Free Compost For Life!

Hi! I'm David Fox and welcome to my world of composting. My e-mail is: foxresearch@tumblingcomposterplans.com Buy my plans and build them yourself or hire a woodworker and enjoy plenty of compost for years to come without straining your back with a shovel. See it in action at Sure, you could try and build it yourself without the plans, but why go through the aggravation of trial and error that I've gone through for over a year just to save $5? This composter is better than those Made In China plastic versions that only can hold less than 100 gallons. This baby holds almost 900 gallons and turns so easily that a 6 year old child (of reasonable height and intelligence) can certainly turn over. Not only that, but you can re-use the water (because the compost is self contained) using the inexpensive hand pump, Pump-A-Way made by Valencia Pipe Company. www.valenciapipe.com This pump is big, durable, and able to be added on to fit this application like a glove. So, how do I support the claim that even a child as young as six can flip a 900 gallon wooden container without straining a muscle? The answer was surprisingly simple; an invention that has been in use for over 60 years - the come-along. I use the Maasdam Power Pull'r. Maasdam makes them and you can visit the site at www.maasdam.com if your local hardware store doesn't sell them. I found everything I needed at The Home Depot. www.homedepot.com. Being a 40 year old man in prime physical shape, I bought the cheapest one available at around $30. but a come-along can cost as much as $180 for superior pulling power.

There are certainly money making opportunities to be had also. For only $5, you get the plans. That means that you can build as many composters as you like, and sell them or the compost. Build enough and you can sell both. And, there are no hard to find parts like a plastic rain barrel, roller skates, or oversized sewage pipes

"But, how much does it cost to build?" You might be asking yourself. That depends on the cost of lumber in your area. In my area, central Texas, The basic supplies, excluding stain or paint is was $200, $63 dollars of which was equipment that can be used with multiple composters. A nice, brown stain can cost almost $50. However, red stains are as little as $5. So the cost really depends on how nice you want it to look. The composter shown is the prototype and I put a $35 sprayable stain on it. I used Krylon; www.krylon.com

The plans are professionally drafted and precise. An experienced carpenter can build it faster, and better than someone who is not. He can also probably deliver. I built mine with a minimum of carpentry experience. But the assembly of the device does take some carpentry experience, so if you have not had much experience with power tools, especially circular saws, jig saws and drills, you could be injured while using them. You can make mistakes as well like cutting the cord on the saw you are using, or reading the plans wrong, which will cost you unnecessarily in wood. An experienced carpenter already has many of the tools listed in the parts list, and can bring his experience to the table. Shop around, and I'll bet you can find a good price for the labor. You may be able to find a good carpenter in a local media outlet like craig's list www.craigslist.com But I'll bet if you're the owner of a large farm, ranch, or estate, you probably have the know how to get it done.

NOTES ON COMPOSTING.

If you are in a place with lots of trees, you know how hard it is to get rid of the leaves and pine straw even with burning because of sometimes a local burn ban or air quality restrictions. If your location also includes a local dairy, or horse ranch, you may also know that the owners of these places sometimes find it hard to dispose of manure. You should know, that after talking with a former professional nurseryman, Mr. G. Harvey, who made his own topsoil, that if you mix 50% manure and 50% shredded leaves or pine straw, that you will have premium topsoil in approximately THREE WEEKS during the summer months. Of course, you'll achieve these results easier than he did using the jumbo tumbling composter because of the intensive watering and turning of the compost. Another person who has his own website sells compost for $170 for a pickup load and $100 if you come and get it yourself. He is none other than CAPTAIN COMPOST! Give his site a look: www.captaincompostalabama.com Of course for a more comprehensive overview that I found to be most helpful was of course Wikipedia. Yet another site I like is http://compostguide.com

Fresh cut grass, weeds, or clover decomposes fast in this composter and requires minimal watering. But be sure to turn it often. And the faster you want compost, the more you will have to water. I should disclose at this point that I got into composting because I own a home on a lot that has part of it heavily treed and the other part, where the septic system is, is grass that grows fast due to the moisture of the field lines. My point that I have been leading up to is that a yard vacuum makes collecting material for the composter so much easier. The yard vacuum that I use is a tow behind for my John Deere riding lawn mower www.deere.com/ called Cyclone Rake. Try going to www.cyclonerake.com. I chose this brand solely because it disassembles and can be stored over the winter when grass goes dormant and all the leaves have

fallen. However, I almost bought a DR tow behind. www.drpower.com It claims to not to allow so much dust into the air, and also sports a wood chipper. It is not, however, able to be disassembled, and unless you have a large barn for it to be stored indoors, you might rust out the motor and other parts on it being stored outdoors. Regardless of which one you choose, my yard vacuum is one of the most highly prized items in my garage. It has saved me several days of clean up every year for more than a dozen large oak trees and shreds the leaves small enough to compost.

Below are some photos of my tomato and cucumber garden that has lots of topsoil mixed in with it, along with a few shots of the composter itself.