Mixing up your compost, with an old cement mixer.

[INresponse]

I have mentioned this before but to contribute, and work towards my 5 posts for the contest thingy, I thought I would explain this again.

I acquired an old cement mixer several years ago for free. It wasn't working but swapping in a used motor was easy and basically free to me. I use it to mix up compost for the yard and garden. It is electric but some are gas powered, and if the SHTF for real a creative person could rig up a connection to an old bicycle to pedal power the mixer. Check your local online yard sale links for free or cheap options, or post online asking for old and free and someone somewhere will have one they are not using and looking to get rid of if you pick it up.

Anyways, with a functional old cement mixer you can toss in anything you have on hand, add a little water until it is kind of a slurry, and let it spin for an hour or so to mix things up and break them down. Leaves, pine needles, livestock droppings (chickens/cows/horse), food (vegetable/fruit), clean paper or cardboard products, wood chips, small tree trimmings, garden trimmings, whatever you have on hand. After letting the slurry mix for a good amount of time you can either dump it on the ground, dump it into a wheelbarrow to move to your compost pile area, or use the wheelbarrow to move it around the yard and shovel it around any plants or trees or garden areas. Of course it will be better to allow the mush to compost in a pile for a while, or months, but if you are just getting started you can spread some of the mix now and let the rest compost in a pile for later. If you do this on a regular basis you can turn the compost pile with a shovel and let the old and the new help each other compost better and faster.

 

[LadyLocust]

I have mentioned this before but to contribute, and work towards my 5 posts for the contest thingy, I thought I would explain this again.

I acquired an old cement mixer several years ago for free. It wasn't working but swapping in a used motor was easy and basically free to me. I use it to mix up compost for the yard and garden. It is electric but some are gas powered, and if the SHTF for real a creative person could rig up a connection to an old bicycle to pedal power the mixer. Check your local online yard sale links for free or cheap options, or post online asking for old and free and someone somewhere will have one they are not using and looking to get rid of if you pick it up.

Anyways, with a functional old cement mixer you can toss in anything you have on hand, add a little water until it is kind of a slurry, and let it spin for an hour or so to mix things up and break them down. Leaves, pine needles, livestock droppings (chickens/cows/horse), food (vegetable/fruit), clean paper or cardboard products, wood chips, small tree trimmings, garden trimmings, whatever you have on hand. After letting the slurry mix for a good amount of time you can either dump it on the ground, dump it into a wheelbarrow to move to your compost pile area, or use the wheelbarrow to move it around the yard and shovel it around any plants or trees or garden areas. Of course it will be better to allow the mush to compost in a pile for a while, or months, but if you are just getting started you can spread some of the mix now and let the rest compost in a pile for later. If you do this on a regular basis you can turn the compost pile with a shovel and let the old and the new help each other compost better and faster.

If you posted it, I missed it so I’m glad you reposted it. That’s a great idea!

 

[INresponse]

Our girls pile all the chicken droppings cleaned out of the roost and a couple times a year I mix it in with the other stuff I compost. The good thing about that is over the winter the rain and snow wash out the excess nitrogen and it wont burn any plants, but it has enough nitrogen to work in the compost pile. You could also use rabbit drippings, or if you are in an area with deer or elk or other herbivores you can collect their droppings to add into the mix.
We also use pine shavings in our duck house and once a week or so that is changed out and it is very good for the compost pile because it contains their droppings as well. The same thing if you use straw or hay for bedding. Scoop it into the mixer along with the other stuff and make it all work in your favor. If you have extra sell or barter it to friends and neighbors. I plan to start selling 5 gallon buckets of the mix this year to make some extra cash, and it is far better than the manufactured stuff they sell at the store.

 

[Caribou]

Moose droppings tend to make it into my compost pile when they are picked up with the lawn trimmings. I do collect and dry moose pellets. I use the dry pellets in my bee smoker.

 

[Bacpacker]

Step-dad bought a small mixer from Northern tools. He makes a 3 part mix for potting soil to start his seedlings with.