How To Build A Compost Bin: April 2009

In the first post we looked at how to build a compost bin from some free materials. It was a nice basic design. Wooden compost bins are some of the easiest to build and will last for quite a few years. We will now take a look at how to build a compost bin that is slightly larger and has more than one chamber. Personally I favor a wood compost bin that has three compartments. This is becasue wooden compost bins like this mean that you can always have a bin you are filling, one to age once you have filled it, and a middle compartment to put materials in that you will add slowly to the bin you are currently using. We use our central compartment to store grass clippings that can be layered in to the wooden compost bin from time to time.

Wooden Compost Bin Plans

Wooden compost bins, while not lasting forever, are great because they can be made so cheaply. A three chamber wooden composting bin is just a step up from the single bin we learned how to make in the first compost bin design post. Here is what you will need:

10 Pallets
A box of nails or screws
A hammer or screwdriver
A good few hours of your time

As in the previous post you will realise I like to keep things simple. So many pages about wooden compost bins and how to build a compost bin are so technical that they bore you in to never following the instructions anyway. I will not be giving technical information about exact dimensions and where exactly to screw the compost bin together etc. It is all common sense. This site is to encourage everyone to build a compost bin. It should be straightforward and simple.

This design has a few options. Instead of using pallets for the sides and the back you may use chicken wire instead. It is simply a matter of choice. Personally I prefer all wooden compost bins as they are sturdier. I won't be condescending and tell you how to nail a bit of chicken wire to some wood, just use common sense. As with so many things a diagram is always helpful and can often do a better job of describing how to build a compost bin than words can. As we can see this design can easily be modified in any way we wish. We can use chicken wire in addition to our wooden compost bin, or just use wood. I would simply use wood as it will be sturdier.

How To Make A Wooden Compost Bin

It is a relatively simple matter to make a three chamber wooden compost bin. Ensure you get a nice flat surface that is open to the ground. You want to let the worms and the bacteria and micro-organisms in the ground have easy access to your compost bin design. I recommend building this wood compost bin where it will be sited as it will be very heavy. As you can see in this photo they can be fairly untidy or as clean looking as you wish. Just choose the materials accordingly. If all materials are the same size and color then it will look very tidy indeed.

To build compost bins like these it is simply a matter of screwing or nailing everything together. I recommend making the back first. Once that is done, nail the sides on and then the front. This will give something nice and sturdy. You can then get inside and divide it up.

It really is as simple as that. We don't need any technical information. A simple look at the pictures tells us exactly what we need to know.

One thing you may be interested in purchasing is a used chipper shredder. It will make many largeer pieces of wood then suitable for composting. Small amounts of woody stuff are fine as long as they are mixed in with other organic matter. It will add a little "bulk" to the contents.

Wooden compost bins are simple but very effective when it comes to garden composters. Get your materials and simply nail them together. It really is as simple as that. Who needs exact dimesnions etc, just make it.

Learning how to build a compost bin when typed in to a search engine brings up a myriad of results. The problem is that once you start reading you soon discover that the articles are full of way too much technical information. I have decided to write this site to give clear and very easy to follow instructions on how to build a variety of composting bins. Some are so simple, like the following compost bin design that they need little more than pictures. From a wooden compost bin to a compost barrel, I will be looking at them all and giving instructions on how to make your own compost.

Living in the countryside I have developed quite a passion for composting. I have written about it quite a few times and love exploring the many different ways to make compost. I love writing sites all about different composting techniques and the different ways to do it. Composting tumblers were a surprise to me. I never knew you could make compost so quickly. However, they are not for everyone. Many people like an open or homemade compost bin. This is more what I will be concentrating on here. As this site gets bigger we will look at lots of various designs for making a compost bin. Firstly lets look at one of the easiest and most efficient way of building a compost bin. Don't forget, this is not going to be technical. I want this site to be easy to follow and the instructions will be very clear and simple. I will not be going in to excessive detail. You wil have to use your common sense for some aspects of learning how to build a compost bin. I am going to be giving the basics so you have the ideas to go out and make a garden compost bin yourself.

As well as building inexpensive compost bins we should also consider adding some cheap rattan furniture to our patios or gardens. We should never forget that part of enjoying outdoor living is also getting a little comfort for when we want to relax. Cheap rattan patio furniture is one way to do this.

Wooden Compost Bins

This is for a very simple wooden compost bin. Learning how to build a compost bin does not get much simpler than this. I have three of these composting bins and they are easy to build and the best part is they are free. Here is what you will need to build a wod compost bin:

Four wooden pallets
A handful of nails or screws
A hammer or scredriver
A few hours of your time

I told you it was easy. I will not be making learning how to build a compost bin complicated. As you can see from the photo, my wooden compost bins are anything but tidy. This is because they were built for scrap materials that I had lying around. For a much tidier compost bin you simply need to ensure all the pieces are the same size. This will give a much neater appearance, like the one in the image.

So, how do we build this wooden compost bin? Wooden compost bins are simple to assemble. It is very simple indeed and you can probably build it without me even telling you. It is simply a matter of finding a nice flat area to construct it. You can then lay the four pallets out in a square and it is then simply a matter of screwing or nailing them together. You may see some compost bin designs that have a concrete base. This really is not recommended. Learning how to build a compost bin is the easy part, making really good quality compost is where you need to focus your attentions. By placing the wooden compost bin directly on to the ground you get a number of advantages. Primarily this is the fact that all the worms and microbes and bacteria that are an essential part of the best composter are allowed to get acces to the material you place in the composting bin.

This will give a fantastic kick start to your compost making efforts. You want the organic matter in your heap to be activated as soon as possible so leave the base open to the soil. Learning how to build a compost bin does not have to be complicated. This design can be constructed very quickly with free materials. It won't last for ever because it is made from wood, but it is free and will last for a god few years.