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the inside already has a pmtec five coating. Drill several rows of 1/2 inch holes over the length of the barrel to allow for air circulation and drainage of exc ess moisture. Place the barrel upright on blocks to allov`~ bottom air circulation, and fill it • 3/4 full with organic waste material and about one quarter cup of a high nitrogen-containing fertilizer. If needed, apply water until moist. Every fe~+ days, turn the drum on its side and roll it around the yard to mix and aerate the compost. The lid can be removed after turning to allu~+ for air penetra- tion. Ideally, the compost should be ready in t~+•o to four months. The barrel com osier is an excellent choice for the U1.y dweller with a relatively tima yar For larger quantities of organic waste, bin-type structures are t e most prachca . s an examp e, a circu ar in can be made by using a length of small-spaced woven wire fencing and holding it together with chain snaps fFigure 21. The bin should be about three to five feet in diameter and at least four feet high. A stake may even ,n t e mi e o e in be- fore adding material to help maintain the shape of the piie and to facilitate adding water. With this design, it is easiest to turn thecomposting material by simply unsnappingthe wire, moving the wire cyl finder a fe++-feet, and turning the compost back into it. Avery efficient and durable structure for fast composting is a tF~e-c am ere in (,guru . ). t o s a consic era ale amount of compost, and allrn~•s good air circulation. The three-chambered bin +aorks on an assemhl~ line idea, having three batchesofcompost in+,,ryingstagesoidecom{~usition. The compost material is start,•d in the first pin and allo~+ed to heat up for three to five days. Next, it is turned into the middle bin for another four to seven days, ~chite a ne~+ batch of ma- . terial is started in the (first pin. f finally, the material in ihemid- dlebin isturned into the last pin as finished or nearly finished compost. To make this structure, it is he>t to use rot rest>tant ~+ood such as redwood, wood treated ~, ith a pre>er~atneuc ~ a> "cop- per green," or a combination of wood and metal pests. Un- 4 Figure 2 5' less the ~+~xxl i~ treated or rot resistant, it will decompose ~+~ithin a fc~~+~ yc~.,rs. Each bin should be about five feet by three feet, and ah~ rut three to five feet iQ sing remova e slats in the Inrnt utters complete access to the contents for turning. There are mangy other structures for composting, and no one structure is hest. Inrent your o~+•n, or for a more thorough de- scription of difirrcv~t structures, refer to ).t. Rodale's Com- pk•tc• Buul. nt (unrlx~sUng (31. If you don't want to build a __ structure, then• ire several commercial composting units a+ailahle thn,ut;h local garden stores or mail-order cata- logues. r`lcrst ui these are similar to the barrel composter de- sc rilx•d pr~•+ iuu~l~ ,uxl are for the city d++eller+vho desires an ease methcxl to make small amounts of compost quickly. r /~ ~>~ ~ v~ a• ,~ ,, ,~ ,, ,, s ~_~r4 - 5' diameter