This guide provides a step-by-step guide on how to create a compost bin at home using various materials such as pallets, wire fencing, plastic totes, trash bins, straw bales, buckets, and barrels for DIY compost tumblers. The process involves finding a clear area of grass, laying out chicken wire with bamboo canes at both ends, attaching the canes to the wire, and placing the compost bin in place.
Various materials are available for creating compost bins, including pallets, wire fencing, plastic totes, trash bins, straw bales, buckets, and even barrels for DIY compost tumblers. A quick tutorial for easy composting using a wire compost bin made from hardware cloth, wish mesh, or galvanized fencing is provided.
To create a simple, unobtrusive compost bin, gather materials such as welded wire mesh, wire cutters, pliers, steel stakes or wooden posts, zip ties or wire, and gloves. This simple and unobtrusive compost bin takes up very little space and is not painful to look at.
Another method for making a compost bin is to make a wire fence compost bin by unrolling enough coated wire fencing (not raw galvanized) to make a circular enclosure. Cut the chicken wire to size and remove any protruding metal bits with pliers. Bring the bamboo canes at each end of the wire together, holding them upright, to form a circular or slightly heart-shaped cage.
In summary, creating a compost bin from scrap wood, wire fencing, plastic totes, trash bins, straw bales, and other materials is an easy and effective way to reduce waste and improve the efficiency of your garden.
📹 Worlds Easiest Compost Method – How To Compost Literally Anything – Ideal For Beginners
Composting has become way overly complicated these days!.. In this video I’m going to simplify the entire process into what I feel …
What is the simplest way to compost?
To create a backyard compost pile, alternate layers of brown and green materials, with a 4:1 ratio. Browns include dry leaves, sawdust, and shredded newspaper, while greens include grass clippings, food waste, and garden waste. Spring is an ideal time to start a compost pile, as it yields fast results and increases soil water retention during drier summer months. Choose a dry, shady area away from your house, close enough for your garden hose to reach. You can compost directly on the ground or use a bin or tumbler for easy disposal. Some recommend adding a base layer of mulch for aeration.
Do compost bins need sunlight?
Composting works in both sun and shade conditions. Sunlight-sunny piles decompose quicker but require more watering during hot weather, while shady piles stay moist longer but decompose slower. Ensure well-drained soil below the pile to prevent waterlogging and smelly piles. Choose a compost bin that matches your landscape style, either by purchasing from local hardware stores, garden centers, or online catalogues, or by building your own from materials like pallets, snow fencing, wire mesh, and 2×4 lumber.
Tumbler compost bins are another option, as they save space and allow for easy unloading. They use hard plastic and metal drums mounted on legs to elevate the bin to a comfortable height. Two tumbler composters or a dual bin tumbler can be used to stockpile raw materials in one bin while actively composting in the other, speeding up decomposition and allowing quicker harvesting of finished compost. Urban municipalities often prefer or require these types of compost bins.
Do compost bins attract worms?
Worms can access any compost bin without a base, those with a base, and sometimes tumbler bins. They are transferred when organic material from the garden is added to the bin, and they play an active role in the composting process. In hot composting systems, worms and their eggs cannot survive temperatures over 35°C, so they move to cooler zones in the bin or retreat into the soil if the heap exceeds their temperature. Worms reappear during the cooler maturation, curing, or aging stages.
In spring, worms may appear at the top of the heap or bin in larger numbers due to warm weather and a readily available food supply. A breeding surge can result in hundreds of baby worms in a bin, and adults may try to escape from overcrowding. The population will balance itself after a few days, or surplus worms can be removed to another bin.
In summer, worms may crawl up the walls and over the lid of a cold composting system to escape to a cooler environment. Some composters use a crumpled up empty compost bag as a temporary home for these worms.
Can you compost straight into the soil?
Direct composting is a simple method that involves taking food scraps to the garden, digging a hole, filling it with waste, and covering it back up. It’s a simple alternative to bins and allows for more outdoor play. The first step in direct composting is to determine which foods can be composted and how to store them before they go to the garden. In warm climates, a smaller canister with an airtight seal is recommended to keep odors locked inside and ensure frequent visits to the garden.
Some common compostable materials include fruit and vegetable scraps, egg shells, coffee grounds, tea bags with tags removed, and poultry and fish bones. The method has proven successful in every garden established, providing a healthier and more sustainable alternative to traditional bin methods.
What are 3 things you shouldn’t compost?
