How to Make a Compost Bin

How to Make a Compost Bin should not be a stressful thing to do.

Making and maintaining a compost bin is more like a hobby that can serve a positive purpose.

How to Make a Compost Bin

This is a basic guide for getting started on composting.
It is not intended to stress you out.

Did you see my Spring Garden Chores and Checklist?

That checklist can be helpful for you if you are wanting to get started working outside.
It is something that I refer to every spring when I am thinking about getting started in my garden.

Last year I purchased a simple bin that I am absolutely thrilled with. There was nothing to put together and it is so easy to use!

This is for anyone asking can I make my own compost bin.

The quick answer is yes and you may be surprised at how easy it is to do.
I made my first compost bin using a plastic container.

Starting small on composting is a great idea.
This is how you can learn how to maintain a compost bin and how to use it.
If composting works out for you, you can move up to the next level and make a larger bin or purchase one like I did.

People ask what is composting.

The quick answer is that composting is using organic materials that you have on hand to make your soil even better.
It is like using kitchen scraps to make fertilizer for your tomato plants.

The longer answer for composting is a bit more involved.

Adding food scrapes and yard waste to dirt to decompose it into organic fertilizer.
Not all food scrapes or yard waste is suitable and it takes a bit of time to get a result.

Why should you compost?

Well, if you want to grow a successful vegetable garden with tasty vegetables, compost can help you do this. When added to the soil the compost will help feed your plants.

Here is how composting works.

1. I like that composting means that I do not need to add chemicals fertilizers.
2. Compost helps to fight off diseases in the garden while breaking down organic material.
3. And. composting is a great way to recycle kitchen scrapes.

Here is what a compost bin needs.

Whether you make a homemade compost bin or purchase one, the success of the compost bin lies in what goes into it. When these elements work together and break down, we get the perfect compost as a result.

A successful compost requires three basic elements.

• Greens- these are the vegetable and kitchen scrapes as well as the grass clippings. This is where the nitrogen comes from.
• Browns- raked up dried leaves as well as branches or twigs from trees. This is where the carbon comes from.
• Water. This adds the moisture needed to break down the other ingredients.

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What should you compost?

• Leaves.
• Twigs.
• Lawn clippings.
• Vegetable scraps.
• Fruit scraps.
• Coffee grounds.
• Egg shells
• Nut shells.
• Shredded newspaper.
• Saw dust.

What not to compost.

• Meat scrapes.
• Fireplace ashes.
• Dairy.
• Pet waste.
• Fats, grease, lard, or oils.
• Colored paper.
• Fish bones and scraps.
• Yard trimmings treated with chemical pesticides.
• Diseased plants.
• Black walnut tree leaves or twigs,

Materials Needed To Build A Simple Compost Bin

• Enough 4 or 5' high wire to enclose the size bin you wish to make.
  Examples: chicken wire, old fencing, any type of wire as long as it has holes to allow air circulation, but not so large that the holes allow the compost materials to fall out.
• 5 wooden stakes or poles long enough to drive into the ground and still reach the top of the wire. You have the choice of making this bin round or square.
• Plastic ties or similar items to secure the wood stakes to the wire.
• Also, work gloves, wire cutters, pliers, and a hammer

How to construct A Simple Compost Bin:

You can purchase a bin or make a simple one yourself.

Find a location for your compost bin.
Find a location in your yard that is relatively flat.
It should also be a spot that is dry with some shade.

Step Two: build a simple compost bin.

Start by placing the wire in a square, standing up, so that the ends meet. Then place a stake directly across from the point where the two ends meet and use a hammer or mallet to drive it into the ground close to the wire. Attach the stake to the wire fencing using a twist tie.

Repeat this process in the four corners of the square to form a 'bin made out of wire'.
In the spot where the two ends meet, do not drive a stake into the bottom, This spot will serve as an entry point when you need to get in and out of the bin for removing compost etc. Instead you can use s shoelace or ties to tie the two ends together.

Step Three: fill the compost bin.
Composting is all about layering, mixing and watering what goes into the bin.
The first layer added should be organic material, the brown and the green. This is a 6-8 inch layer ideally.
The second layer, which many people do not use, can be starter material (manure..) or a commercial starter.
Then the top layer is a one to two inch layer of of soil (fresh not treated).

I add to my pile, stir, and then add water to moisten every one to two weeks.

Make a simple Compost Bin, Simple to follow instructions for making and maintaining a compost bin for anyone to follow.

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