Compost Bins

Creating an indoor compost bin is beneficial in several ways. The greatest contribution is to the environment by producing less garbage and recycling waste. Using food items that would typically go in the trash can be added to an indoor compost bin to produce dark, rich soil. Also, if all members of the family are involved, it will teach children that recycling is important and that throwing away food products could go to better use in an indoor compost bin. Scraps such as coffee grounds, crushed egg shells, fruit and vegetable peelings and teabags can all be added to an indoor bin. Landfills are not designed to aid in biodegration. The elements would have to be kept at a constant with air and moisture.

The soil produced in an indoor bin is a rich blend of organic nutrients. This compost can be transferred to a garden, indoor or out, and help the earth produce vibrant, organic fruits and vegetables. Creating a family garden using soil produced in the home will encourage a sense of pride in children as well as show them the cycle of plants. It would also benefit the community if neighbors and friends got in on composting.

Indoor Compost Bins

Composting is a natural process of decomposition of kitchen scraps, yard waste and even paper products. The finished product produces richer soil than is normally found in the outdoors and can add many benefits to gardening. One type of indoor composting is vermicomposting. This process uses earthworms to speed up the decomposition process, aerate the material and provide the soil with enzymes from their digestive tracts. The ideal worm to use in an indoor compost bin is the red worm. These worms are able to eat and expel their own weight every day. Red worms are also exceptional breeders. Three weeks will produce a cocoon that can hatch 2 worms. In as little as three months, these worms are sexually mature and can start breeding. Soon the population of worms in the compost bin will be very high and worms can be given to friends and family to start their own indoor bin.

One would assume the composting process would smell and that it might not be welcome inside the home. Because of the fast decomposition of the rotting foods, an odor is not likely to develop. It is important to keep the bin in a dark, dry place such as under the kitchen sink within a cabinet. Keeping a lid on the bin with air holes in the sides is ideal. Worms thrive in dark environments. Be sure not to add too much waste for the worms to keep up with and remember to separate the finished soil often. Use the organic soil in the summer garden and watch the vegetation flourish from the natural addition to the Earth.

Composting has many benefits for the at-home gardener:

-improved drainage where it is used
-better absorption of moisture
-provides many vital nutrients to plants
-ameliorates fertilizer runoff-this means you lose less fertilizer, making it more effective

Many gardeners use a compost bin because it looks nicer and keeps animals out of their compost. It can also make the composting process alot easier if you buy one that aerates and churns your compost materials. This also means that compost is created in much less time.

Building Your Own Compost Bin

Some gardeners choose to build their own bins, since it is easy and for the most part, inexpensive. It is essential to remember the following things when building your own compost bin:

-you must be able to easily access water, since compost needs it
-there must be a way for air to get into your compost
-you need to provide enough space, but not too much (3 ft. x 3 ft. x 3 ft.) is a good size

Why Compost

-you need to provide a turning mechanism or flip the pile manually

What happens inside your compost bin?

When you put organic household waste into your compost bin, millions of microorganisms begin decomposing it. Some organic materials produce nitrogen when decomposed, some produce carbon. It is important to keep this ratio in mind when deciding what to put into your compost bin. At the end of the composting process, you will have rich organic material that you can use on your plants.

Types of Compost Bins: From Simple to High Tech

If you are interested in purchasing a bin, there are many options available, some with necessary features, others with unnecessary frills. Here are some key types:

-a partially-enclosed bin-usually plastic-has no bottom-requires manual churning of compost
-insulated “tumbler”-type bin-keeps contents warm and aerated (churns the contents for you)
-rolling bin-compost stays aerated and pest-free
-worm bin- uses worms to produce rich organic material-more complicated than other types of bins

Purchasing your compost bin

Most garden centers will sell compost bins, though the selection might be limited or the prices high. It is good to shop around once you have an idea of what you want. Talk to someone at a garden center who is knowledgeable on the subject and then look online. Buying a compost bin doesn’t have to be expensive, especially if you manage to build your own. While some of the fanciest bins are a few hundred dollars, you can find one for under fifty bucks.