It is advisable to refrain from incorporating detrimental elements into your compost, including fish, meat, dairy products, bones, baked goods, fatty foods, grease, diseased or toxic plants, pet feces, and used kitty litter.
Are wire compost bins good?
The circular wire mesh bin is a popular choice for making hot compost due to its ease of use. It allows for easy composting and disposal. However, the choice of bin depends on factors such as the compost’s pathogen-free nature, the need for quick composting, time management, and location. Sample bins and methods are available, with some being expensive and others being very inexpensive. The advantages and disadvantages of each system are discussed to help you make an informed decision. The bin should be easily accessible and manageable, ensuring the compost is safe and efficient.
How do you make homemade compost at home?
Composting is a simple and effective way to recycle food scraps and yard waste. It involves adding them to a compost bin, turning or tumble the compost, maintaining moisture, and knowing when the compost is done. The process returns nutrients back to the soil and boosts your garden. To start, choose a suitable composting setup, add food scraps and yard waste to the bin, turn and water the decomposing materials occasionally, and wait several months for the finished compost to be used in your garden. The most important part is getting started, and making changes to speed up the compost breakdown.
How to make a compost bin out of wire?
This is a detailed construction of a compost pile using chicken wire and hardware cloth. Chicken wire is folded back to create a clean edge, while hardware cloth is trimmed to ensure safe handling. Chicken wire is cut into lengths for ties and binded together with wire ties. Wood or metal posts are spaced along the wire circle, pounding them firmly into the ground. Hardware cloth is bent into a circle and positioned for the compost pile. The posts are held tightly against the wire and pounded into the ground for support.
How do you turn branches into compost?
To maintain a healthy compost pile, avoid using large branches and use a chipper to add chips to the pile. Use a chainsaw to reduce the size of the pile and pile more material in one spot. Check moisture by using the “squeeze test” to squeeze a fist full of compost material into a ball, ensuring it holds its shape. If water drips out, the material is too moist, while if it doesn’t, it’s too dry.
How to make compost for beginners?
Composting is a crucial supplement for lawn and garden health, providing essential nutrients for plant growth and restoring soil vitality. It is easy to make, free, and beneficial for the environment. Composting creates rich humus, which adds nutrients to plants and helps retain soil moisture. It can also recycle up to 30% of household waste, diverting harmful methane gas from landfills. Compost also introduces beneficial organisms to the soil, helping aerate the soil, break down organic materials for plant use, and ward off plant disease.
Composting offers a natural alternative to chemical fertilizers, making it a cost-effective and environmentally friendly method for maintaining a healthy environment. By starting your compost pile on bare earth, lay twigs or straw first, and add compost materials in layers, alternating moist and dry conditions.
How do you make compost from wet waste at home?
To reduce household waste, segregate it into dry and wet waste in your kitchen. Place fruit peels, teabags, and leftovers of food in wet waste containers, while paper, plastic, and packaging are dry waste. Place the wet waste in the first compost pot, add dried leaves, and semi-composted material like buttermilk or cow dung. Turn the pile around every other day, maintaining the right level of dampness. Leave the pot open for 30-45 days for composting.
Once full, move the semi-composted matter into a larger container or bin. After two months, the waste will turn into rich compost that can be used or sold as manure. Avoid adding cooked food, meat, and dairy products to avoid a stench. It may take a couple of months to familiarize yourself with the composting process, but completing at least two cycles of composting can reduce waste generated in your city and contribute to an environment-conscious society.
📹 How To Make Compost – Fast and Easy
Tired of waiting for your compost to be ready? It can sometimes take years… unless you know these tricks of the trade which will …
Thank you, thank you, thank you. I don’t want to say how many articles I’ve watched over the last 2 years on how to compost only to end up more confused and overthinking it to the point of not even trying. Gardening should be enjoyable! You made this so easy to understand and now I can’t wait to get started.
Thank you for sharing. If you don’t have a compost bin, you can use hardware mesh roll up into a big cylinder tube. Cut the bottom 12″ up for opening to collect finished compost. Put it by the corner of the yard in shade. Fill up with kitchen scraps and dried leaves. Make sure to keep the pile moist ( just water when you water your garden) you’ll get a lot of compost when ready just collect from bottom.
For my home compost pile, where the kitchen scraps are put, I bought a small electric garden twig shredder, so when the under sink kitchen scaps caddy is full, I take it outside and feed the contents through the shredder prio to putting into the compost bin. This eliminates the egg shells down to tiny crumbs and breaks all the other materials into smaller pieces. So its all mixed up ready for the worms. This way it speeds up the process and all the compost produced is free of large items. So exactly the same process but just adding the shredder for consistency of finished size.
