What to do with a leaky rain barrel?
When I bought my house last year I discovered two rain barrels in my back yard, one fully functional, the other with a massive split in the bottom. During the growing season last year I found the non-leaky rain barrel quite useful as we had a watering ban for most of the summer. I created a 22′ x 25′ vegetable garden last year and I was constantly watering my plants with the collected rain water. As Bentley mentioned in a post last month, we went to the rain barrel give-a-way in Waterloo and each purchased a new barrel. So now I have two functioning barrels and one with a cracked bottom.
For the last year I was trying to come up with a plan to use or get rid of my broken rain barrel. I thought of trying to patch the crack, convert the barrel into garden planter or even make it a garbage can. During a recent visit to my house, Bentley mentioned that I should convert the barrel into a composter. What a fantastic idea! Why didn’t I think of that? Thanks Bentley!
This afternoon I put a plan into action and converted the barrel into my new composter. I had created a wooden composter out of scrap lumber last year, but I haven’t been 100% happy with it. My new rain barrel composter conversion (that’s a mouth full) is a better solution.
Cutting the Top
The first thing I did was cut the plastic framework on the top part of the barrel. I cut the top to allow me to freely add compost materials and be able to turn the compost over with a shovel.
Cutting the Bottom
The second step was to cut the bottom of barrel to allow all of the compost to reach the ground. I want the compost to pool in a hole that I dug rather than stay at the bottom of the plastic barrel.
Digging a hole
The next thing I did was dig a hole for the composter to sit in. I decided to dig down 16 inches deep. I may decide to dig down a bit deeper tomorrow. I will chat with Bentley to see what he suggests.
Adding Stuff to the Composter
After prepping the composter I headed inside to find some goodies to add to the composter. I found some carrots and a cucumber that were ready for composter heaven. I also found some cardboard in my recycling box that was wet from last nights rainfall. I now have a decent base to get things rolling in my composter. All I need now is a handful of worms. I am sure Bentley will be able to help me get started.
It feels good to convert/reuse the rain barrel into something that I will use everyday. All it took was a shovel, a cordless saw and 30 minutes of my time.
Technorati Tags: rain barrel conversion, worm composting, composting, compost bin, reusing materials, worm compost, worm castings, vermicomposting
Written by steve on May 18th, 2007 with
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