Every time you use your compost bin your garden will thank you!

Do you want to reduce the amount of trash you send to the landfill? Are you an avid gardener and you would like to make your own quality fertilizer? Have you been reading about being Green and want an easy way to start? Try a home composting bin and make your own compost.

Why Make Your Own Compost?

Compost consists of partially broken down organic material. Microbes break down organic matter and the result is compost. This is what your plants (in pots or in garden beds) want, to be able to thrive. Compost contains nutrients that your plants need. In addition, it can serve as an insulator, like mulch.

Making your own compost ensures that you know what goes into your garden. If you are a fan of organic gardening, you will want to control what soil amendments go into your garden. Making your own compost allows you to monitor what your plants use to grow, while reducing the waste that you put into the sewer or landfill.

Types Of Home Composting Bins

The smallest home composting bins are kitchen composters. These bins collect your kitchen scraps and often contain filters to control odors. When your kitchen bin gets full, you can take it out to the large bin in your yard, using biodegradable bags.

For outdoor use, the most basic home composting bin can be constructed of old shipping pallets. More convenient bins come with ways to assist your mixing efforts. Some are tumblers with handles that you can turn. Others rock back and forth. Still others are set up so you put new material in one end and as you rotate the bin, finished material comes out the other end.

Where to Put Your Home Composting Bins

Home Composting Bins

Because you need adequeate drainage, put your bin on bare dirt. It would be best to put your bin in a warm spot that is sheltered from the elements, but it is not a strict requirement.

Make sure you leave adequate room around your bins for a wheelbarrow. You will need this space for filling and emptying your home composting bins. Adding a large amount of organic material at once helps your compost process by heating it up faster.

How To Use Your Home Composting Bins

1. Find a good location for your bins, as described above.

2. Put organic materials into your bin. Examples include lawn clippings and leaves, veggie scraps and peelings, coffee grounds and vacuum cleaner dust. Be careful not to mash your materials down to make extra room. Air is necessary for good processing.

3. Periodically, mix up the material in your home composting bins. If your bin does not rotate, you can use a pitchfork or a shovel to do this. Mixing your material will add air that is necessary for efficient processing.

4. If you find that your mixture seems dry, add some water. Too much water will make smelly slime, but you need some moisture. Be sure to mix the bin after adding water.

5. Empty the compost from the bin when it is finished processing. It takes several months to a year to process. You will know it is finished wehn you cannot recognize anything that you put in and the material is dark.

Your own compost pile at home is a great way to start organic gardening and save on soil amendments. Purchasing a home compost bin can make the job easier by adding the convenience of indoor storage of organic matter or easing the mixing process. Go green and purchase some home composting bins today!

Composting has increased in popularity and convenience since the days of your grandma’s big heap behind the barn. Now, many people have taken on the act of composting their household waste themselves. With modern lifestyles and urban living spaces, small compost bins fit their lifestyles perfectly.

Composting has become a convenient, stress-free, hassle-free practice. These smaller bins can easily fit in tiny postage stamp patios and balconies, in mud rooms, in kitchen cabinets, and yes, even on countertops.

So what kind of composters are available? What makes them different? How do you choose one that is right for you? As one might imagine choosing the wrong composter can be the difference between an enjoyable and rewarding practice, or a frustrating daily chore with poor results.

Types of Small Compost Bins:

• Dainty ceramic counter crocks
• Contemporary chic stainless canisters
• Organic bamboo pails
• Heavy-duty plastic canisters
• Tumblers
• Bins
• Wire Mesh
• Buckets
• Recycled canisters

A composter exists for practically every household waste volume and personal need. Even the smallest crocks utilize carbon (or charcoal) filters to absorb odors, and may be glazed to avoid staining.

