Its easy to make a compost bin like this. I'm all about simple when building compost bins, these wire screen compost bins are easy to make and work well for leaves, garden waste and kitchen scraps.
If you want to make a compost bin like this, you can use any screen you have. Or maybe your neighbor has a roll of stuff they want to get rid of. This is one of those projects where checking out what your neighbor is throwing out can come in handy.
What you don't want is screen that has large holes, as your compost material will fall out of it. Avoid what looks like wire fencing for chickens or goats, it usually has rectangular openings and are too big.
Its better to make one large bin than two small ones. Because compost is all about mass. The more mass you have, the better the compost will break down. We talk about this in another one of our compost bin videos here. Mass allows more heat in the pile, which is good.
If you put screen across the top and bottom of this composter, you can turn it upside down. Its a cheater way of aerating the pile, and it works. Not sure if you want to devote the time and energy to cutting wire caps for the bin though.
The beauty of this design is how easy it is. 3 pieces of scrap wood, a staple gun, and a hammer. done. I usually cut the wood stakes 18" longer than the screen height so I have plenty to drive into the ground. If you cut the bottom of the stakes with an angle, or even a wedge-knife point, they will hammer in easier. This cut can be done by hand or with a chop saw. Use what you got!
We have more compost bin and compost 101 videos here. Let me know your thoughts below.
Laura
I've always wanted to make a "worm farm".. I think that's what they're called. They just seem cleaner for some reason and when you get lots of worm you can put them in your garden and/or go fishing. So you'll never have to buy worms to go fishing again 🙂 I have yet to start one because I wasn't sure what to do with it in the winter. Would the container freeze etc.? If I brought it in the basement would it get all moldy etc?
Tonia Moxley
Small rolls of galvanized horse fencing are cheap at home centers. I cut it to make 3-foot diameter bins, and hook it together with outdoor-rated zip ties. Lasts and lasts, and you don't need stakes.
GypsyB
Now if you come up with a natural deer fly repellent! My friends just bought 69 acres in Maine and said they are really bad.
Another compost idea is to put a plastic 50 gal drum (make a hatch door) on a spit with a turn handle... drill a hole and glue in mesh for filtering and put a faucet tap on it. Turn the drum every so often to mix up mulch. You can use the drain for liquid fertilizer.