This is the first I’ve heard of this method and I’ve seen TONS of vids. Closest is the worm casting method where you grab the vermicompost from the bottom. Love the idea of putting EVERYTHING in there. Maybe I’ll put a nasty neighbor in one. LOL – just kidding, besides, he’s too fat! I need to “zen” myself and perusal you is helping. Great vid!
I didn’t think I could compost meat and eggs 🤔 I do compost egg shells and yes, they take a long time to break down. I’ve decided I’ll ground them down first before adding them to my compost bin. It’s my first time perusal you, I’ve liked and subscribed, thank you I really enjoyed this article. perusal from Australia. 🇦🇺🐨
Hello Nate. Great information as always. I’ve tried many many methods and you are right. The dirty little secret about compost is its always made on the bottom. I am always curious to learn something new. I can PM you and give you a great link that probably did more to enrich my knowledge than any thing else.
Hey Nate I just took my slow composter apart on the weekend and made sure it touches the ground before reassembling. (I knew better) FYI the audio in the house was low and muffled, outside was clean as allways but since I turned up my volume it kind of blasted the speakers. More important your message was loud and clear and we can all understand a glitch now and then. Its just that you always set the bar high when it comes to audio quality so when its off people notice. Nice healthy worms you got working for you. Insane weather are you going to take a chance and risk planting early? (I’m 5b Bolingbrook near Joliet IL)
Would it help to turn it periodically to incorporate oxygen throughout the pile? I ask because I am going to be a first time composter and I don’t want to screw it up. How many months does it take to produce the bottom nutritious soil? I really liked the article and subscribed. I appreciate the knowledge. Thank you What is the activator you used and how often or how much is needed?
I am binging out on your articles. I like your simple philosophy and how you present it. It’s quite entertaining besides educational. My husband and I grow in Tucson, Arizona. Some things here are a bit more challenging but we grow year round. Also funny, I notice you buy seed from Baker Creek….my favorite seed vendor. Thank you for the articles.
in my experience u can put anything in the compost pile, however i do not put oil, or grease…everything else goes to the compost…yes, even orange peels, lemon and or lime leftovers, milk, some types of cheese, yogourt (if is moldy)…egg shells i use for something else…meat just dig a hole deep enough and cover it with the top soil…never have a problem, never have critters coming and digging, never have bad smells on the compost…I cover it with plastic to retain heat…water when it rains and that is it..
I have one of those spinny compost bins and it’s so useless I’m literally starting a pile right next to it… It’s always super wet for no reason and I’ve never harvested compost from it cuz i think all the compost just dissolves and drips out the bottom when it rains… No i don’t know how the rain gets in
You can bury veggie, fruit and even meat scraps right in the garden. I’ve been doing it all summer. Not in a single instance has anything been dug up by animals. Remember that animals bury their urine and feces. And humans have traditionally buried foods for fermenting, because the soil masks the smell. It’s worked great on my garden this year.
I COMPOST..so my question is…isn’t all completed compost good?I just ise 3 compost tumblers and have had great success.My first batch was beautiful…I have had to do some correction with one bin but it’s easily turned around.I usually just need to add my saved leaves..I am wondering I guess if compost completed is good.Can compost that looks great not be good either too high or low in something?
Good article. I admire you guys and gals that can do this. For me…not my cup of tea, I don’t have what it takes. In the fall, I put a layer of grass clippings and dry leaves on top of my raised beds and let them rest for our cold Wyoming winters. IN the spring, I go out to a farmer/rancher in my area who makes compost out of cow manuer and sawdust. Good stuff! I can get a ton for $45. I put it in on my beds and work it into the top few inches of the bed a few weeks before planting. My garden loves it! Compost is the key for a great garden. Thanks for the article.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13) Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Luke 13:5)
A thought…..I cleaned out my gutters and added that to my compost pile. I noticed most of the organic material in my gutters were already broke down and compost. This happened fairly quick as I keep them cleaned out. The common ingredient was water. Seems to me large amounts of rainwater will at least in theory be like our gutters. I have been really soaking my pile trying to simulate my gutters. Thoughts?
