Mini-Composting system

[Guest Eikel]

Piss easy nutrient-rich compost, full of goodness. Get it right and worms/fungi will colonize your compost

 

You need

1 x 28ltr "Nylex" recycling container, $10 from bunings

1 x 25ltr bag of Cow manure (or 25ltrs of fresh manure) -$5/bag from bunnings, cheaper sometimes from farmers.

1 x Bale of pea straw $ 15 from bunnings for 100ltr bale.

Some cardboard (old boxes from the supermarket are fine).

Optionals, don't need but they help

Maxicrop seaweed fertilizer. (bunnings, nurseries $8.95 for 900ml bottle).

Bark chips. ($5-$10 a bag, depending on quantity).

 

Method

1. Cut 3 20-cent piece sized holes in the bottom of the recycling container, a kitchen knife heated and "rotated" through the plastic does this easily.

2. Break about 10-15ltrs of straw outta the bale, I use some strong garden clippers and chop the straw up as I tear/chop it from the bale.

3. Layer the straw on the bottom of the container loosely, don't compact it down.

4. Open the bag of manure and pour 2/3 over the straw.

5. If using bark-chips, add a layer of chips over the manure.

6. Cover with the remainder of the manure.

7. Tear cardboard box and place over the top of the compost (retains humidity/moisture).

8. If using maxicrop, mix 10ltrs and pour through the container, if not just soak in with water, should have at least 5-6ltrs of yellow "runnoff" come out of the holes you made in the container - it's also good for your soil.

 

If directly on the ground worms will come up from the soil underneath to eat the material in the compost. I suggest placing this on either a "barren" patch of yard or anywhere where nutrient-runoff from it would be benficial to your garden. After 6-8 weeks of summer weather (may be 12-14 weeks of winter heh), you will have a nice compost to mix with your soil and use for your "special" or "non-special" plants

 

You can make more "full-feeding" composts with alot more nutrient, but this is more than enough to provide food "medium" based NPK to your plants.

[Guest Eikel]

And what it looks like underneath:

 

(Perlite was from when I previously used the container to mix soil).

[Budman2012]

Thx Eikel ,

You reminded me that I should start something like this soon for some nice compost for the garden this coming season ...

I like how It's portable aswell ...

 

Cheerz.

 

Budman