Yesterday I harvested the first batch of compost from my underground composter. I put the trash can in the ground last May. Over the summer and into the fall I put what didn’t go into either the worm bin, compost pile or other above ground composter into the can. There weren’t as many earth worms in it as I would have hoped which explains why it wasn’t as mixed as I had hoped. Think I’ll throw in a handful of redworms this time. Occasionally I would peek inside and watch the once heaping can shrink down to a little over half full. I was concerned emptying the can would be a pain but it was no big deal with a shovel. I left a little inside as a starter for my next batch.
As you can see the can produced a wheel barrow full. Most went on some blackberries with a little being mixed with some vermicompost into a newly dug hole for my Double de Coubert rose.
Beautiful compost! I love the trash can compost idea – thanks for posting a direct link to the article about it.
My dad is an organic gardener and I’ve wanted to compost for a long time – just haven’t found a “method” that really seemed easy to me. This one sounds great!
Did you cut out the bottom or punch holes in it?
Judy,
I opted for 1/4″ holes all over the can’s side and bottom. We tend to have moles here that go after earthworms so I thought any large holes or a bottomless can would be an open invitation to a massacre.
That’s good to know! We have moles here too. Actually, our neighbors brought in a mole exterminator. They were told moles tend to be territorial, and have about a acre or so to themselves… But in our neighborhoods’ case, there are many, many more than that. Ugh.
Do you put bones, meat and dairy in the trash cans? I would have thought that it would attract animals, does it change quickly enough to not attract them? This sounds great and much less expensive than some of the products that I have seen!
kiki
kiki,
I don’t and I believe that is the general consensus. I think the problem has less to do with attracting critters as it does with temperatures possibly not being high enough to kill harmful organisms. I’ve heard of some people burning bones and then adding the remains to the garden but thats a little too intense for me. I stick with greens and browns.
It still sounds like a good method for composting………I do wish that I could come up with a way to use ALL the scraps without drawing lions and tigers and bears, oh my. I know they sell some high priced composters that are supposed to take care of those things, but until I hear from a real person that they work I would not put the money into them, not sure I would even then. Thanks for all the information.
kiki
Last weekend I added another underground composting can next to the exisiting one. The first one was full and I wanted to have one working while one was filling. I haven’t painted yet, but its already 1/4 full.
Today I was cleaning the porch and moving pots. I gathered the literally dozens of earthworms I found under the pots and put most of them in the full can after giving it a good watering. I also put a handful or so into the new, partially filled can. They can get out through the holes in the sides or bottom if they really want to but I hope there is enough there to keep them busy for a while.
Just to let you know, we bought one of the fancy composter’s- that turn with a crank. We have been extremely disappointed with it. We have been able to get far better compost with a compost heap. For us, it has not been worth the money.
Thanks for the info. I’ve heard that some people have had problems with them. I think they are more picky about the ratios and moisture. Perhaps because it is a smaller pile and changes are more rapid in a small pile than a larger one. Makes microbial life a bit more stressful.
I tried a pile here last year and we just don’t have enough ‘stuff’ to make a pile of any size worth it so I won’t start another one this year. The two cans and the worm bins take all I have to offer.