Comments on: Make a compost tumbler

By: super

super — Sat, 19 May 2012 20:13:57 +0000

my dad and I built a composter and it works great!

By: Compost Wantabee

Compost Wantabee — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 22:06:45 +0000

How long does it take for the compost to breakdown and is there a way to separate the newly added scraps, etc from the already broken down compost that is use-able?

By: Bookwyrm

Bookwyrm — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:12:36 +0000

S/He means poop.

By: zoonoticvet

zoonoticvet — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 02:16:39 +0000

Actually all animals (goats, dogs, cats, cow, horses, etc) can potentially carry parasites that can be harmful to humans; especially if proper deworming protocols are not used.

By: Degreaser

Degreaser — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 15:01:17 +0000

The compost tumbler that boys life put on pintrest works great.I made one this
weekend i had all the material except for the pipe and the two end caps that cost me 11.89 + tax not bad. Great idea.
Thanks Degreaser

By: Ryanps777

Ryanps777 — Sat, 17 Mar 2012 22:24:47 +0000

I get my barrels from the pop botteling companies and the car washes.

By: honeybear

honeybear — Tue, 13 Mar 2012 06:14:35 +0000

If you don’t want critters in your compost, don’t compost cooked food,{such as meats, anything with butter on it, ect}, only compost raw vegetable scraps, paper, yard waste, coffee grounds, eggshells.. .. you get the picture.

By: Vida

Vida — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 21:28:52 +0000

I live in the mountains. I would really like to build a compost tumbler but I am wondering if I have to put so many aeration holes in the tumbler. I don’t want the bears, lions, variuos creatures to smell it. Any advice? Thank you.

By: steve

steve — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 03:46:06 +0000

I dont think there is anyway that a bungee cord is going to keep the lid on when its upside down cause those cords stretch

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 01:37:22 +0000

Yes, I figured this out the hard way. I drilled the size indicated, then to fix it, I used a Dremel to enlarge the hole. It’s hard to fix by getting a bigger drill bit, because it tends to flop around a lot if there’s no anchor in the middle. Definitely start with a hole bigger than 1 inch. It’s okay if it’s too big, actually. Make sure the bungees are on securely before you flip it! I had some unfinished compost dump out…yuck.

By: softstep

softstep — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 02:57:17 +0000

Thank you for creating the composter. I will make one for my composting need.
have a great life

By: lkmbiker

lkmbiker — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:46:14 +0000

Actually, it doesn’t say not to use animal waste. It specifies “pet” waste/ This is because dog and cat waste can contain pathogens harmful to humans. Composting cow, goat, sheep, horse, chicken, etc actually improves the output.

By: Catart58

Catart58 — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 21:29:56 +0000

Looks pretty simple! Gonna try it!

By: e

Sun, 02 Oct 2011 17:59:35 +0000

polish rooks

By: boyscout21

boyscout21 — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 21:35:26 +0000

cool

By: tom

tom — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 02:35:22 +0000

i just built mine today using these plans. its pretty awesome.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Sun, 17 Jul 2011 22:55:51 +0000

The tutorial states that you should turn it 1-2 times per week. I’m not sure what you mean by “chicken, horse or goat compost”, but again, it clearly stated that you should NOT PUT ANIMAL WASTE into the compost. Hope this helps and is not too late!

By: Frenchy

Frenchy — Sat, 11 Jun 2011 14:54:16 +0000

How often do you turn it? Daily? How long for chicken, horse or goat compost is ready? Any Recipes for it?

Thanks

By: sandcastle

sandcastle — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 11:24:16 +0000

do you drill holes in the top of the barrel also?

By: cm300

cm300 — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 23:01:59 +0000

cool gonna try

By: yogi

yogi — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 21:54:35 +0000

i just made 1 how many vent holes do i need if any?

By: me

me — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 20:42:52 +0000

what dos this thing do

By: Crazycomposter

Crazycomposter — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 18:06:40 +0000

Planning to make this AS SOON AS POSSIBLE!!!!! Very neat looking.

By: ProjectLady

ProjectLady — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 17:50:51 +0000

Getting barrels from car wash

By: pack13master

pack13master — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 18:56:17 +0000

It Appears to be molded handels in the barrel

By: RIRi

RIRi — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 17:44:32 +0000

is it really? Could this work for the 90 day compost bin for the gardening merit badge?

By: surfdawg

surfdawg — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:53:37 +0000

what is the little half moon looking cut out near the lid of the tumbler?

By: handy manny

handy manny — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:29:15 +0000

Look in the woods!

By: handy manny

handy manny — Mon, 03 May 2010 20:28:29 +0000

It’s Easy TO Make. I love it.:)

By: cancan

cancan — Mon, 03 May 2010 00:31:39 +0000

looks simple and effective

By: Opie Wan Kenopi

Opie Wan Kenopi — Sun, 02 May 2010 18:30:14 +0000

You should avoid meat and dairy products this is a large source of compost odor.

By: mo

mo — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 18:23:12 +0000

would a regular trash can with a lid (w/locking handles) work for this project?

By: asdfghjkl

asdfghjkl — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 22:33:49 +0000

i cant find a drainpipe or barrel. help!

By: Tee boy

Tee boy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 20:40:01 +0000

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.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:54:33 +0000

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!

