- 1). Stand the barrel on level ground and measure its width across the widest point. Also measure the length from the lid to the base.
- 2). Lay bricks or landscape blocks in a rectangle outline over a well-draining, slightly shaded part of your backyard. Keep the two long sides and two short sides of the rectangular outline 1 inch longer than the length and width of the barrel so it fits but does not have space to roll about. The brick bed holds the barrel in place.
- 3). Drill rows of 1/2-inch holes throughout the barrel, spaced 8 inches apart. The drainage holes provide an outlet for excess water, and an inlet for tiny insects that assist in the process of decomposition.
- 4). Collect "green" waste such as vegetable peels, bread, food scraps, grass clippings, softwood plants and leaves from around your yard or kitchen and add to one bucket, along with "brown" waste such as dried leaves, newspaper, coffee filters, hay, wood chips, twigs and pieces of cardboard in another.
- 5). Add shovelfuls of waste into the barrel, alternating between 2-inch layers of green material and brown. Break or chop larger pieces into 2-inch bits before adding to the barrel so they decompose quicker. Continue adding the waste until 5 to 7 inches below the rim of the barrel.
- 6). Moisten the waste with a light spray from a garden hose. Do not soak the contents with water, but add enough so each handful drains out a few droplets of water when squeezed.
- 7). Push the lid of the barrel back in place securely. Extend a bungee cord from the base to the lid to prevent the lid from coming loose while being tumbled across the yard.
- 8). Tilt the barrel and lay it on a side. Push it with your hands to tumble it toward its rectangular brick bed. Remove a row of bricks from the bed so it rolls inside. Put the bricks back in place to hold it.
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