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Break it Down: Build Your Own Compost Bins
In the spirit of decycling, we decided to compost our yard and food waste. It will hopefully cut down on the cost of soil additives and theoretically reduce our outgoing trash by 25 to 35%.
Instead of marching out and buying more stuff, we opted to make bins out of free pallets and a few fasteners. We have yet to add anything to the bins, but promise to let you know how it goes.
There are plans for compost bins all over the internet and in just about every book on gardening, so I know that I am not breaking any ground here. These are however my bins, and I am wicked psyched.
Materials:
- 3 to 7 wood pallets (3 will make one bin, 5 will make two bins, and 7 will make a three bin composter)
- Fasteners- L brackets and straight brackets
- 36 inch hardware cloth (not really a cloth at all, but a plastic or metal mesh- like fine chicken wire)
- Wood screws
- Staples
Step One: Pick a spot
Easy enough for year-round access. Far enough so the smell doesn’t bother you.
Step Two: Scavenge pallets
Friends with trucks are helpful here. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to give pallets away. They also make good bonfire wood.
Step Three: Level the ground
Don’t go crazy. Make sure there are no weeds.
Step Four: Wear a tool belt
Step Five: Drink a beer
Step Six: Put it together
Stand one on end (nice side facing out) and butt another one up against it.
Make sure it’s level and fasten.
Repeat.
Step Seven: Protect it/ Hide it
We live in a community with an association so structures have to match the house and since we had red deck stain in the garage already, we went with that. Hope no one complains. I don’t think this step is really necessary, but I like that it matches the deck and the stone of the raised bed.
Step Eight: Avoid Zombie Attacks
Step Nine: Staple in the hardware cloth
This will keep all your materials in the bin and let air get to all sides of it.
Step Ten: Fill it
Like I said before, we have yet to do that. I need to read more. We’ll get back to you on that.
Have another beer.
[...] Break it Down: Build Your Own Compost Bins [...]
Have you added anything to these yet? How are they working out? I like the idea.
We went away on a little vacation recently but before we left I added some stuff and now it is in full swing. I started with garden clippings (sucker branches from tomatoes and whatnot) meanwhile we were collecting kitchen scraps in a plastic bin- when I poured it on the pile on a mild day you could see steam. Since then I have added grass clippings, more kitchen stuff- have been keeping it moist and had to add left over peat moss (from carrot planting) as carbon. I have read that you need a 3:1 carbon to nitrogen ratio for optimal compost, but I don’t have much carbon around right now. Some people save bags of leaves to use throughout the summer, but I now am making do with peat moss (trying to avoid newspaper and cardboard).
I will update the progress soon.
You should try using people.