Composting is Beautiful- Now Make it Easy!

Composting is beautiful! What else can you do that is so kind to the good earth, while providing yourself with a product so valuable? Even with only an average sized yard, grass clippings, garden waste, kitchen produce scraps, frosted fall remains from planters and flower beds, can amount to large heaps of unmanageable debris. Most gardeners struggle with a small purchased bin or take several trips to the dump, either way the results are time consuming, inefficient and frustrating. Composting is the right thing to do, now make it easy and convenient by building the most practical compost bin ever.

THREE BIN ROTATION:

Getting it right is a matter of scale. The solution lies in a multiple bin system with three separate stalls. Although the layout is rectangular, don't hesitate to modify the design, a slight curve or L-shape might best fit your landscape. Keeping the layout open-sided on the front allows for easy dumping of large wheel-barrows. Just an old-fashioned pitch fork makes it simple to toss contents from one stall to the next. Use your three bins to separate new material, well rotting matter and finished (or nearly finished) compost from mixing together. This is essential to keeping the cycle in motion. Once you have used your finished product, start your new material in that stall. TIP: When dumping scraps, keep out mature weeds, meat, dairy, grains, rocks and plastics.

LOCATION:

A hidden spot for your bins is ideal, perhaps behind a fence or outbuilding. If your site is exposed, create your own unique screen with garden greenery. Recycle scrap pieces of lumber, even old branches and prunings which can be nailed, roped and tied together to make an excellent rustic trellis for vines and a backdrop for roses and other shrubs.

BASIC MATERIAL REQUIREMENTS:

8 pieces of lumber (5 ft to 7 ft lengths) - these will serve as stakes that will need to be strong enough to pound into the ground and have enough bulk to enable cross boards to be fastened with nails or screws (2x4's are a good choice, but dimensions somewhat smaller or larger are fine).

28 lengths of 5 ft boards - these will serve as the walls for your bins, 1x4 to 1x8 work best, but use any suitable scraps and again don't be afraid to mix different dimensions. TIP- Don't be afraid to recycle any scrap lumber you may have stored away. remember this is not a piece of furniture and it need not be all that strong.

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