Mid-sized bins might feature sliding doors and removable canisters; some even incorporate appliances like automatic tumbling and status indicators. The larger garden variety composters might tumble with a crank, or roll on the ground. By contrast, the smaller bins would rely on daily mixing, aerating and of course, occasional emptying and cleaning. By doing a little bit every day, one can create a large amount of recyclable nutrient-rich compost, just perfect for household planting.

People have made their own compost bins with one, two or three bin systems, using 5 gallon buckets or other small bins, by drilling aeration holes, utilizing bricks to separate the new waste from old, water, and a little occasional hand-mixing. Good compost can result after just a couple months of progress. You can even consider a “red-wiggler” worm bin in your home for great results.

Small Compost Bins

The popularity of this practice has reduced prices and increased a great variety of product lines. Green thumbs will benefit from a composter that can fit their specific needs, and interior décor.

What kind of things can I put into a small compost bin?

Most small compost bins permit the use of kitchen food wastes:

• Fruit and vegetable matter
• Coffee and tea grounds
• Egg shells
• Paper such as cardboard and newspaper.

What can’t I put into a small compost bin?

While products vary, most advise against products such as:

• Animal waste products
• Kitty litter
• Soiled diapers
• Fireplace ash/charcoal
• Diseased plants

Take care to read the instructions to find the suitable container for you.

You’ll want to check product specifications for your particular needs. Keep in mind your household waste volume, and what types of waste you’ll likely be composting. You might also think about how often you would likely maintain your compost – the larger the container, the less often it requires maintenance.

From ceramic clay to bamboo, wood, stainless steel, light or heavy plastic, small compost bins consist of a wide variety of materials and designs. While all doing basically the same function, how they go about it might mean more or less convenience for the homeowner. Some require careful balancing of waste types, while others are as simple as tossing in whatever you have. The results will invariably be a welcome resource to household plants, flowers, homegrown fruits and vegetables, and even herb gardens or bonsai trees.

Small compost bins easily fill a need for the green kitchen, that may one day soon become as common as any other small kitchen appliance – providing energy surplus rather than usage. And your plants will love you for it.

Inexpensive and simple to construct and to use, wire compost bins are the preferred choice of many small scale gardeners. While not as elaborate as some compost bin designs, they offer the advantage of ease of use, small size and portability.

Constructing a Wire Compost Bin

Constructing the bin is simplicity itself. They can be made out of any wire fencing material. Both chicken wire or plastic snow fencing work well. Fencing that is three to four feet tall will make a compost bin that is of sufficient depth to get good decomposition without being too unwieldy.

The first step is to cut the fencing to size. To determine the length that is needed, decide what diameter of bin is desired and then multiply times 3.25. This also allows for a little overlap to fasten the two ends together. For a compost bin that is three feet in diameter, cut a length of fencing that is 9 feet, 8 inches long. For a four foot bin, cut a thirteen foot length.

Since these materials generally come in a roll, the bin will naturally assume the desired shape. Just form it into a cylinder and wire or tie the ends together. It isn’t necessary to go overboard, tying every six to eight inches is sufficient. The bin will not be asked to support an excessive amount of weight.

Using a Wire Compost Bin

Wire Compost Bins

To build the compost pile, set the bin in the desired location. If desired, though not essential, stakes can be attached to keep the bin in place. As a first layer, it is good to start with a layer of small sticks or twigs. This will keep the compost pile off the ground and allow air circulation from underneath. Continue filling with organic waste, chopping and mixing or alternating between layers of green and brown material. Chopping, mixing and alternating all help to speed up the composting process. Or, just throw it all in. It will all decompose, eventually.

Proper moisture is important to good bacterial action. About as damp as a wrung out sponge is appropriate. If the pile is too dry, decomposition won’t occur. On the other hand, if water drips out when a handful is squeezed, it is too wet. Add water as the pile is being built, and then check every few days for proper moisture. Since this type of compost bin is much more open than other types, heat, wind and rain will all affect the pile.

Because of its smaller size and open construction, the compost pile may not generate sufficient heat on its own. Heat is needed to speed up decomposition and to sterilize weed seeds. Without proper heat buildup, compost may take many months or years to develop, and then be so full of active weed seeds as to cause more problems than it helps.

