Composters for summer cottages are easy to make with your own hands. This can be a compost pit, a crate, a slate or wooden pallet device, a rotating plastic barrel. The composter allows you to obtain natural organic fertilizer. Rotten residues turn into a dark, loose substance, which is very nutritious for plants. There are various options for the construction of composters. It all depends on the availability of materials, on how quickly you need to turn organic residues into fertilizer.
A composter for a summer residence - what it can be
The easiest option is a compost pit. Decide on the size, having estimated approximately how much during the summer season you can put plant residues here.
- Dig a hole, it is better if it is rectangular, it is easier to sheathe it. Step back 20 cm from the bottom and reinforce the sides of the compost pit with suitable materials. It can be hardboard, slate, old iron, boards. The bottom of the recess is not covered with such materials so that microorganisms, earthworms have access here.
- If the soil is clay, you do not need to sheathe the sides of the pit. For a drainage device, pour down branches, large plant residues, such as stems from large flowers, from Jerusalem artichoke, sunflower. On top of them you will pour plant residues, if they are large, then they must first be crushed.
- To make the compost mature faster, sometimes water it with a special preparation that speeds up this process. Experts recommend adding a small amount of fertilizer from time to time. Water the compost periodically to keep it dry.
- Cover it with black plastic wrap on top, then the decay process will go faster, and an unpleasant odor will not spread.
The compost pit has a drawback. The flow of oxygen is difficult here, in order to eliminate this, insert the pipe with holes made in it in advance. You can make 2-4 of these. If you do not want to work on the construction of a hole, digging it, then you can put the compost right in a heap.
It will need to be watered periodically so that it does not dry out. The big disadvantage of the device of such a mini warehouse is the smell. Therefore, it is better to pre-build the sidewalls of stone, slate, boards or iron, and cover with foil on top.
The next year, such compost usually does not ripen yet, but it is an excellent soil for the growth of pumpkin crops. Plant zucchini or pumpkins here, and you will be surprised at the abundance of the harvest.
In early autumn, this matured substance can be used as an organic additive for planting strawberries, bulbous flowers, and seedlings. Or you can leave this compost until next spring, then pour it into the holes and beds when planting.
Pumpkin plants love to grow in a warm garden bed. You can make a composter and her at the same time. Dig a rectangular depression to fit the garden bed, sheathe its inner sides with slate so that it rises above the ground. To secure the slate, drive metal rods into the soil, connect them to the base of wooden blocks.
You will put organic residues here all summer, periodically sprinkle them with a small amount of earth. It can be postponed in advance when you dig a trench. By the spring of next year, you will have a wonderful warm bed, which will be enough to loosen and you can plant pumpkin crops here. Cucumbers will grow well.
How to make a compost bin with your own hands?
See how a slate-lined compost pit is made. This must be reinforced with metal pillars.
A box can be made of this material by reinforcing it with metal or wooden posts from the outside.
Pallet composter
This is one of the simplest options for its construction. Since there is a distance between the pallet boards, oxygen will freely penetrate here, aging will go faster. It is necessary to take into account the presence of an unpleasant smell of decay. Therefore, it is better to make such a device away from home and recreation areas. And the general requirements for choosing a site for a composter are 10 m from residential buildings, and 20 m from a water supply source.
To make a pallet composter, you will need:
- 4 pallets;
- self-tapping screws;
- screwdriver.
Decide where you will place it.
It is best not to place the compost bin under the scorching rays of the sun so that its contents do not dry out. Install it in shade or partial shade. Place two pallets vertically at 90 degrees to each other and connect them with screws or nails.
Knock down the top and then the bottom corners first.
In the same way, connect two more trays, you get a rectangle in which you can put compost.
If you have wood pallets but don't want to use them like this, then make your compost bin differently. First you need to disassemble the pallets using a nailer.
You will have boards that you will later need to arrange as it is done in the next photo.
As you can see, it will be necessary to make grooves in the boards in order to assemble them according to the principle of the constructor. The following markups will help you with this.
