How much pee is enough for 55 gallon barrel of compost?
avgusta_gw
10 years ago
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thedarkness
10 years agoavgusta_gw
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Free rain-compost barrels from your local car wash!
Comments (18)Wow, a lot of great ideas and uses for these. I have some comments/suggestions, too, but firt let me give an alternative source for people who can't get their local car washes to part with them. I bought two from a guy who gets them from a famous soda bottler. (Don't want to give them free publicity.) They originally had syrup in them, any residue of which might actually be beneficial in soil! I am using one of the barrels to keep my blackberry bush confined. I cut the top and bottom off the barrel, buried it in the ground with only a few inches showing- and yes, it was a lotta work!- then planted the bush inside it. One way berries spread is by root suckers. But the roots are so deep by the time they get "out of" the barrel, that they can't send up suckers. If I was to use the barrels for strawberries or other plants, I would do one thing differently as far as drainage. I would drill the holes about 3 inches up the sides, not on the bottom. That would create a reservoir to collect water that ran down too quickly, without actually soaking the rootball. The water would slowly be drawn back up by capillary action. This is the principle behind self-watering pots. I also would use the heaviest, clay soil I could find. To me, most potting soil looks like wood chips! Everybody hates clay "because it's so hard to work." But in the pots, you never work it- I haven't in my garden either for 34 years!- so that's irrelavant. Clay is not only the most nutritious soil, but it holds water best of any soil. I would also put a minimum of three inches of grass clippings on top of the soil, more if it fit. Between the clay soil, the mulch, and the drainage holes up the sides rather than the bottom, I bet people could water only a third as often. The final suggestion is using these barrles to collect rain water. Like Mandy, I am mechanically challenged, so I can't help with installing spigots and stuff. But I wanted to mention that you can in effect turn several barrels into one large reservoir, by connecting them at the bottom with PVC pipes. You would only have to let rainwater into one barrel, and the PVC would let it fill up All of them. You could then put a spigot in the last one "in line," and get water from all of them when your garden needed it. Oh, in these West Nile Virus times, you want to make sure to put screens over any openings....See MoreQuestion on Homemade Barrel Composter
Comments (9)Unfortunately I don't have a way to post pics. I just used a jigsaw to make the holes big enough to put the pole through, and as close to being evenly in the middle. On one of the barrels I had to use liquid nails and short screws to secure the lid on. The other barrel lid was part of the barrel. I jigsawed a door sized squareish door on the side big enough to access the compost but not so big that it would be weak, approx 15 inches, maybe 16. If there wasn't so much snow where it is I'd go measure.And I used medium hinges 2 of them, and glued and bolted down a rubber flap over the opening end of the door semi-stiff reasonably thick to stop the contents from escaping when turning the barrel. And secyuring the door shut with one of those (rasp?) It is a U shaped peice with a second peice that goes over the U and you put a fasteneror lock to keep it closed I use what looks like a big heavy safety pin. There are holes in the bottom or what would be parallel to the ground when you stop spinning with the door facing you. There are alot of gaps where the pole goes in sideways, mines far from perfect and I jigsawed some vent holes in the sides and glued hardware cloth to stop fines from escaping. I also used spray paint to make it blend in with the house better. I think it's a hasp not a rasp that keeps it closed. It is kinda awkward to empty but I use a scoop, it takes a while if you are careful not to spill, but it's cheaper than buying the fancy tumbling composters. I've got good results for 3 years so far and glueing and bolting a couple handles on the exterior helps turning when it's full. The stuff hits the middle bar and moves around, not as good as the expensive tumblers but good enough, I got your post mixed up with a similar one so I'm kinda repeating some stuff....See Morefree (or cheap) 55 gallon drums needed
Comments (34)Kris, Let's see if somebody will start a new thread - but you can read all about the SBC product at the link below. What do you use to catch rainwater off your shed? Are you really limited to shed roof for runoff? The ground is the best source of rainwater catchment, particularly if you have a low-lying area of ground that holds water after a rain event. Digging a hole in the ground and installing a liner of any type is still the most efficient and cost-effective method. Robert Here is a link that might be useful: Quikwall SBC Info...See Morecompost - to pee or not to pee
Comments (117)Re manure antibiotics and soil bacteria, here's a thought. It turns out that soil bacteria is, in large measure, immune to common antibiotics. Why? Because penicillin, and the like, originated in soils. So it may be unlikely that medical antibiotics will have much of an effect on soil bacteria. That soil bacteria has evolved immunity. There are studies on this, but I haven't looked at them carefully. That, in itself, isn't a good thing. In our beds amended with manure containing lots of antibiotics, we're actively raising antibiotic resistant bacteria....See MoreOklaMoni
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