Covering the bin loosely with a dark colored tarp will help in several ways. It will absorb sunlight and help transfer the heat to the compost pile. It will also help shelter the bin from the drying effects of the wind. Finally, it will protect the compost from the rain, which can cause too much moisture for good decomposition and wash some of the vital nutrients out of the compost and into the surrounding soil.

Using Finished Compost

To use the compost, it is only a matter of lifting off the wire bin and then using the compost as needed. If the compost isn’t quite ready, it can be forked or shoveled back into the bin for further decomposition. Ensure that it is wetted down to the proper degree for optimal composting. Once it has been used, start over with a new batch.

Composting: the very word conjures up images of big piles of dirt, worms, millipedes, the occasional opossum, hauling, farm tools, and stinky, dirty inconvenience. People who practice composting know what a challenge it can be at times, waiting for nature’s decomposition to take its course, attempting to strike the right balance between types of waste and moisture, and creating a nutrient-rich planting resource made from yard and kitchen waste that would have otherwise gone to a landfill.

Did you know that unlike this old fashioned image of composting, today it has become a green, convenient, hassle-free experience that not only can be odor-free, but can actually fit into a modern kitchen lifestyle? Green thumbs and homeowners rely on numerous styles of kitchen compost bins, from the small and simple decorative pails, to mid-sized caddies, to larger ones utilizing innovative technology that churns the compost and even indicates when it’s ready, for clean, easy, odorless removal.

Knowing your composting needs goes a long way towards simplifying your choices between so many products on the market. Whether you are just curious about new ways to green your lifestyle, or need to maximize your garden growth, composting provides an innovative, clean, convenient solution to the modern kitchen.

What is Compost?

Compost comprises of organic waste, such as kitchen scraps, coffee and tea grounds, eggshells or fruit rinds, that gets decomposed by microorganisms, such as fungi, bacteria and actinomycetes. Increased metabolic activity results in the warming effect of the compost. Brown and green waste balances to create a nutrient-rich, “loamy” compost which feeds plants and gardens with noticeable results in growth and health.

Why Compost?

1. To create enriched soil for household flowers, plants, and gardens
2. To improve home grown food with a noticeable difference
3. To reduce household waste
4. To lessen social waste and advocate greener living
5. To teach recycling
6. To illustrate natural scientific principles in biology and chemistry in a compelling way
7. To provide a convenient alternative to a wasteful lifestyle.

Kitchen Compost Bins

Finding new ways to utilize resources and cut waste has numerous benefits. Not only does composting reduce the country’s waste stream, 23% of which is comprised of kitchen and yard waste, it also recycles waste into a useful product for household plant growth; as well as teaches children the benefit of viewing waste, not as something to be forgotten, but a resource to be managed. They teach the value of recycling and can act as a learning aid to spark scientific curiosity and environmental stewardship. Vermicomposting, or worm bins, hold a particular fascination for children.

What Do Kitchen Compost Bins Do?

Kitchen compost bins take the chore out of composting and make it a daily convenience and hassle-free experience. By placing kitchen waste in anything from a small container, to a stainless-steel canister, to a large automatic composter, organic matter can break down in a matter of weeks, rather than years. In a clean, small, quiet composting unit, the waste undergoes transformation through heat and aeration, and sometimes mechanical churning, filtering and separation. Use this for household plants, flowerbeds, gardening or landscaping purposes. Of course, for larger projects you might need an outdoor composter to hold more capacity.

What About the Smell?

Balancing green and brown waste might seem like a challenge for the uninitiated; but people soon find it to be an easy and intuitive experience. By following tried and true methods for effective composting, the result is a natural, organic product. Air-tight containment assures prevention of fruit flies. While some composters discourage the use of meat and bone byproducts, others can handle such waste. Done correctly, people report no smell at all, even with the lid off; and if anything, a smell more like freshly-cut grass than that of garbage. People practice odor-free composting every day in their clean kitchens.