I like your article the very best, you simplify things and do not make it seem like there are so many rules……you encouraged me when you said that YOU CAN COMPOST ANYTHING…….EVEN AN ANIMAL …..(A SMALL ONE I BET) …….BUT I HATE TO THROW AWAY BONES, SKIN AND ALL THEN TURN AROUND ANY BUY BONE MEAL…..WOW
Hey my friend! So glad I found your website! Been BingeWatching for the last two weeks-Luv everything! Especially because you’re in a similar growing zone (I’m in UP-state NY zone 5) most garden websites I’ve found are in southern states and don’t contend with LATE spring warm-up or short growing seasons. We actually we just got 2 feet of snow last weekend and looks like another storm’s heading our way in a few days! Aaaaagghhhh to live in the proverbial “GreatWhiteNorth”!!! Speaking of cold…I have a question about how to jump start/reactivate my (frozen) compost? First time making a compost bin…I used an old black garbage can that I drilled holes in sides and bottom-in fall used it during garden clean up but then just kitchen waste through the winter, so hasn’t been turned and little to no “browns” since fall. So it’s a frozen slimy mess! I’d really like a way to incorporate my own compost of some sort into my brand new vegetable gardens for spring! Any tips? I also wanted to try leaf mold/compost as well-we have about 1 1/2 acres that butt up to forest land. My concern with this is we had a terrible flea infestation last year (1st time in Over 20 yrs living in our house) and ticks are nasty as well…learned alot about those nasty parasites while trying to eradicate them from our house, Huskies and yard! My worry is that apparently the fleas and ticks Love to live, hide and hibernate in leaf and grass clipping piles!?!?!! What are your thoughts on this? I haven’t been able to find Anything about it.
yeah, the no dairy-meat-poultry rules are so you don’t draw rats. I’m out in the country and they’re everywhere but I’ve got hardware cloth on my container too! I think we have the same one. oh, before I go, I opened the lid one day expecting alot of worms but found this loud slimey wiggly mass of larvae devouring everything. BSFL! I was grossed out but looked it up and they are agricultural gold. I’m sure you know about them already but some of your readers might not. My chickens love them, and they just show up when it gets hot here. and yes, they will devour anything. Even an ex-husband 🤫
Thanks my friend! If your bin is secured from predators and rodents absolutely compost meat. I had some roadkill rabbit and squirrels on the street i live on. Picked them up and buried in the compost. 130 degrees now. At the time i was fed up with hot composting and then it got hot lol wu wei. This year gonna build a hot pile once and then just keep adding on top best of both worlds. As always thanks Nate.
This method might work OK in some regions, but not so well where I live in the Houston area, which is sub-tropical. I tried this out, only to discover I merely created a giant ant-feeding factory. Houston is the fire ant capital of the world. A cold style compost system that incorporates meat, eggs & dairy will foster an explosion of fire ants, unless one buries every scrap of meat, dairy & eggs with dirt. And even then, some fire ants will dig through the dirt & find the food.
I have always had a worm farm ( 20 years) which has infiltrated my slow compost bin and everything place else 😂 I can not longer turn a hot pile, my only issue is the amount of seeds, especial,millions of tomatoes I’m thinking of buy a truning composted to put though the cold pile, once ive resued the worms 😂😂 😂 any other suggestions, loving your information ❤
Cold composting everything for six years now…works like a charm, only a bit different in that I let the bin ‘rest’ for six months before harvesting the lot, sifting it before bagging. I have four bins rotating and move them the garden also to get the ‘ground’ benefit. Thanks for your knowledge over the years: much appreciated :-))
I live in an area where nature also provides lots and lots of ants….and have had to stop prior composting of kitchen scraps, even if buried or in a closed composting container (they get in) due to the number of ants it attracted. Might try again with only leaves and grass clippings, no kitchen scraps.
I’m into seaweed compost and Hugelkulture. I live on the Oregon Coast. We get piles of giant bull kelp. Works wonders for Hugelkulture. I’m experimenting with mostly kelp compost piles. Apparently u can use it to refresh old potting soil too. Just layer seaweed with old potting soil and it turns into perfect compost in no time. Breaks down fast. Love seaweed. I think the secret to Tera Pretta Amazon black soil is algae aka seaweed. From the Amazon river. They found algae in the soil. I wonder if they didn’t inncoculate the biochar with live algae and that’s how it magically regenerates. See, Spirulina grows in the Amazon and thrives in an Alkaline environment. I would totally experiment if I knew someone with a Spirulina farm.
