Make a compost tumbler
By David BrooksFrom the September 2008 issue of Boys' Life magazine
Here’s how to tumble your way to rich compost for your garden and plants.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED
- Sturdy plastic 55-gallon (or so) food barrel
- Drill
- Saw
- Hammer
- Adjustable wrench
- 8 3⁄8-by-3 1⁄2-inch carriage bolts
- 8 3⁄8-inch nuts
- 8 3⁄8-inch washers
- 16d galvanized nails
- 2 bungee cords (If barrel has a locking lid, you won’t need the bungees.)
- 5 2-by-6-inch boards (Lengths will be determined by the size of the container.)
- 3⁄4-inch galvanized pipe, threaded both ends (You can get a standard-size pre-cut threaded pipe. The length will be determined by diameter of the barrel.)
- 2 3⁄4-inch galvanized pipe caps
WHAT YOU’LL DO
Prepare the Barrel
1. Wash out the barrel and drill two 7⁄8-inch holes halfway between the top and bottom. These holes are for the 3⁄4-inch galvanized pipe.
2. Drill 1⁄2-inch holes evenly spaced around the barrel.
Build a Sturdy Frame
3. Cut the 2-by-6-inch boards and assemble the frame as shown, using the hardware listed. The feet should be almost as long as the legs are high.
4. Drill 7⁄8-inch holes at the top of the legs and pass the 3⁄4-inch steel pipe through the hole in one leg, into the barrel and out through the leg on the other side. Screw on the pipe caps.
5. If the lid needs to be held in place, drill small holes around the lid to hook bungee cords.
COMPOSTING BASICS
Layer yard waste into the tumbler. Alternate green materials like grass clippings with brown ones like hay or fallen leaves. Put in some garden soil and kitchen waste such as veggie scraps, fruit peels, cereal, bread, crushed egg shells, tea bags, and coffee grounds and filters. Never use meat, poultry, fish, dairy or pet waste. That stuff can attract unwanted critters.
Bacteria breaks down the materials in your tumbler and turns it into rich organic compost. The decomposing material will become hot as the bacteria does its work. The material in your tumbler should be about as moist as a damp sponge. Spin your tumbler one or two times a week to mix the contents and keep it aerated.
HOW TO FIND A BARREL
Food barrels are used for things like juice or pickles. Try checking with large restaurants or food distributors. Also, there are companies that sell used food barrels.
what is the little half moon looking cut out near the lid of the tumbler?
It Appears to be molded handels in the barrel
It’s Easy TO Make. I love it.:)
would a regular trash can with a lid (w/locking handles) work for this project?
i cant find a drainpipe or barrel. help!
Look in the woods!
Getting barrels from car wash
For a great place to find a cheap barrel, find a car wash owner. They usually get their soap in large barrels. I purchased several from my local car wash owner.
Can the tumbler be made from a metal drum or is the plastic necessary? I have a metal drum so I was going to use that one, but not sure if it will get too hot?
This is very cool and I cannot wait to get started.
Thanks!
This is also great for earthworms
looks simple and effective
is it really? Could this work for the 90 day compost bin for the gardening merit badge?
nice project, easy to make gonna do it over the weekend
how do you fill/empty it?
You tip it forward to load it and tip it as far down as you can to dump into a wheel barrow, etc. As to the smell, good compost should never smell check what you are putting into the compost. perhaps too much water??
You should avoid meat and dairy products this is a large source of compost odor.
In step four drill 7/8″ holes is incorrect. The nominal size of 3/4″ galvanized pipe is 3/4″. The outside diameter is1.05″ as found on any pipe size conversion table. I built this compost tumbler and had to go back to the hardware store for another hole saw, size 1 1/8 “. I also added a drain valve at the bottom edge to drain valuable compost tea.
The drain valve is a must. The compost tea that you produce will be just as beneficial as the compost itself. Use it as a foliar spray to improve sun and nutrient absorbtion in the leaves as well as an organic pest deterrent. Also, with the use of the 3/4 galv. conduit you may want to use some sort of bushing or grommet to avoid damaging or splitting the plastic drum.
My mom has been wanting a compost tumbler for a while and we havent had the money to buy a brand new, so im hoping thid will work
Kewl…
Believe it or not these arre easy to make I could probably make this without instructions
Works really well
Kinda smelly once the compost starts breaking down.
I used a large trash can instead of the food barrel and reinforced the side braces with more wood.
Great weekend project, it took me about 3 hrs.
it looks like a cannon!
well simple project i think i will try it
I am moving to a new place, and I really wanted to start my own compost, but I didn’t want to buy a $200+ compost tumbler. I quick Google search, and my third hit was for Boys’ Life. Being a Scout myself, I had to click it. Needless to say, I am WICKED excited to build this. It’s been far too long since I’ve built anything with my hands (I’m a bit embarrassed to say that the last time might have been my Eagle Project in ’04). Thanks a bunch for these instructions Boys’ Life!
And to all those Scouts climbing the Path to Eagle, keep it up! It will be something that you treasure your whole life, something no one can take away.
cool, i like it
Wow–very simple design. I bought a barrel and have been stumped on how to build a cheap but strong frame with stuff I have already. This is a good design–easy, strong, looks good, and I have all the stuff! Thanks Boys Life!
anyone else have some more tips? So you spin it, and the compost comes out of the holes? love to build it
Lazy, you can introduce worms to it yourself, though.
Stevey, you can throw some things onto your garden, but only those things which break down very quickly on their own and will not attract vermin. For instance, coffee grounds can be sprinkled around acid-loving plants like roses and the plants love it. The main reason for composting first is, the bacteria break everything down into a better form for the garden. The compost warms up in the pile or container, and that sets off a chain reaction resulting in the materials being broken into finer parts more easily introduced to the soil.
Nice drawings David, but where are the pictures of a real one. Didn’t you build one!!!!
Manure from horses, cattle or chickens will work great. Seriously. You need to use three times as much brown leaves since it’s so concentrated…
Don’t use dog or cat poo though, they can have human diseases.
Good Stuff! Clean neat and tidy, but coffee grounds and broken egg shells come right out the half inch vent holes making a big mess, cut the hole size down, and put more of them to get rid of moisture!
This is a great idea! But its one disadvantage is that the barrel is not resting on the ground, so you don’t get all those worms coming in and holding a party!
Sounds really cool,but can you use horse manure with it?
it was cool
Hi this is very cool!But if you don’t have a barrel
you can us a Garbage Can
Cool i plan to do it for my mom.
LOVE IT
this is a really cool project and i hope 2 see more like this one. I hope u guys keep thinking of ways to help the Earth!!!!
this looks like a really good project for my den to try! thanks so much.
cool
man this is really cool
I used on a bean plant and it sprouted in four hours
I’l try try it!!!
2 thumbs up………..
thanks for this i am going to use this for part of my eagle project
it is very green
I’m going to have my Bear and Wolf Den do this. Thanks for getting this posted!
that sounds cool
i need to try dat!
I think it’s to complex.
awesome
it was so cool it was sweet i would like to make one
cool
cool
why not just throw the waste from the kitchen in your garden
It is realy Cool!!!
I think it is really cool that you could help your garden and be green at the same time if you make the compost tumbler.
why not just use worms
I like it.
hi it is cool
mabey me and my brother could build one
wow, i need to build one right now.
I think I’ll try it.
;D
my mom whants to try it so that way she could put with her plants.
neat-O
it is awsome
Awsome!!!!!!!!!
cool
That’s pretty cool!