Composting at home initially feels like it’s going to be a challenging task, and making it can get extremely gross and messy, if you do not work with the right tools. When you begin composting at home, the first thing that you need to invest in is a good composter. I’m confident, most of you have all done your research, the cheaper composters do not have better features in comparison to the higher-end ones. But the price tags on these are extremely steep, that at times it feels like to make black gold you would need to use gold. At least $100 is what you would require because, at this price tag you would get a decent composter with all the function feature that would make your daily composting convenient and pleasurable. Now, if you find yourself on a tighter budget, but still prefer a functional composter then, don’t stress, you can always make one at home.
I love making my own things at home because you can design them the way you want in terms of size, space efficiency, materials, etc. So, if you find yourself thinking in the same manner as I am keep reading as I discuss an easy way to go about making your very own compost barrel. It is an extremely simple project and the compost barrel is extremely efficient, giving you ready compost in three months. So, without further ado, let’s dig deeper.
Things you will need to make a Homemade compost barrel
Materials
- Hardware cloth or wire mesh
- Plastic Storage barrel – minimum 18 gallons
- Composable materials like shredded newspaper, yard waste, and kitchen scraps
Tools/ equipment
- Drill and drill bit
Instructions to make a Homemade compost barrel
- If you have or plastic storage barrel that you haven’t got yourself to use in a while, you could recycle it for this project or you could also purchase one. These battles are easily available. With an airtight lid. Make sure that the bin is at least 18 gallons and not smaller. However, if you have a smaller bin, it would be extremely useful to place it beneath the first one, as it would help to collect liquid which leaks from the bigger barrel. If you manage to collect some of this liquid, it will be full of nutrients making it a good compost tea for the garden.
- In this step, you have to make sure that there is sufficient oxygen moving within the compost because, this will help it to decompose quicker. You will need to make some holes in the container. These holes must be made two inches apart from each other, this includes the lid as well as the bottom. Don’t worry about the size of the drill bit. But I always suggest to not make extremely big holes.
- You must now get a convenient space in the backyard to place this bin, being a small compact size, it can be easily placed on most balconies, poaches and patios as well.
- The composable pile that we have been collecting can now be placed inside the barrel. Always make sure that the materials are cut small, this will expedite the process of composting. If you wish you could run your kitchen scraps through the blender or even a food processor.
Just like that, you have your very own homemade compost barrel. Just follow these few instructions and you’re good to go. All the best guys!