The two posts will be corner posts, you need to make notches in them, based on the last photo. The rest of the grooves need to be made, as in the first of the three photos, and the front wall will be slightly inclined, so the notches need to be made in the corners.
Set aside a flat area for the box, put the 4 lower base boards evenly using a level.
After that, install 2 vertical posts in front, start assembling the box.
Such a compost bin is quite mobile, you can move it to any point on the site. Pour compost here, loosen it periodically to provide air access and accelerate the maturation of the substance.
In order to be able to extract the finished fertilizer without spending much effort on it, even when installing a compost box, provide an opening or lifting bottom door. Then you can open access to the bottom content, which will be ready faster than the top one.
Three-section composter
You can make a compost box for a summer cottage, consisting of 3 sections. This design is very convenient in that while the contents of the first one are rotting, you will have time to fill the rest of the sections. Then remove the ready-made compost and you will have a place to fill the next one.
If you don't feel like making the back wall, then you can turn the fence wall into it, as in this case.
Then it will be necessary to attach wooden blocks to the racks, and the wooden block must also be placed on the other side. These four posts will support the front wall.
Stuff the boards between parallel wooden posts to create three sections of the compost bin.
The two small side walls will be completely closed, and the front one will not be completely closed. You will soon find out why. Make an openable lid that will become the roof at the same time. Make it not in one piece, but in 3 parts. Attach a handle to each to open the drawer when needed.
You also need to make small opening doors on the front panel. This makes it easier to set up and remove the finished compost.
Paint the crate and you have a composter that looks great on the lot.
If you want to do it as soon as possible, then you can return to ideas with pallets again. We need 3 pieces, fasten them together with wire, and the two side walls should have a stop. In this case, on one side it is supported by a fence, and on the other by a porch.
Composter in 10 minutes
If you have such a small space, then you can also build a compost bin, but it is better to place it away from the front area, and near the outbuilding, as the smell of rotting is possible.
Usually, the complete maturation of compost in such devices takes 1–2 years. To speed up this process, you can make a composter from a plastic barrel. Then the valuable organic fertilizer will be ready in 1-2 months.
How to make a composter from a plastic barrel?
To make such a device for recycling, take:
- plastic barrel;
- large nails;
- latches;
- window hinges;
- galvanized pipe;
- durable boards;
- self-tapping screws;
- bolts with washers.
Drill one hole in the center of the barrel lid and the other opposite, in the middle of the bottom. Use the round drill bit for this.
Take a tube that is slightly longer than the barrel height and thread it into the resulting hole.
Cut a rectangular hole in the container that will become the door. To do this, attach the hinges on one side, and two latches on the sides and bottom, with the help of them you will close the door. To make it easy to open it, make a handle out of a cord.
Now drill a lot of holes in the surface of the barrel with a drill to allow air flow. Insert large nails into some of them. Then, when you turn the barrel, they will help the contents mix better.
Build a pedestal from the boards for your structure. To do this, put two boards crosswise and connect them in the center. Make another of the same blank, fasten the resulting crosses at the bottom with two strong thick boards.
Then you need to put the barrel so that there is a metal axis on the wooden crosspieces.
You can attach a handle to make it easier to rotate the barrel. This should be done once every few days. Fill the container with organic leftovers, twist occasionally, and the compost will be ready soon.
Look at other options for such devices.
As you can see, you can fix the container vertically by threading a metal pipe through the large sides.
And if you want two composters at once, then place them one above the other, fix them on metal bars, the lower ends of which are cemented into the soil.
You can fix a metal pipe on a wooden trestle like this. It is convenient to move such a mobile barrel from place to place when there is no internal content in it.
And if you want to move the container with ease, then you can install it on the board to which the roller wheels are attached.
If you don't have a barrel, but have a trash can that you no longer need, then you can make a composter out of it. The tank must be fixed on wooden boards, fixed on them with a metal pin or a pipe made of this material.
Here's how to make a DIY composter using different ideas. If you want another one, then check out the next master class.
By the way, for such a device, you can use a large capacity drum taken from a broken washing machine.
The next composter in the country is also quite simple to make, over time it can turn into a vertical bed.
