Compost Containers

Use a Compost Tea Recipe to Develop Organic Fertilizer and Increase Plant Nutrients

Use compost containers or compost barrels to produce organic soil and fertilizer (use a compost tea recipe). Different types of composters include: composting barrels, bins and composting tumblers. Select the best composter for your gardening needs.

If you’re thinking about starting to compost, there are several things you have to consider first. Perhaps the most important consideration is choosing compost containers or composting barrels for both inside and outside the house.

Inside the house, some of the most popular compost containers are made of ceramic or stainless steel. These are good choices because they’re not porous, won’t stain easily, won’t rust, and won’t react badly with whatever scraps you put in them.

Outdoors is another matter altogether. When looking at potential composting containers remember that your compost needs moisture throughout to decompose properly.

Commercial compost barrels are normally designed in wood or plastic, with plastic being a good choice for smaller gardens. Both types of containers have slots to allow air into the pile and some type of cover to keep smells inside.

The cover also keeps the compost from getting too wet, which would slow down decomposition, turning everything to soup.

Some people opt to build a compost bin, which isn’t difficult.

If you start with some pallets to which four posts and chicken wire get attached you'll have a fast, easy, and cheap bin.

In areas where a normal compost bin isn’t acceptable, compost tumblers are making an appearance.

The tumbler tosses or flips the compost regularly, helping it to stay moist and decompose more quickly. They also have built in odor control and resist pest infestations!

Most people don't want a composting barrel or bin too close to the house because initially the process can get smelly. With this in mind, it's a good idea to keep it a distance from neighbors too.

Your town or city may have specific ordinances about composting and container placement, so check with your building department before you invest any time or money in the project.

Additionally, make sure that compost barrels are located in an area that receives sunlight (heat helps to speed up de-composition). And that you place the composting barrel on loose soil or grass (not rocks or cement); you want air flow from the top to the bottom, good drainage, and the ability for worms to move from the soil into the compost materials.

Once you have your outdoor compost container or barrel prepared, you can start layering your materials. For example, if you put in a bunch of dry yard waste, then the next layer of material should be something damp, like kitchen scraps (damp coffee grounds is one good option). Follow again with dry items back and forth until full (minimally 3' high).

As long as the compost container receives 6 hours of sunlight daily, you should see results in about 6 months (although that time is shortened considerably in a tumbling composter.

Some people who compost don’t only use the resulting product in the soil, they also make it into a watering tea to gently nourish plants and soil. The compost tea recipe can help with disease and fungicide control, provide nutrients, and manage pests.

There are a number of different recipes: this is one of them.

• The tea begins with about 3 cups of compost to 2 tbs. fish emulsion, 2 tbs. lemon juice and 2 tbs. molasses wrapped in a porous bag. Place this in about 6 cups of water. Let the mixture 'simmer' for about 10 days. Dilute the mix more until it’s a light brown color, then put it into a watering pot and have at it!

By the way, the extra ingredients are intended to add more nutrient value to the compost tea. You can certainly make it with only compost and water instead. Note that you don’t throw out the remaining compost from the tea either. That’s still perfectly good to turn into your soil.

The benefits of using a compost tea derive from the speed at which plants can absorb the nutrients. When you put the compost in your soil, it takes time for processing. Water, on the other hand, can go right up the root system.

Additional Reading

• Compost Fertilizer

• Compost Bin Designs

• Fertilizer Types

• Red Worm Composing

• What do Worms Eat?

• Worm Composters

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