Compost Bins

A compost pile turns yard and kitchen waste into nutrient-rich organic soil. Ideally, of course, as it will become a permanent feature of your garden, the bin will look good, too.

Starting and maintaining the compost

In urban areas, check with local authorities regarding whether composting at home is permitted.

An effective compost bin or pile keeps waste material out of the way, is self-contained enougn to generates heat to speed up the composting processes, and offers easy access from the top and bottom. The compost pile needs three things to support the earthworms, bacteria, etc that works inside it and breaks down the waste material: moisture, oxygen, and nitrogen.

Choose a convenient spot for the bin: an out-of-the-way place in the backyard, a space in the vegetable plot, or any other place that works for you. Both commercial and homemade compost bins and simple compost piles will work. Collect organic waste, such as grass clippings, dead flowerheads, and food waste into a pile. Food should be buried as far into the the pile as possible and well covered to avoid attracting dogs, raccoons, and other curious animals. Placing sticks between the layers will help air ciculation, which helps the materikal decompose faster.

To break down effectively, the compost must stay damp and well aerated. The whole pile should be turned weekly or so with a spade or shovel. Any sticks you added to help air circulated can simply be removed and replaced after the pile has been shifted around. If the middle of the pile becomes dry, add enough water to dampen it again. Through the process of breaking down the waste materials your compost pile will actually heat up to a temperature somewhere around one hundred and twenty degrees, and then will cool back down.

To have compost ready for spring, start the pile in autumn of the year before. Throughout the winter, the material will continue to break down and won't be damaged by the cold.

Compost is ready for use when it's color is dark all the way through, the texture crumbly, and it smells like clean soil.

Building a compost bin

A simple, attractive compost container can be made from scrap building material. However, avoid railroad ties, which will leach toxic chemicals into the compost, and treated wood which often contains arsenic. Old floor boards or other thin boards can be used for the front, back and sides of your bin. Create air holes by cutting away half an inch on the joining edges to make a vent on the two bottom boards on each side. Make the back posts from a 2 by 2 inch block of softwood to the same height as the panels. Cut four front guide posts to the same length from 2x 1 inch softwood. Screw the boards onto the back post and then to one of the front main posts so that their ends are even with the outside faces of the post. Screw a second front main post parallel to the first, about one and a half inches away from the first guide post. Do the same for the opposite side. Screw the backboards to the inside of the back posts. To install the bin, measure out the chosen location and drive wooden stakes into the ground just inside where the front posts will be. Now place your unit in position and screw the bottom side boards to the stakes, then drop the front boards into place between the guide rails. A lid can be made from a butt-jointed frame to fit over the top of the unit from 2 x 1 inch softwood. Next cut a piece of thin exterior grade plywood to fit over the frame. Treat the lid with a water-proof preserver.