Nate, what are your thoughts on grub worms in the compost? I’m getting hundreds of them, I think from the flys that are attracted to my kitchen scraps. My compost comes out great, just freaked out about them fat white grubs possibly getting into my beds and wrecking some havoc. I’ve been picking them out by hand when I screen the compost.
I think I am just going to stop perusal composting articles now. Between getting into it, overcomplicating my thinking, nothing ever got composted. I am just going to remember my great great grandparents did this and they didnt even know what nitrogen was, or how to read. Pretty sure I can pop a bitchin compost if I just dont go crazy with anything in there.
Starting off with some rockdust if you have but especially biochar that will help everything so much then also growing and adding comfrey creates a powerful rich compost overtime. I personally avoid animal flesh and most animal products but egg shells ground up real nice are a great addition to speed up their break down significantly.
although i’m not sure if this is why i stopped having mice near the compost after i started to add a lot of spent coffee grounds into the mix and stale coffee that nerver got consumed. i am curious if this worked for anyone else? i can’t be certain its worked because i dont set up a camera but all signs of them being there have gone.
the only thing I would add to that, that it is worthy to cover the whole lot if your compost container has an open top . Just cover it with the foil or something on a hot summer day, and than also uncover on a rainy day, so it stays wet. It speeds things up nicely. Some articlees You’re coming up with man, and the simplicity… so good
Ok Nate, I will be honest. This didn’t help me at all 😢 I will love to know if you have a compost method that can breakdown a giant pile without having to turn it over. I have way too much stuff to put in a barrel. I have a giant pile of browns and greens that I will love to turn into rich soil. I don’t add meat or dairy directly into that, just to avoid critters- I compost those separately in bins/buckets and then after a few months, add it to the big pile. Any tips how I can expedite the process? Thanks in advance
Love the content Nate! I looked at composting the same way you do, why shouldn’t I compost meats or dairy? It composts in nature just fine so I didn’t understand why so many places were saying not to. I have been adding meat and dairy to my compost since i started composting and I’ve never had any issues at all. Keep up the great content!
I’m not sure why this popped up for me after so long. But yes, forget the ratios, forbidden items, and all the other BS. If you throw anything that was once alive in your bin it will break down. Just keep it moist and in a few months you’ll get compost. I do avoid meats because of rodent issues but you do you guys. Don’t throw that food/garden waste in the trash.
Are you going to make a fast compost article? I really need to know your way of doing this. I’m on a very fixed income, and trying to make ends meet. Gardening is one way I can do this, but the expense of getting compost, soil,and equipment to keep it going. I have neighbors help me out to set up my raised beds.I started a compost in my yard near my beds out of large sticks for walls to hold it in and for air flow. I cover the top to both heat it up and keep critters out. I turn it some what regularly but not getting much results.I really like this article but need a cheap and fast way to do this. O help me garden Viking your my only hope. As she says in star wars.
Sorry for the gross question: dog poo? Can I clean the yard with my 2 dogs’ poo and put them at the top of the bin, and cover with leaves as you said? And/or, and I throw in compostable bags in there, like if I walked the dogs, picked it up with compostable bags, and throw the bags on top? Thank you 🙏🏾🙏🏾🙏🏾
Omg you won’t get compost for 8-9-10 months but quit all your stuff. 1. Gather leaves 2 mow to shred 3. Bag saturate tie shut 4. Poke 3-4 holes in top 5. Put out of sight/way 6. Forget about them Then along about late August carefully open the bag and grin from ear to ear. I did six 39 gallon bags which yielded 2 large totes of gold
Most look at me funny when I say I compost, meats, dairy, oils, diapers (we get a bamboo one) I have a 3 bin setup (each the size of a pallet): 1 to add, 1 to age and 1 to use. This year has been the first year I’ve been able to actually use the ‘use’ bin. 4 wheelbarrow fulls and I’m 1/3rd of the way though it! Slow compost is the way to go, so much easier than trying to manage it, you’ve got a garden to manage, ignore your compost.
A really good idea to have that soil thermometer. Fine tuning the temp can speed the process up even faster. Even if you’re not in s super hurry, just observing the temp changes as the biology rises and falls and as the pile is turned over makes for a fantastic lesson that will never fade, along with feeling the spongy pile as you construct it, adding in the fresh manure on a spring day, perusal it turn dark dark brown in just weeks. These things bring us closer to the life-giving properties of the soil. Ben is an awesome teacher who knows what it takes to get healthy food into our homes!
