My Home Made Compost Tumbler Made Easy 5.00 out of 5  Loading ...
Plans Free at dixiegrilling.com This compost tumbler, along with its system of internal ventilation accelerates the composting process. This is one of the best composters I’ve ever seen. Related Articles
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Should Compost Bins Be Open To The Air Or Closed To Seal In Heat? |
How to make a compost tumbler from a food grade Pickle Barrel.
Should Compost Bins Be Open To The Air Or Closed To Seal In Heat?
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Depends if you can get a free barrel. ~$75 if you have to pay for the barrel and around $50 if you don’t. Also if you make more than one the costs go down a little bit because you don’t have left over wasted material.
Depends if you can get a free barrel. ~$75 if you have to pay for the barrel and around $50 if you don’t. Also if you make more than one the costs go down a little bit because you don’t have left over wasted material.
So I am in the process of making one. A few questions. I got the 3/4″ galvanized pipe and it is exactly 1″ in OD, so it does not want to go through the 1″ holes I drilled in the wood. Any ideas on how to open those holes just a bit more so the axle fits through?? Also a few comments on the pdf plans. I think you only need one 3″ closet flange.
I am going to make a Lowes Item list for others that want to make one when I’m done.
how much would all the materials cost me? and can a women put it together or will i need my husband?
Thank you.
not hard to make . barrels are hard to find
Thanks Man!!
Most detailed and thorough plans on YouTube!! Really helpful.
Changed my mind. Instead of a spigot, (which would hold in too much moisture), I’ll just keep a small bucket underneath the drain hole to capture the “compost tea” and then pour it onto my plants that way. Picked up the pickel barrel last night! Mine is a 55-gallon instead of 60, and is 42″ tall instead of 44″. I guess I’ll just do the center axle @ 20 1/2″ instead of 21 1/2″, and hopefully that math is correct.?????????
Thank you. Just bought all the supplies from Home Depot, and including the $40 for the pickle barrell (Craigslist… guy from NC is delivering here in TN today!), my material cost is around $100 as well. I think instead of the drain hole like you have, I’m going to make a spigot so I can do the compost tea thing. Other than that, GREAT plans.
I Love to see great craftsmanship and pride in construction! Nice attention to details. GREAT JOB…Thank You
This is AWESOME! Thank you so much for posting this video!!!
What a great idea! Thanks for sharing this.
What kinds of ‘pests’ will contaminate compost? From what I’ve read so far, many insects aid in the composting process.
@mattmaes By just drilling hole into the exterior of the barrel you allow too much moisture to get inside the barrel. With an exposed compost pile this is not a problem as when it heats up the moisture evaporates. With the barrel you are trapping this moisture.
Also the hole would create many places for pests to enter and make a home. You don’t want to open the top of your barrel one day and find a hive of bees.
Thank you very much for these instructions! I built a couple of them with a few modifications, but did not include the drain and the frame. I don’t have a lot of room where I have put mine under the sun. Even though they get heavy, I prefer to roll the barrels to mix up the debris. The cost can get up there for the frame if you don’t have all of the material on hand. I’m still adding to the first barrel, but it seems to be composting pretty quickly. I threw some earthworms in as well.
So nice!!! thanks a lot buddy
This video has so helpful! You should enter your video in this contest, Ewisdomtv
great idea, I think I can use an old vanity mirror stand to make this using a smaller bucket. I intend to make a smaller garden anyway and the main purpose for the composter is not to totally fullfill my need for good rich soil, but just not to waste scraps anymore as I am now.
Excellent video! I can’t wait to try to make this. This is exactly what I’ve been looking for. Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us!
very nice..thank you
never mind – just saw your answer below:
“By running the tube up the center you can cover the bottom of the tube to keep pests out. If you were to drill a lot of holes on the exterior of the barrel, you would have to cover each one with screen. Exterior holes would also allow to much moisture to enter your compost.”
I like the interior aeration idea with the PVC – But couldn’t a guy accomplish the same thing by drilling holes through the barrel?
Thanks. It’s the one place I haven’t looked for this particular item yet.
@theunknownknows Craigslist is a great place to find them.
Is the internal airation provide the same amount of air etc… Just curious as to why some many just drill holes and vs. the internal system. I like the interal way much better just curious if there is any major difference?
Thanks!