Kitchen compost bins enhance the modern, green, and chic kitchen with contemporary designs, quiet mechanics, odor and hassle-free maintenance, and the joy of DIY planting. They also reduce household waste output and send a positive message to every generation.

Why buy compost bins?

With the growing concerns about the environment, global warming, and conserving the earth’s resources, people are looking for ways they can help as individuals. Buying and using a compost bin is one means of recycling and reusing scraps that otherwise would be trash. Throwing away potato peels, apple cores and other plant based scraps is wasteful.

Many people just put all the scraps in the trash, which then goes to the landfill. Although they are biodegradable, they don’t help the planet by decomposing inside plastic trash bags at a dump. Other well-meaning people put this type of garbage down a garbage disposal. This overworks the sewage system and water treatment plants.

The only cost involved in composting is the initial purchase of the compost bin. Everything you add, with the exception of accelerator powders, which are not required, would be thrown away if not composted. You can save a lot of money on buying fertilizers for your garden by using your own rich compost.

Is it better to buy or make a compost bin?

For a person who is handy and has the skills, making a compost bin is feasible. For most people, purchasing one of the many good models available is the best option. Commercial compost bins are compact, reduce odor, and enable the user to turn the compost in an almost effortless way. Home constructed bins are unwieldy, almost impossible to relocate to a new spot if desired, and more difficult to turn and maintain.

What features are offered?

When choosing a bin, the first feature to consider is the right size for your needs. Commercial compost bins vary greatly in size. A big family with an acre of ground will need a larger capacity bin than a couple with a townhouse.

There are many types of compost bins. Look at the various models offered, and think how they would work with your available space and environment. Are you in a rural, suburban, or urban area? Do you want to compost garden waste, or just kitchen waste? Do you want a compact unit for a patio, or a large bin out in the back yard?

Features you may want to consider include:

• Made of recycled materials (good for the environment)
• Wheeled base (easily portable)
• Low-profile container (good for windy areas)
• Removable side panel(s) (easy to remove finished compost)
• Rotating barrel (easy to turn compost)
• Ventilated sides (oxygen increases decomposition)
• Raised bottom (increases air flow)
• Open bottom set directly on garden dirt (allows micro-organisms access)
• Solar powered unit (heat helps the micro-organisms do their job)
• Uses accelerator powder (to hasten the process)
• Black or dark green color (absorbs more heat from sun)
• Corresponding kitchen caddy (for collecting daily scraps, make one trip a day to bin)

Buy Compost Bins

What can I compost?

Use all kinds of fruit and vegetable scraps, such as:

• Apple cores
• Potato peels
• Citrus peels
• Celery ends
• Carrot scrapings
• Banana peels

Add garden waste:

• Chopped leaves (run them over with the lawn mower)
• Hedge trimmings
• Rotting or damaged vegetables from the garden

Extras:

• Shredded newspaper
• Shredded junk mail
• Ashes from a wood fire
• Water

Your materials will compost faster if they are cut or chopped into small pieces.
The more variety of plant waste you add, the more nutrient rich your finished product will be. Master gardeners know that compost, often called “black gold”, is one of the best additives you can use in your garden for beautiful flowers, and healthy, abundant vegetables. Buy a compost bin today, and watch your garden grow.

Organic gardeners know that compost is an important part of any successful garden, whether growing fruit, herbs, or vegetables. Compost adds good organic matter to the soil and has several different functions.

· Compost makes the structure of the soil itself better, especially for soil that is sandy or has a lot of clay.
· It helps the soil retain moisture.
· It helps your plants grow a vigorous root system.
· Compost adds a lot of nutrients to the soil that you don’t find in synthetic fertilizer.
· It neutralizes acidic and alkaline soils so that the amount of pH in your soil is in the best possible range.

It doesn’t take most gardener long to figure out that buying bagged compost is a waste of money when you can make your own with a home composting bin. Many people make their own bins, but if you’re not quite ready for that undertaking, you should know that there are dozens of different kinds on the market and at varying prices. There are a few that seem to be the most popular among organic gardeners.

