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Step 4Exhibit 4 - Final Project
Finally after you have your hole filled you will want to line the bottom with some course rocks to all for drainage. I used lava rock only because we had a lot laying around.
I used about a 3" layer of rock, then I placed the composter in the hole and put another 6" or so of rock around the outside of the composter. Soil was added to bring the grade level up. I wanted the composter to be slightly lower than the soil line for two reasons. 1) To ensure I could mow over the top of the composter with damaging it or my mower, and 2) to encourage water to enter the composter. In a normal septic tank you have a lot of water, coming and going. Because all we are adding is dry matter, water needs to be encouraged to flow into the composter.
I have a small dog, so I made a small composter. If you have a larger dog, you will want to use a larger container.
People often ask me what I am going to do when it fills. Well I can just leave it and the matter will eventually leech out, or I better yet I can empty it. Im thinking a shop vac would suck it out nicely. Then I can empty the vac on my flower beds. What is left after the waste breaks down is humus, not dog waste (get over that right now). I don't think I would use it on veggies or fruits, but it will work great as humus for my flower beds. I need to start another composter project, so that when this one fills I have another I can work on filling while the first finishes breaking down. Remember that in the winter, all composter will become very slow, if not stop.
I used about a 3" layer of rock, then I placed the composter in the hole and put another 6" or so of rock around the outside of the composter. Soil was added to bring the grade level up. I wanted the composter to be slightly lower than the soil line for two reasons. 1) To ensure I could mow over the top of the composter with damaging it or my mower, and 2) to encourage water to enter the composter. In a normal septic tank you have a lot of water, coming and going. Because all we are adding is dry matter, water needs to be encouraged to flow into the composter.
I have a small dog, so I made a small composter. If you have a larger dog, you will want to use a larger container.
People often ask me what I am going to do when it fills. Well I can just leave it and the matter will eventually leech out, or I better yet I can empty it. Im thinking a shop vac would suck it out nicely. Then I can empty the vac on my flower beds. What is left after the waste breaks down is humus, not dog waste (get over that right now). I don't think I would use it on veggies or fruits, but it will work great as humus for my flower beds. I need to start another composter project, so that when this one fills I have another I can work on filling while the first finishes breaking down. Remember that in the winter, all composter will become very slow, if not stop.
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