I love composting, but have hated all of the steps that have traditionally gone with it. I did not want to shovel or sift or spin or even think about which composter was currently in use.
So, I put together a composting system that works really well. I thought I would share it here, as it epitomizes how I like to think about the world.
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| A schematic of the no-maintenance compost system we put together and currently use |
I stacked cinder-blocks into two walls, about three feet apart. I put two pieces of Closetmaid shelving (but any coated shelving would work) between them (err on the side of too big spacing, rather than too small spacing). Then I put a traditional composter (but a garbage can with some air holes and no bottom would work just as well) on top of that.
I put a few small holes in the top of the composter, to let some rain flow through (and optionally invert the lids to gather more rain).
Then I put a catch bucket underneath the composter. In the catch bucket I made four 2" holes directly on the bottom. This facilitates the ability of little bugs and worms to go up from the earth into the compost and any water to seep out and not pool.
Now, all I have to do is throw in food scraps (no meat, no dairy, as with all composters) in the top. In about six weeks, the food at the bottom begins turning to compost and sprinkling down into the bucket below.
This system models the human body. It allows for the long term development of microbes in the middle that never get flushed out. Also, because the entire bottom of the compost is exposed, there is plenty of air in the system.
Rain and gravity do the work of moving the compost, and only when it is ready. I never get the uncomposted squash or corn cobs mixed in with finished compost as I used to - the bigger pieces stay higher up until they break down.
And there is never a "walking away" from a composter to let it work. This model allows for use when working. Even the volume is self regulating within the composter - the more weight there is at the top of the composter, the more finished compost is pushed through at the bottom.
One can create two or even three gravity composters to increase capacity (we have three ). Obviously, these can be made from scraps of materials and require no building skills (which is good, because I have none!). These composters are zero maintenance. You can take the perfect compost out of the bucket below whenever you need it.
Some friends have suggested I try and patent this, but I prefer open-source here! So let me know if you have any questions, or better yet, improvements.
Yay! Open Source ftw!
ReplyDeleteHave you put any worms in?
Maybe you could try it in one only, and see if it helps speed the composting up.
When I stumble upon worms, such as when raking, I pick them up and put them in both the main composter and the catch bucket below. I should do a controlled study to see if they speed the flow-through. Right now, I am still trying to figure out if they live at all, reproduce, and/or survive the winter. The hope of the composting system is that it mimics the human body, with permanent and even evolving strata of critters that continue to live and thrive by eating and processing as food/compost passes through. (One thing I hated about my old way was that I basically started over, from a culture perspective, every time I harvested a batch of compost.)
ReplyDeleteCould a resourceful dog get into the catch bucket?
ReplyDeleteThanks!
All that is in the catch bucket is pure black finished compost, so of little interest to the dogs. The rest of the structure is very stable and by being a bit off the ground, seems less tempting that a purely ground based composter to local critters. Still, I can imagine some people using a metal trashcan with holes for the upper part to be even more animal proof.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! We are relatively new to composting. We bought one of the spinning kind of composter and it works well, but as we are always adding to it...it would be difficult to actually use. We may have to build one of these as well so that we can let that one do it's trick and be able to use some of the compost.
ReplyDeleteMoisture is one of the tricks to composting. It can speed up the decomposition process, but only to a point. That is when anaerobic activity has taken over and it starts to stink. Try adding wet items like freshly brewed coffee grounds or watermelon rinds when you add leaves or bread so that there is not one layer that is completely void of moisture.
ReplyDeleteREALLY great idea, and thanks for the directions.
ReplyDeleteMy three compost bins are right next to a big pile of cinderblocks. LUCKY ME!
Here is some beautiful compost that it produced.
ReplyDeleteGreat idea. We used two of the composters you show. It was a bit of a hassle when trying to empty a bin into the garden. I will try it out.
ReplyDeleteHi Clark,
ReplyDeleteI like your compost system design and would like to build one, but I am a bit confused on one point: it looks like there's about a 3-inch-wide space between the two shelves. How do you prevent uncomposted food scraps from falling through that opening?
@Natural Mommy,
ReplyDeleteGreat question! During the first few dumpings of scraps, a few items (coffee grounds, egg shells) may fall through, but less than you would think. You will have to pick up what you can and toss them back in the top. But very quickly, the bigger items will form a base that prevents stuff from falling through until it is ready. That base, in various forms, stays with the composter for its entire life, so that initial priming stage is very short and only has to be done once. The larger holes help throughout the life of the composter to keep things flowing through.
Thanks, Clark! We just built our compost system today and are curious to see how it works out.
ReplyDelete