Make a Composting Bin

A homemade composting bin is just as good as a bought one, and you can make it whatever size and shape best suits your garden and the quantity of material you want to compost.

Excerpted from How to Grow Practically Everything
Filed under: Composting, Gardening

Time to Complete: 1 day

Materials Needed:

4 posts about 5 feet long
hammer
chicken wire

fencing staples
cardboard boxes
old carpet

Attach Wire to Posts

Set the posts 30 inches apart in a square and drive them 12 inches into the ground, using a hammer. Wrap the chicken wire around the posts and attach it with fencing staples. Snip off excess wire; make sure no sharp strands are left sticking out.

Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited
Enlarge Photo+Shrink Photo-DK - How to Grow Practically Everything © 2010 Dorling Kindersley Limited

Add Cardboard Sides

Flatten the cardboard boxes and put several layers on each side, slotting them between the posts and the netting. Put a layer on the base then start filling your bin. Place a piece of old carpet on top of the waste; replace it each time you add more. This helps keep out the rain and insulates the bin, speeding up the composting process.