Build a Tumbling Composter with Catie

I had planned to write about something else today but then Catie came home from school yesterday and told me about how they had learned about garbage and recycling and composting in honor of Earth Day.  When the subject of composting came up in class, Catie showed some obvious enthusiasm. Excited about a project we did last week, Catie told her teacher about our experience building our own composter. Evidently this was very interesting to Catie's teacher so my charming daughter explained further, "Well, don't worry, I think she's putting it on her blog. She puts everything on her blog."

Well I had not exactly decided yet whether this particular adventure would come to your attention, on this blog, mostly because I really don't yet know what I'm doing.  I am, at best, a novice gardener and certainly a beginner composter. 

But even as a beginner, I am very enthusiastic. I desperately wanted to venture into the world of free, made from waste, compost, and make it work in my small urban garden. From my research it seemed that container composting was my best bet and a Tumbling Container Composter would turn our refuse into compost far faster than the stationary sort. With that much decided, I began to look into purchasing a tumbling composter. I refused though, to buy the expensive $200 models that I have seen advertised and wanted to build one that would work, employing the same concept, but cost far less.

So because it's Earth Day and Catie really thinks this post needs to be delivered, today, I thought I would do this a little bit differently. It has been proven in the past that I am not smarter than my first grader, so I thought I would let Catie do a little guest blog writing and show you folks,

How to Make a Tumbling Composter, 

by Catie

• The first thing you need to do is buy a trash can with a locking lid. We bought ours at Home Depot for like $12 or something.  It needs a locking lid so all your stuff stays inside. A black can is also the best kind because it keeps the heat inside.  Compost needs heat.
• Next you need to drill lots of holes on the top of the lid and on the bottom of the can.  The holes are for bugs and water to get in and out.
  

Always make your little brother help with this part. It is good for boys to play with power tools. They LOVE it.

• Next, fill your composter with leaves and grass clippings and fruit and vegetable scraps. Every time you eat an orange or banana bring the peel out to the composter and just throw it in there.  (AW: Check here to find out more about what can be composted and ideal proportions of "green" vs."brown" compost material).

• Add water so it will not dry out.  Every few days add more water so the mixture stays wet.

• Put your locking lid on tight and roll it around the yard.  It is a human powered tumbler.

Sometimes you tumble the composter and sometimes it tumbles your little brother. Make sure you tumble your compost every few days.  You can tumble your brother more often. If you want.

• Put the Composter somewhere very warm and wait, wait, wait for your compost to turn into soil. It will probably take a month or so.

The end.  But only the beginning of saving the Earth.

Yes, she's six and she really did write that. It's amazing what can be learned in an afternoon.

Well, I don't know about you, but I am hooked on composters. Because having a solution that provides free compost for my garden and does just a teeny tiny bit to save this beautiful Earth God has given us-- and teaching my daughter about both in the process-- definitely Works For Me.