will be surprised just how much you can fit into a 3x3ft bin.

Or just make a pile on the ground but I would NOT ruin a perfectly good barrel for compost.

Good Luck,
Gumby_CT

Here is a link that might be useful: How To Make A Rain Barrel
ole_dawg
Original Author
16 years ago
The whole idea was that I WANT A TUMBLER composter.
Arjo_reich, Be a little more specific on the holes and stuff.
What size holes
How many rolls of holes and is the spacing in feet as shown in you post or is that a typo and you meant inches?
tumblenes
16 years ago
Not that I ever done this, but why not set this barrel on wheels, like an upside down wagon or large casters on a wood frame (moving dolly)? That way there is a chance you can tumble in place. You might have about 200-300 lbs of materials to turn, and you wont have the advantage of gears. As far as holes, the commercial ones have just 2- 3" on the end caps (top) and 2 on the bottom (drainage); simply stated it is the tumbling that aerates, not the number of holes.
darkcloud
16 years ago
so maybe you shoulda put tumbler in the subject then
the guy gave you instructions that said "I heard about it "
& "- from what i hear." & "Also drill 20-30 wholes"
another said "this is not the easiest way to compost."
so use your search just be sure to put in "tumbler"

go ahead ruin the drum
ole_dawg
Original Author
16 years ago
DC,
If I have offended you I apologize.
1eyedJack and the Dawg
darkcloud
16 years ago
not offended i think your making a BIG mistake
topsiebeezelbub
16 years ago
I made a "tumbler" a few years ago with plywood circles and hardware cloth with 2x4 ribs...it had a pipe through the center and sat up on 4x4 posts...looked great. Then I filled it with wet leaves and stuff and it suddenly weighed about 600 LBS! Spin? no way. If you do make one you will have to be careful about your sacroilliac (sp?) I would love to find a rain barrel for $6.00!
Lloyd
16 years ago
Hi you Ole Dawg. I never made the drum in the link below but I use it. The picture pretty well shows the holes drilled into it. They are about 1/4 inch or so. It works well for normal kithcen scraps from my household with 2 adults and one teen. Doesn't acheive hi temps but it does compost the stuff quite well over time. The door is awkward and isn't what I would have used but that is the way I found it. It does dry out relatively quickly but ading water is simple and turning it is easy for me. At $6 bucks a drum I'm thinking I would give it a try as well. There are some who are adamant against tumblers and some who love theirs. To each his own.

Do your drums have a removeable lid? The one in the link was used for fluids and the lid is fixed on.

Hope that helps

Lloyd

Here is a link that might be useful: Drum Tumbler

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