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Water butts as dalek composters?

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  • #1

    Water butts as dalek composters?

    Sorry, I wasn't sure where else to put this.

    I want to be able to compost the tons of kitchen waste my house produces, preferably without creating a haven for rodents. I know I can't guarantee keeping them away, but I was thinking about using one of my spare water butts as a dalek composter. I'd leave the bottom on, maybe open the tap for what little ventilation that would offer, and stick the lid on, or maybe just leave the tap closed but be sure to get the lid off to ventilate it everyday.

    Am I crazy?
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  • #2
    You'd need to drill some holes in the bottom for the liquid formed to run away, or the bin will smell disgusting.

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    • #3
      Have a go at knocking one of these up Dilettante:

      Water Barrel Comost Tumbler
      sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
      --------------------------------------------------------------------
      Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
      -------------------------------------------------------------------
      Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
      -----------------------------------------------------------
      KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

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      • #4
        With holes in the bottom it would work but you will have one hell of a job emptying it. You would be better to make a square one with a front that is removable. If rats want to get in they will even chew through the plastic. I have made square composters with four corner posts three batons on the top to hold the posts apart and chicken wire lined with an old tarpaulin. make a square front in the same manner and tie the whole lot together with rope. They work well and I don't seem to get rats in them and we live in the country. The rats seem to prefer the turf stack!
        Gardening requires a lot of water - most of it in the form of perspiration. Lou Erickson, critic and poet

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        • #5
          Originally posted by Bigmallly View Post
          Have a go at knocking one of these up Dilettante:

          Water Barrel Comost Tumbler
          I have one of these ( drum horizontal) must say they work well.

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          • #6
            I made one a few years back & was pleased with it. I had to leave it behind when I moved.
            sigpic“Gorillas are very intelligent, but they don't have to be as delicate as chimps -- they can just smash open the termite nest,”
            --------------------------------------------------------------------
            Official Member Of The Nutters Club - Rwanda Branch.
            -------------------------------------------------------------------
            Sent from my ZX Spectrum with no predictive text..........
            -----------------------------------------------------------
            KOYS - King Of Yellow Stickers..............

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            • #7
              Originally posted by roitelet View Post
              If rats want to get in they will even chew through the plastic.
              When I first started keeping chickens I kept the feed in a plastic bin with a lid. The rats nibbled the top of the lid right in the middle where there is a weaker spot! On my worm bin, over time they have chewed away at the tap to get at the liquid. I've always had a problem with rats, we back onto a farm, where the hay and feed is kept and now we keep chickens it's worse. It's a case of keeping the numbers down rather than getting rid of them.

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