In any homestead, vegetable and kitchen waste accumulates, which needs to be disposed of somewhere. A good solution to the problem would be to prepare compost, which can be used to fertilize the beds. Let's look at the types, sizes and making a composter with your own hands, what materials and tools are needed, and how to use composters on the site.
Types of composters
The main material of manufacture is wood. Therefore, you can make composters from boards, boxes, and old pallets.You can use pieces of slate or make concrete walls. The main thing is that the composter meets certain dimensions and has slots for air exchange.
Drawings and dimensions
For the composting process to work properly, the compost bin needs to be the same height, width and length. Usually, for a small garden plot, a composter with dimensions of 1x1x1 m is sufficient. It must be installed on a flat area that is not flooded with water, at least ten meters from buildings and water sources.
Since compost does not ripen quickly, it is recommended to make a box of 3 identical sections, put fresh remains in the 1st, last year’s compost in the 2nd, and ready-made, completely rotted compost in the 3rd.
The boards should be spaced loosely, leaving space between them so that moisture can escape and air can enter. The design includes a hinged lid that protects the contents from rain and prevents animals from getting inside. The composter must be strong, able to withstand the weight of waste, and durable. If it is made from boards, then you need to coat them with an antiseptic so that they last longer. This is important because the wood is exposed to moisture, temperature and bacteria. No processing of other materials is required.
Required tools and materials
To create a composter you will need: beams and boards, pieces of slate, screws, nails, metal corners, hinges. The tools required are a hacksaw, a screwdriver, a hammer, a tape measure, and a shovel.
How to make a composter with your own hands
Let's consider the sequence of making composters from boards, boxes, pallets, slate sheets and concrete.Each option has its own characteristics in manufacturing and application.
From wooden planks
First, you need to dig the beams in the corners to such a depth that they will securely hold the boards when the volume of the garden composter is full. Usually, for a height of 1 m, it is enough to dig 20-30 cm. For stability, the bars in the ground can be lined with stones, pieces of brick or filled with cement.
Fasten boards of approximately the same width between the bars, leaving gaps of at least 2 cm between them for the passage of air. Make the sides and back of the box blank, and at the bottom of the front there is a door that opens upward so that you can gradually remove the finished compost. To protect against rodents, line the inside with metal mesh. Hang a lid of tightly laid boards on top of the hinges to protect the compost from rain and snow.
From plank boxes
The composter is made from this material in exactly the same way as in the previous example. Old boxes will come in handy; they need to be disassembled into boards and assembled into a composter according to the dimensions required. The sequence of its assembly is similar to assembling a composter from boards.
Pallet box
It's the easiest to assemble. You need to take old pallets and assemble a cube from them. The long side of the pallets should be horizontal. For strength, drive posts into the ground, to which you nail the pallets or connect them with metal staples. Make a lightweight wooden lid with hinges.
From slate
Pieces of slate also need to be either dug into the ground and connected with horizontal boards, or attached with nails to 4 bars placed in the corners. You also need to leave gaps of 2-3 cm between the sheets.The slate composter should be placed in a shady place in the garden, as the slate can heat up in the sun, causing the temperature in the pile to be higher than necessary.
Made from concrete
The walls of such a composter are made of monolithic concrete or cinder block. You can use a well ring. Usually they are dug into the ground up to half or to the top level, but they can also be placed simply on the ground. The top of the concrete composter also needs to be covered with a removable wooden lid.
This is the most durable structure, but it has disadvantages - there are no holes for air supply, and it is inconvenient to mix the contents.
User manual
You can put all plant residues collected from your garden and garden, kitchen waste, manure, tops, leaves, grass, and substandard vegetables into a homemade composter. You can add thin white paper, small branches, shavings, sawdust, and old small boards. When laying, different materials can be stacked in layers, in layers no more than 15 cm thick, and subsequently they will still be mixed.
You cannot place bones, waste from non-herbivorous animals, glass, or synthetic materials. Weeds that have already set seeds should also not be added - despite the temperature effect, they remain viable and can clog the area where compost will be applied as fertilizer. Plant residues with obvious signs of diseases and pests are also undesirable. Temperature does not always destroy pathogens, so there is no need to take risks.
All waste must be shredded to approximately the same size so that it is processed at the same rate. After laying, the pile needs to be moistened and moistened if it dries out. Maintain humidity level at 60%.The temperature inside should not be lower than 16˚C, otherwise the composting process will slow down or stop. Also, it should not rise too much, which also disrupts the fermentation processes. To maintain a comfortable temperature, place the composter in partial shade or shade so that it heats evenly throughout the day.
After the section is completely laid, compost maturation lasts at least 1 year. The readiness of the fertilizer can be determined by its dark uniform color, granular structure, and characteristic earthy smell. You can use 2-3 year old compost, 1 year old compost is not suitable for all crops, and over 3 years old it already loses some of its nutrients.
You can easily make a composter in your garden using scrap materials with your own hands. It will allow you to solve two important problems at once - recycling waste and processing it into natural organic fertilizer. For a standard garden plot, it is enough to build at least 1 composter with a capacity of 1 cubic meter. m. If you need more humus, nothing prevents you from building as many boxes as needed.
