How to Make An Outdoor Compost Bin

Beautiful compost

Many gardeners enjoy the idea of having ready-to-use organic compost in the garden - but may not want to go through the hassle of building a bin or want the mess of a compost heap in their yard. Composting in your yard is as simple and easy as gardening itself. Follow these simple instructions for an easy to use compost bin in your yard.

Things You'll Need

• 5 4x4 posts - 5' long
• 1/2 " Particle board - 3 sheets of 4' x 4' and 1 sheet of 4' x 6'
• Post-hole digger
• Shovel
• Hammer and nails

Instructions

1. Begin by finding the area you want your compost bin located in your yard. It is recommended the bin be close to your garden to simplify the moving of compost. This will also make it easy to keep your compost moist. You will need an area approximately 4' wide x 6' long.

2. Don't worry about measurements and levels and diagrams - it's a compost bin - not a house. Begin by digging a post hole at the back left corner of your bin area. It is recommended the post holes be at least 1' - 1.5' deep. Sink one of your posts into this hole - and secure it in place tamping loose dirt back into the hole around the base of the post with the butt end of a shovel handle. Hold the post upright at you do this, and continue tamping dirt until the post is firmly secured.

3. Attach a sheet of particle board 4' x 4' to the side of this secured post. This will be the side wall of the bin. Nail the 4' x 6' sheet to the back of the post, this will be the back of your bin. Nail it into place, and then use it to locate the next corner post. Once all four corner posts are sunk and secured, you should have a 4' x 6' bin with two side walls and a back wall.

4. Now take the remaining 4' x 4' sheet of particle board and stand it up in the middle of the bin so that it touches the back wall and divides the bin into two smaller bins of more or less equal size. Nail this board to the back wall. Dig a post hole and secure the final post against the side of this central wall at the front of the bin.

5. Be sure all posts are secure by further tamping the area around the base of each. Also assure that all four walls of the bin (left, center, right, and back) are all properly secured to the posts.

6. The left in will be the starting point. Add newly cut grass, table scraps, lawn and yard trimmings, and any paper products to this side. Mix in 1 part manure for every 4 parts compost. Water regularly and turn the pile regularly. For ease of management, be sure to cut any branches to 6" lengths before adding them to the pile. It is recommended you use a pitchfork for turning this bin.

7. The right bin is for more advanced composting. As you turn the compost pile in the left bin, remove shovel full of complete or nearly complete compost and add it to the bin on the right. Many people I know add Red Worms to this side of their compost bin. Be sure to turn this pile regularly as well, and keep it moist but not wet. You can use a shovel for turning this bin.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't add meat or dairy products to your compost pile - stick to fruit and vegetable scraps, as well as any and all paper products. You don't want maggots and rotten food - you want a moist, warm pile of compost with lots of bacteria.

• If your compost pile gets to wet or mushy - add torn up newspaper to the mix to prevent it from rotting.

• Many garden stores sell a compost accelerator which can be added to a new compost pile. This is generally just live bacteria which do most of the composting work.

• Don't place the bin too close to your house or your neighbor's. The use of manure generally means the bin will have an odor.