By: Nancy

Nancy — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 04:15:46 +0000

This is also great for earthworms

By: KMNGC

KMNGC — Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:28:25 +0000

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.

By: sinner

sinner — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 17:10:09 +0000

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??

By: cindy

cindy — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 00:09:27 +0000

nice project, easy to make gonna do it over the weekend

By: freebird

freebird — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 06:11:44 +0000

how do you fill/empty it?

By: Johnny Boy

Johnny Boy — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 18:39:16 +0000

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.

By: Crazy

Crazy — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:29:52 +0000

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

By: TumblerMaker

TumblerMaker — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:29:36 +0000

Kewl…

By: KingScout

KingScout — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:30:47 +0000

Believe it or not these arre easy to make I could probably make this without instructions

By: Greenkid

Greenkid — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 16:23:46 +0000

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.

By: Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne — Wed, 27 May 2009 00:32:29 +0000

it looks like a cannon!

By: b man

b man — Sun, 24 May 2009 01:29:43 +0000

well simple project i think i will try it

By: Amherst Eagle Adam

Amherst Eagle Adam — Fri, 15 May 2009 18:42:28 +0000

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.

By: joe king

joe king — Tue, 05 May 2009 21:09:28 +0000

cool, i like it

By: Hampton Eagle

Hampton Eagle — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 13:30:56 +0000

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!

By: BBQ

BBQ — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 04:43:25 +0000

anyone else have some more tips? So you spin it, and the compost comes out of the holes? love to build it

By: GW

GW — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 19:55:48 +0000

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.

By: BeeFarmer

BeeFarmer — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 21:51:43 +0000

Nice drawings David, but where are the pictures of a real one. Didn’t you build one!!!!

By: HprseHpckey

HprseHpckey — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 20:28:42 +0000

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.

By: Uncle B

Uncle B — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:24:33 +0000

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!

By: Lazy gardener

Lazy gardener — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 11:30:34 +0000

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!

By: Countryboy96

Countryboy96 — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:46:55 +0000

Sounds really cool,but can you use horse manure with it?

By: ladies man

ladies man — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 19:38:02 +0000

it was cool

By: jm

jm — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 00:42:42 +0000

Hi this is very cool!But if you don’t have a barrel
you can us a Garbage Can

By: Daniel

Daniel — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 00:49:54 +0000

Cool i plan to do it for my mom.

By: JoJo

JoJo — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 22:03:55 +0000

LOVE IT

By: environman

environman — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 01:40:27 +0000

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!!!!

By: joesy104

joesy104 — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 23:25:48 +0000

this looks like a really good project for my den to try! thanks so much.

By: wockwock

wockwock — Fri, 30 Jan 2009 12:42:16 +0000

cool

By: hello1

hello1 — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 21:15:22 +0000

man this is really cool

By: kk2430

kk2430 — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 23:53:24 +0000

I used on a bean plant and it sprouted in four hours

By: Zac

Zac — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 22:17:28 +0000

I’l try try it!!!

By: garden bug

garden bug — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:18:46 +0000

2 thumbs up………..

By: desperatelifescout

desperatelifescout — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 02:02:21 +0000

thanks for this i am going to use this for part of my eagle project

By: nnnboy

nnnboy — Sat, 10 Jan 2009 21:15:14 +0000

it is very green

By: gardenworm

gardenworm — Thu, 08 Jan 2009 23:22:30 +0000

I’m going to have my Bear and Wolf Den do this. Thanks for getting this posted!

By: pie

pie — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 21:59:22 +0000

that sounds cool

By: hot dog

hot dog — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 01:35:26 +0000

i need to try dat!

By: stinky pizzasniffer

stinky pizzasniffer — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 17:18:57 +0000

I think it’s to complex.

By: loopy

loopy — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 04:36:35 +0000

awesome

By: GarBear

GarBear — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 21:26:15 +0000

it was so cool it was sweet i would like to make one

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:15:08 +0000

cool

By: zell zell

zell zell — Sat, 27 Dec 2008 02:51:47 +0000

cool

By: stevey

stevey — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 12:59:26 +0000

why not just throw the waste from the kitchen in your garden

By: Nitsew

Nitsew — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 21:51:38 +0000

It is realy Cool!!!

By: bj

bj — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:47:58 +0000

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.

By: mariodolito

mariodolito — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 02:03:09 +0000

why not just use worms

By: K the Hutt

K the Hutt — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 06:55:53 +0000

I like it.

By: ggjjj5768

ggjjj5768 — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:53:31 +0000

hi it is cool

By: bugman

bugman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:37:33 +0000

mabey me and my brother could build one

By: bugman

bugman — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 00:36:21 +0000

wow, i need to build one right now.

By: Hotrod

Hotrod — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 19:55:00 +0000

I think I’ll try it. ;D

By: seventom

seventom — Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:32:04 +0000

my mom whants to try it so that way she could put with her plants.

By: pmdkid

pmdkid — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 13:39:10 +0000

neat-O

By: hdgfjshgfs

hdgfjshgfs — Sun, 14 Dec 2008 01:28:53 +0000

it is awsome

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 04:37:14 +0000

Awsome!!!!!!!!!

By: dllweed

dllweed — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 22:23:45 +0000

cool

By: Meerkat

Meerkat — Wed, 10 Dec 2008 16:33:15 +0000

That’s pretty cool!