My husband built an outdoor compost bin that we have been using for over the past 2 years. It is amazing to see the success in such a short time. We have worms in it that could easily be confused for a small snake! I want to add that we did not originally place any worms into our bin. If you build it, they will come!
We are lucky to have two neighbors who are adding to our compost with fresh fruit and vegetable peels, egg shells and coffee grinds. It is nice to be able to share our bin with them as their children can be apart of composting too! We were very excited to be able to use our compost as fertilizer this year for our garden.
How we built our compost bin:
We removed the sod (3-4 inches deep). Next we leveled the area by removing the sod to frame in your area. We used 2 x 4′s for the for the four corner posts and 1 x 6′s (Deck boards) to frame it by attaching to the four corner posts. Currently it is two deck boards high. You can add an additional deck board as you need additional space.
How to Compost:
Composting your own organic fertilizer starts with a bin. You can purchase a ready-made bin or you can make your own as we did. You will place into your compost bin only natural and biodegradable items. You can include vegetables and fruit scraps, eggs shells, coffee grinds. Be sure to never include meat, dairy or bread. You can also place leaves, grass clippings, newspaper (tear or shred for best result) and mulch/bark.
Now the wait begins. As the items decompose the only thing you will need to do is take a pitchfork and “turn” the pile every week or so. The worms will get to work turning the items to a rich compost that will become the perfect fertilizer for your garden, flower bed or yard!
In the winter we covered our compost bin with a heavy layer of straw to protect from the snow and ice.
Do you compost?
See more Gardening posts.
Not only is composting great for your garden it is a great experience for your children to take part of! Do you compost or are you considering it? I would love to hear about your experience!
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