Open Compost Pile Pros and ConsThe easiest homemade compost bin is not a bin at all, but simply an uncontained pile located on your property somewhere - preferably away from your house, but close to the garden. A free-standing pile breaks down into compost just as it would inside a container and is easily accessible.
The problem with an open compost pile is that pets and wild animals also have easy access and can eat any fresh kitchen scraps, or worse use the pile as a private toilet. Pet feces carry pathogens that can spread disease if the compost doesn't reach a hot enough temperature to kill them off. If you don't have any pets or other animals coming into contact with it, then by all means use this method.
Chicken Wire Cylinder Compost Bin
This is the kind of homemade compost bin I've always used and it works very well. Chicken wire is cheap and simple to rig up.The cylinder needs to be tall enough to keep critters out and wide enough to allow for turning.
Instructions:
* Cut a piece of chicken wire so that it is about 3 feet wide and 4 feet long.
* Turn the ends in a couple of inches to avoid snags and stand it in a cylinder shape, overlapping the ends a bit.
* Use heavy wire to secure the ends at the top, middle and bottom of the cylinder.
* (Optional) For greater stability, two wooden or metal stakes can be pounded tightly against the sides inside the cylinder.
The chicken wire compost bin is lightweight and portable and allows for proper aeration, especially in wetter climates. It's important to keep the bin on a patch of dirt that is free of grass to avoid the introduction of unwanted seeds sprouting in the compost.
In dryer climates, the air circulation is too much of a good thing and can dry the compost out, slowing the process down. You can fix this issue by keeping the compost moistened (but not drenched) and wrapping the cylinder in cardboard to keep moisture in. When the cardboard breaks down - just add it to the compost and wrap the cylinder with fresh cardboard. You can also just throw a tarp over the whole thing.
Homemade Cinderblock Compost Bin
This is a permanent structure made of stacked cinderblocks on three sides with one side open for access. Cinderblock is relatively cheap and will last for decades, keeping your garden enriched with organic compost. Stack the blocks up in a 3-sided formation (front open) about 2 feet high and 2 to 3 feet wide. You can leave the front open, or stick a movable pet/toddler gate in when not in use to keep the critters out. I suggest you cover the top since cats and other jumpers can easily find their way in. A cover can be any material such as a tarp, corrugated metal, piece of plywood or whatever you have around that would suffice. Gracie Canfield is an Internet marketing professional who gardens in her spare time. Organic gardening with the simple square plot method has been a wonderful discovery and she saves hundreds of dollars a month year round by growing her own veggies.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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