I am wondering if this particular method of composting has any adverse side-effects

Hello all, about a month ago, I filled a 5-gallon bucket about 1/3-full with rich, deep brown soil straight from the earth. I have been adding lots of organic matter to this bucket and have incorporated a lot of the plant matter in with the soil fairly well. I keep the bucket pretty far from the spot where I dwell and I don't keep a lid on the bucket, I don't mind the swarms of flies or the smell of the contents of the bin because, well, my guess is that all of that comes with that particular method of composting. I did drill a couple of holes into the bottom of the bucket so that stagnant water won't build up and I haven't had any noticeable problems with drainage, although the mixture stays very moist. I am wondering if anyone can foresee any potential problems. namaste

Sounds like the only thing missing are some worms. Unless they have wriggled up through the holes in the bottom. Have you checked?

I'll bet the spot where the bucket was sitting will be extremely fertile when you go to plant it.

I can only think this method has positive effects. The "juice" is really good for the soil. I did an experiment last year. I had a sloped area that was pretty bare from the horses. So, I cut the bottoms off of several 5 gallon buckets and buried them half-way. I ran them across the top of slope, and I used them as composters for the winter. What was interesting to me was that the "juice" ran down the hill and created a pretty nice oasis in strips. Powerful stuff!

Minka Bug wrote:I am wondering if anyone can foresee any potential problems. namaste

The only thing is that 5 gallons is too small for a "hot" compost so I wouldn't put in anything that needs to compost to be safe for plants (like poop or meat).

I don't see a problem per se, what is the desired outcome... it seems this is just a small scale compost 'bin' and you might be better off with a larger one???

Depending on your location the only drawback I can see is the possibility of drying out the bucket on hot sunny days if they go on for too long.