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.
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