cement mixer mixing mels mix

I usually make a box at a time and mix up with a shovel. Today I was looking to fill five boxes-totalling 102 sf. I decided it was time to call out the cavalry-AKA cement mixer and tractor.

Here's my materials ready to go



My own compost is made of cow manure, horse manure, mushroom compost, leaves, and grass clippings. I haven't a clue what the ratios are. I decided to add purchased chicken manure too. Here's 4 buckets my compost and 1 bucket chicken manure.




Here's my measuring cups. Each mixer load held 3 buckets-perfect.



In one side and out the other. It wasn't dusty at all; I did add water to the mixer to saturate the soil. From the barrow and into the tractor bucket and into the boxes.



Making a mess.



Had some leftovers but not a problem. The peat goes into the flower beds, the mel's mix goes into the last box that isn't made yet, the compost goes into the raised corn bed, and the sacks of chicken manure will be around for the next batch.




About 2 1/2 hours without breaking a sweat. I recommend a mixer for large mixes.

Mathematically, a 4x4 box takes 8 cf. In real life, this is what 10cf looks like dry.
So, 3 1/3 loads. A 5 gal bucket is near enough to a cubic foot to call it one cf.



What really surprised me was the amount of water the mix soaked up. I should have measured it this time.

Search for a recent thread, with pictures, on using a mud mixer in a drill. Small batches, I use a flat shovel on smooth concrete to turn and mix.

[quote="rds1955"]

boffer wrote:
a Breed known as a Siberian Soil Sniffer !

Siberian Soil Sniffer AKA one who chews the corner off the plastic bag to eat chicken manure!

Hey CP,

Tomorrow, would you edit your post for us? I tried looking at it backwards in the mirror, and I still don't know what you mean!