How To Build a Compost Bin By
Paul Duxbury
Compost is the engine that keeps our gardens and allotments
productive. To make compost, a compost bin is ideal.
You can often buy a compost bin cheaply from your local
council but you can also build your own compost bin for
next to nothing - except a little bit of your time.
Compost can act as a great fertilizer, enriching the
soil with
organic materials rather than making use of chemicals
that can
do more harm than good if used badly. Composting is a
great way
to save money as well. Using compost requires that you
completely mix it into the soil, reducing compaction
and
providing oxygenation to the soil. Compost can help plants
stay
healthier, and that contributes to their ability to repel
diseases and survive insect attacks. A healthy landscape
can be
achieved with a little help from composting.
It is critical to note that composting does require
a little
extra work. The mound needs to be turned, and you need
to make
certain that you have adequate break down of the items
in your
compost pile.
You need to be selective in what you put
in your
compost: it ought only be items that will break down
naturally.
Plant matter (including pulled weeds) and various foods
are
excellent in compost and will add to the health of
your soil,
and so to your landscape over all. There is no reason,
though,
that your compost pile needs to be a true pile. A bin
can help
you better hold your compost and preserve it from being
spread
across your compound in a smelly mess by animals or
a really
ferocious downpour.
The first thing you need to do before you set up a compost
bin
is decide what your needs are. Numerous people in reality
use a
three-bin combination. The bins may be connected, or
they may be
individually lined up.
Some people use the bins for distinct
types of compost (regular compost, slow compost like
woody
plants, and leaves collected in the fall). Others like
to have a
three-bin system for the turning purposes. Move the
compost from
one bin into the next, allowing it to turn. Then you
can start a
pile in the newly vacated bin. By the time the compost
makes it
into the third bin, it is ready for use. Others find
that a
single bin is adequate for their needs, and just go
out to stir
it throughout now and then.
Next you need to decide what materials you will use
to construct
your bin. It is vital to note that some exposure to the
elements
is essential for more productive and quicker composting.
Chicken
wire is not especially good for compost bins as it can
extend
out of shape extremely readily and does not wear well.
Materials
like 16-guage plastic-coated wire mesh and hardware cloth
are
better choices, as is hog wire. Wood makes an interesting
choice, but it is critical to note that it will eventually
compost itself and will need to be replaced.
Do not used
pressure-treated wood, as it has poisonous levels of
copper and
chromium, and there is evidence that arsenic can leach
into your
compost. Different materials that are acceptable for
building
compost bins are spoiled hay bales, old cinder blocks
or bricks,
wooden pallets, snow fencing, and a discarded rabbit
hutch. The
hutch is desirable because there is very little that
needs to be
done to make it ready.
One of the easiest and cheapest ways to build a compost
bin is
to build it from wooden pallets. Most warehouses, grocery,
and
hardware stores are more than happy to give these away
for free,
or for very little, as it saves them the trouble
of having
to discard them.
You can use plastic ties to hold four
of them
together in a box shape. Joining another bin to make
a system is
easy: just attach three more pallets using one side
of the
already made bin to complete another box. Be warned:
after about
two years you will need a new bin, as this bin will
be composting itself.
About the author:
Paul offers more gardening and landscaping advice at
http://lawn-care.blogspot.com and
http://landscaping-ideas.blogspot.com
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