BARREL COMPOSTING MADE EASY
Collect and prepare the material*: Gather together enough "brown" and "green" material to
fill your composter all at once. Using the 70/30 rule, by weight, use approximately 70%
brown and 30% green material. For ideal composting results, prepare the material so the
particles are approximately 1/2" to 2" inches or less in size. Cutting up or shredding
material increases the surface area of the material thereby increasing the speed of
composting. For dry leaves and small yard clippings and trimmings, try laying them out on
the lawn and run over them a few times with a lawn mower. For some of the larger items,
consider getting a small yard chipper to run them through first. The smaller the partial size,
the faster it will compost.
Filling the your Composter:
It helps to start by leaving a little compost (seasoning) in the barrel from the time before.
Begin putting in equal amounts (by weight) of "brown" and "green" material. About every
5" to 8" you may want to add a handful of a natural compost starter and then dampen if
needed. If you are using over 25% fresh grass or vegetable scraps, you probably will not
need to add water. If 30% or more of your material is fresh cut grass, consider letting the
grass dry a couple days before putting in the unit to avoid excess water build-up. When you
add water, if possible avoid using chemically treated water (i.e. municipal water) but
instead use natural rainwater. Your mix should be damp as a wrung out sponge. It should
feel wet but you should not be able to squeeze out water. When it’s humid outside, avoid
adding any water. Being an enclosed unit, water will collect inside the unit from humidity.
It is important to avoid packing the material down too much, as it will impede mixing when
the unit is tumbled. It is IMPORTANT to leave a little empty room in the barrel to allow
mixing. Also remember that a full barrel will turn easier than when half full.
While not required, you will get the best results by gathering up enough varied
material and loading the Composter all at the same time
Batch composting is the most efficient as it allows for rapid heat build up all at once. It is
ok to add material to the Composter as it becomes available, be aware if you do, the overall
composting time will take much longer and you will not get the same concentrated heating
of the compost batch if you add the material too slowly. Also, continuing to add material to
the Composter can be deceptive since the volume of composting materials can drop rapidly.
Composting
Once the unit is filled, screw on the lid (be sure the aeration holes are (open/clear) and let it
sit. At lease weekly, rotate the tumbler 2 or 3 times in each direction - daily rotation is even
better. Remember that oxygen is the key to rapid composting. Especially during the first
week or so, check to be sure that the material was not packed so tight that it is not mixing
when tumbled. If the material can't move around enough to allow fresh oxygen into the
mix, composting will be slower. Remember to keep an eye on moisture content. If the
material becomes too dry, add water. If it becomes too wet, remove the lid until it dries
some. Having two or more Composters works even better. In effect, you double your
capacity with two units and cut your composting time in half. Two units allow you to either
load twice as much at one time if you have a lot of material, or to load a unit every 1-2
weeks to have a more even flow of finished compost ready for use.
ADDING SUPPLEMENTS TO YOUR COMPOST
There are good reasons to consider adding supplements to your compost. The nutrients
added to compost are then added to the soil where you put the compost. For example, we
recommend using only all natural organic supplements like a Compost Activator. An
activator speeds composting while adding nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium to the
finished product. Add Prilled Dolomite Lime to the mix to "sweeten" soil when too acidic.
Most plants grow best when the soil pH is between 6.0 and 7.0. Dolomite Lime is a good
source of calcium and magnesium, two important plant nutrients.
POINTERS & CAUTIONS IN USING YOUR COMPOSTER
Set up
It is VERY important that the Composter be setup on a level firm footing. If the unit is
sitting with a tilt it can become unstable when rotated. If set on the ground or lawn, be sure
it is level, firm and dry. If set on a deck, patio, concrete floor, decorative blocks, or similar
material, consider using a "drip pan" beneath the unit to catch occasional drips. One
suggestion is setting the Composter on firmly positioned patio stones or concrete blocks.