Tumbling Compost Bins

These bins seem to be pretty popular, perhaps because of the novelty of the turning the crank. These bins have either a metal or plastic compost container attached to a stand with a crank. The crank handle lets you mix the contents by turning the crank. The advantage to this type of compost bin is that it takes the work out of the mixing of the ingredients in the compost. It can take as much as a few months to get a batch of compost ready to use in the garden, but the tumbling type of bin speeds this process up to a few weeks.

They are more expensive than many other compost bins and most of the tumbling compost bins hold a somewhat small amount of material. The tumbling design also keeps worms out, a disadvantage of you like worm castings in your compost.

Best Compost Bins

Rolling Bins

Another type of bin that mixes your compost is a rolling compost bin. These bins are rounded so they can be rolled to and from your yard waste pile to fill the bin. The rolling acting also is a great way to mix the compost. This type of composter is very low maintenance. However, they can get a little heavy and cumbersome to roll when they are full, however.

Wire Compost Bins

These are the simplest types of bins. They are made of mesh panels of heavy gauge aluminum or steel fastened together. These bins are not very expensive. If you are new to gardening or making your own compost, they are a good idea since you can get one for around $20. They also collapse so they are easy to store when not in use.

Wire bins are small,however, holding only about 15 cubic square feet of material. The large mesh openings allow your kitchen waste to fall out of the bins.

Plastic Compost Bins

There are a lot of different bins made from heavy-duty plastic. Since they are normally made in dark colors, they absorb the sun well. They also have lids to keep the rain and pests like rodents out, but they do have holes for ventilation. Many plastic compost bins are attractive enough to be a piece of yard art in your organic garden. They are so well made that they will last a long time and they are affordable.

One disadvantage is that the doors are somewhat small and it can be difficult to remove the finished compost. When the bin is full, it’s hard to mix the compost through that small opening, particularly the compost that is at the bottom of the bin.

In addition to the health benefits of the freshest food, many people are turning to gardening as an economical way to provide food for their families. In order to keep costs down, they are also looking to composting as an inexpensive alternative to high priced fertilizers and soil additives. Due to space constraints or to reduce complaints from the neighbors, it may be advisable to build a bin for composting. However, this need not be an elaborate construction, built of expensive materials. It is possible to build a cheap – or even free – compost bin.

Wooden Pallet Compost Bin

One very easy and inexpensive type of compost bin is made from four wooden pallets. By asking at companies that ship or receive goods on these pallets, it is often possible to get older or slightly damaged pallets for little or no money. Simply take four of these pallets, stand them on edge and fasten the corners together by nailing, tying or wiring. If desired, one side can be wired or hinged to form a gate to allow access for turning or removing the compost. Or, since it isn’t fastened to the ground, simply lift off the bin to get at the compost.

Compost Bin from an Old Trash Can

While there are any number of pre-made, expensive compost tumblers on the market, it is possible to make something similar with an old plastic trash can. And, if an older trash bin isn’t available, they don’t cost very much at the local discount center. It is best to use one that is about 32 to 55 gallons, dark in color, round and with a locking lid. Simply drill a good number of holes in the entire bin to allow for drainage and air movement, fill with organic waste, lock on the lid and start composting.

Cheap Compost Bins

To make the compost, check every few days to make sure that there is enough moisture. As wet as a wrung out sponge is good. Leave it in the sun to heat up and speed composting, but don’t let it overheat and dry out. Add new material as it becomes available, and turn it on its side and roll it around a few times per week to mix and aerate. This last part is why the locking lid is so important. Depending on what’s been added, finished compost can be ready in just a few weeks.

Wire Compost Bin

Another inexpensive type of composting bin is made of plastic or wire fencing material, something along the lines of chicken wire or snow fencing. Simply cut a length of fencing to the proper length for the size of bin you want. A quick, rough way to calculate is to use the desired diameter and multiply times three. Thus, a nine foot piece of fencing will give a bin that is just under three feet in diameter. Just fasten the two ends together to form a cylinder and fill.

