Oct
Different Types of Composters
There are basically two types of composters. One type is a static freestanding type of composter & the other is the kind that rotates like a wheel barrel to kind of churn the waste material into a swiftly degrading mixture. Of course these are just the two types of composters that you can buy commercially. You can also make your own composter.
Of course the simplest of composters is simply the heap that is in the garden. This is usually just a mound, occasionally hidden, that is now full of grass clippings, leaves & kitchen waste. All it really needs is a turn of the spade every now & then to create nutrient rich compost.
Other people have success building very simple composters out of pieces of scrap lumber or railroad pallets. There is more. There is more. This type of composter can also be reinforced with wire mesh or green plastic mesh to keep rodents & other types of wildlife away from it… Some people close off this primitive type of structure on all sides & make a kind of door using wire & other people simply leave the third side of these types of composters open so that it is not very hard to access the compost inside with a shovel.
If you live in an area with a lot of pets or rodents it might be better off for you to select a composter that has a lid. Even though heaps of compost can be covered with tarp or plastic that does not keep mice from multiplying nearby or keep odors or flies away.
The best way to keep odors, pests & flies away from your compost is to put it in some kind of container with a lid. Some people build wood chests for this purpose but over time these chests of woods made of lumber can degrade as well. Also wood has acidity to it that cause waste to break down slowly.
If you must select a static bin for composting your best option is probably going to be a big plastic bin with a lid. You can buy these at any hardware or garden supply store. Usually they are black in color as black absorbs radiation from the sun & holds warmth. The reason that you want your composting bin to hold warmth is because it helps speed up the process of waste disintegration. You might also get the same effect if you stuck your composting waste inside of a big black garbage bin. Just remember to poke a few holes in the top of the garbage bin so that they compost inside gets some air. Air is essential for the decomposition process to take place.
Some people find composting inside bins unwieldy, as they have to go straight to a lot of trouble to attempt & mix the degrading compost inside or even dump it out & put it back in the canister again. This is where the wheelbarrow & tumbler types of composters can come in handy. These types of composters come on wheels so you can trundle the whole thing around the garden & take the entire composter to the areas where you need the fertilizer the most. Yet another great feature of these types of portable composters is that you can mix the waste inside it simply by giving the barrel a big spin with your hand or pumping a hand crank that rotates it… This type of convenience can save you all kinds of time not to mention back breaking work with a hoe or shovel reaching into a static bin or turning over waste matter in a freestanding composting pile.
Learn all about composter containers & how to make compost at Bins for Compost.