Loading the Composter
The principle behind the Composter is to fill it all at once and produce a compost batch
fast… empty and repeat the process. A lot of small batches faster is the key to effectively
using just about any tumbling composter. The Composter can do batches gathered over
time but it will take much longer to compost. Usually a 70/30 load of brown and green
material does not weigh that much, however when adding large amounts of water,
vegetables/fruits, green manure and the like, be careful not to overload the Composter.
While a little additional weight may not hurt the Composter, it will become more difficult
to turn for some people.
Tumbling/Rotating the Composter
Care must be taken when rotating (tumbling) the barrel to avoid possible personal injury or
damage to the unit. To rotate, stand to one side and begin "rocking" the barrel back and
forth a couple times to build momentum. Then as the barrel swings forward, using the force
of the momentum of the barrel, "push down" to complete the rotation. It is important you
push down on the barrel and NOT outward or sideways. Pushing outward may cause the
unit to tip over and lateral (sideways) movement may cause damage to the stand. The
Composter is easier to turn when full rather than when just partially filled. The barrel turns
around the center shaft so the more weight you have on both sides of the shaft (top vs.
bottom), the more "in balance" the barrel is. However, you do not want to fill the barrel to
the very top as you need some space to allow for mixing. Remember after tumbling to be
sure the aeration holes are open/clear.
Break-in Period
Breaking-in or burning-in your Composter is important. The first couple batches of
compost produced by the barrel usually takes a little longer than normal and is of lower
quality compost. It seems to take at least a couple good batches of compost to season the
barrel. It is a good idea that in your first few compost batches you liberally use a good
quality all natural compost starter.
Excess Moisture in the Composter
Several things can cause excess moisture in the barrel. It means either too much water has
been added or too much green material (fresh grass, vegetables or fruit) was in the mix. If
you keep getting too much moisture in the mix, you must change your recipe to use more
brown (carbon rich) material and avoid adding water. In some humid areas excess moisture
can build up in the barrel as the temperature varies between night and day. If the compost
becomes too moist, remove the lid until it dries out some. To speed drying, replace the lid
periodically and tumble the unit to keep wet compost exposed. Let the barrel rest at an
angle to expose as much compost as possible. When the lid is on, remember to keep the
vent holes at the top of the barrel clear to allow air circulation.
*COMPOSTING MATERIALS
Brown
Brown is the carbon energy the compost microbes need to thrive. Without it, your pile of green
kitchen scraps will become smelly and slimy. This is because your greens will decompose too
quickly through the bacteria already in the materials, rapidly fermenting nitrogen into the rotten
egg smell of ammonia.
You want enough brown materials for the good bacteria and microbes to have enough energy to
multiply and slow down the release of nitrogen. The layering effect of compost is a natural way
to do this.
If your compost has a rotten rather than rich, earthy smell, add some more brown materials to the
mix. Stir it as well, as a lack of oxygen also contributes to unpleasant smells.
Brown materials are stocky and coarse, and include:
x dry yellow or brown leaves and grass
x the woody stalks of plants such as sunflowers and corn
x paper and wood products, such as sawdust, chopped up twigs and shredded newspaper
x dryer lint
x straw
x wood ash (not too much)
Green Materials
Nitrogen is the protein the munching microbes need to thrive. Too little nitrogen and your pile
will decay into compost a lot more slowly. The microbes will be fewer and weaker, so it could
take a year or two in a mainly brown compost pile to turn into rich compost. A well-balanced
compost will be hot, due to all those microscopic bodies busily multiplying and feasting for you!
Green materials are soft and often wet, and include:
x Kitchen scraps, such as vegetables, melon rinds, eggshells and fruit
x coffee grinds with the filter and tea bags
x fresh green leaves and grass clippings
x fresh weeds that haven’t seeded (seeds will likely survive the composting process)
x composted manure – cow, sheep, chicken, rabbit
x hair – scatter the hair in the bin, not in clumps