This type of compost bin is a little more open than many others. Since air flow is maximized, the compost may dry out in hot or windy weather. Check and water as needed. Also, since it is so open, it may not heat up enough to kill all weed seeds. Simply cover with a tarp to heat it up. This can also help protect against too much moisture when it rains.

Use What’s Available

The basic idea of a compost bin is simply to provide an enclosure, so this is an opportunity to be imaginative in the use of recycled materials. Walls made of old cedar fencing or built of concrete blocks with air spaces between are also inexpensive solutions. The idea is to reuse whatever is at hand and keep the trash out of the landfill and the money in your wallet.

Composting is a process that uses earthworms and microorganisms to turn lawn, kitchen and plant scraps into a mixture that can be added to soil, creating a nutrient rich base for any growing purpose. Composters can use the material as a mulch to keep underlying soil moist, as an additive to ground soil for planting, and can even create a compost ‘tea’ for watering established plants.

While placement of a compost bin, contents and timing are all important, the bin itself is perhaps the most crucial piece of the compost equation. All of these bins accomplish the same goal. The bin choice will depend on asthetics, as well as how much work a gardener is willing to do.

Wire-Framed Bin

This is among the easiest of the compost bins to make at home. Begin by digging four holes to create a square measuring 36 inches on each side. The holes should be about two feet deep and will each hold a six foot 2×4, which should be set with either concrete or soil that has been packed tight.

Attach any type of wire fencing, like chiken wire, to three sides of the bin with heavy duty staples, leaving the fourth side open to use as an access point. Cut a section of fencing large enough to cover the fourth side, and hammer the edge that will function as the hinge, into the post with staples. Hammer four additional staples to the 2×4 in a straight line where the panel will be opened, driving midway into the post, leaving enough space for a small dowel to slide through. Press the edge of the wire panel against the staples, allowing them to slide through the openings in the fencing. To secure the panel, insert the dowel through the gaps in the staples.

Slatted Bin

Set four posts in the same manner as the wire-framed bin. Instead of wire fencing, attach 2×6 horizontal slats on three sides of the frame, leaving a 1/2 inch gap between slats to allow air circulation. A rot-resistant wood should be used for any of these projects.

The simplest gate option for this bin is using the same method as the wire-framed bin, by attaching chiken wire to the open side with staples and a dowel.

Outdoor Garden Compost Bins

Tiered Bin

The tiered bin is an exact replica of the slatted version. The difference being a second or even third bin, depending on individual composting needs, that is separated from adjacent bins by a wall. The purpose of this variety of compost bins is to hold soil and debris in different stages of compost in different compartments, by turning the contents and dumping them into the next bin as the composting process progresses.

Compost Tumbler

Tumbler-style composters come in several different styles. The most common are the horizontal drums that are mounted on wheels or axles to make turning the bin easier, allowing the contents to be mixed. The same type of tumbler can be made vertical with a garbage can that has been drilled with several holes to allow air circulation. Rotating the can regularly, with or without wheels, will achieve the same results as a horizontal tumbler.

Tip: Rich compost needs sufficient air circulation. To speed up the process, a PVC pipe, about 4 inches in diameter, that has been drilled with holes can be placed in the center of the debris pile. Not only will this allow air circulation, but it will aid in the distribution of moisture as well.

Not all scraps are appropriate for use in a compost bin. Some good scraps include:

1. Fruit and vegetable scraps
2. Eggshells
3. Coffee grounds
4. Grass and plant clippings
5. Dry leaves
6. Shredded newspaper

Scraps to avoide include:

1. Any scraps consisting of meat, oil, fat or grease
2. Diseased plant matter
3. Any materials from treated wood
4. Dog or cat waste
5. Weeds that go to seed
6. Dairy products

For the true hands-on gardener, composting is a fantastic and free way to add essential nutrients to their soil, resulting in a lush yard or garden full of thriving plants.