I have only recently found your website, you are such a joy to watch 🙂 always so cheerful and inspiring. I have a hot bin, which I don’t seem to be able to keep hot! I shall keep going with it though of course and not give up at this challenge. I gardened a lot before children but am getting back to it now that they are older. I did well last year, my little 8mx5m garden faces west but half is in shade, but I know I will keep improving year on year, we learn and grow with our gardens!
I love your website. You have a very charming personality. Your enthusiasm and passion for gardening clearly shines through and always gets me in the mood to get out there and try things out. I’ve been growing tomatoes, cucumbers, spinach, lettuce, carrots, peppers, strawberries, beans and even melons which I couldn’t have done without inspiring people like you. So thank you very much for being such an inspiration. Keep up the good work.
Gardening has been really impactful in the way I think about time. I stopped being in a hurry and started thinking things like “5 years is pretty quick” about projects and trees. It’s made me really aware of how many harvests I have left in my life. Makes me feel connected to a life lived long ago when people tracked everything around the harvest. Getting stuff faster than 1 time a year feels like cheating time.
Thank you, as I moved to a heritage farm,am trying to progress with some plantation,making green house,it’s quite challenging because the area is desert climate some how, and one of the challenges ground water salty, and only some leafs planted in similar farms, am doing my research into this, it’s in UAE out side dubai
Interesting and helpful article. I’ve hot-composted for years and the suggestion of mixing greens and browns in a ration of 50/50 is helpful. I use leaves a lot in my compost and to expedite the process, I’m in the habit of finely shredding my leaves. And, while I’m not obsessive with sticking to the 50/50 mix, keep in mind that the volume of finely shredded leaves is reduced to about 1/5 of unshredded leaves.
I love your website! I did manage to grow some zucchinis, beans, lettuce, spinach, chard and of course a lot of herbs onboard this summer in planting bags. The zucchini didn’t produce a lot, but I was late starting. Very excited to do more next year. We have been discussing a compost on board and this is what we considered… chop the veg matter briefly in a food processor and layer that with paper (instead of recycling) and some existing soil in a 5gal bucket, with holes on the side for air. Cover with a lid because of our winter storms. What do you think? We want to start small on the boat.
Thanks for another great article! You are one of my favorites! I am sure, it would be a hillarious sight for my neighbores to see me twinkle on the compost heap directly (as a female), but I do sometimes use a bucket…early in the morning…when my family is still a sleep… One question: fresh green leaves are still brown materials, right? 💚
Excellent article!!! I especially like how you used the Element Chart entry for Nitrogen #7. Brings back good memories. Yes I do use a lot of what you went over in this article. There are coffee machine manufacturers that make coffee using fully compostable ‘pods’, so if you can locate or work in an office that has this type of machine, you will have unlimited quantities of spent coffee grounds to use where ever you want to in the garden. Thank you again!!!
I enjoy your sense of humor! I have 3 rotating compost bins as well as a bigger circular bin that I don’t bother to turn though it still manages to cook away at a pretty good rate. It’s my opinion that it’s the worms in my bins that are responsible for giving me so much compost so quickly. On really hot days I will lift the lid on the rotating bins to keep the worms from cooking. It can get really hot it there!
Im happy to hv found this article . I hv a question …sorry i hv no experience in gardering but id like to start from somewhere and i think starting from how to make compost is great! So, u say that we can use kitchen skraps but since its opened on the ground not gonna atract rats, some kind of birds etc or ?Im always afraid to trow it direct on the ground .
two months ago me and my girlfiriend moved into my grandmothers cottage and we love it here a week ago she built a compost from old pallets and its starting to get really nice I’m 26 and I’m so proud of myself that I realized that moving out from the city is the way moving forward nice article by the way, I like your website
I really love your sense of humor and upbeat way of explaining things! I love composting. I was just reading up on a Japanese way of anaerobic composting that causes fermentation. Supposedly, the biggest vegetables ever. Have you ever experimented with this style? Thank you again for making gardening so fun and energetic!
We keep a small 2 gallon composter bin on our apartment patio and put clippings from when the complex landscapes (grass clippings and dead leaves), kitchen scraps, and coffee grounds. We put broken up egg shells and minced avocado peels in there too. Every couple days I’ll shake the bin to toss the compost inside to get it aerated. The egg shells work wonders for getting peppers to fruit because of all the calcium in them. We currently have 5 medium sized potted pepper plants and a roma tomato plant that are fruiting.
Hey Ben, guess what!!! This article of yours just confirmed my own recent experiment. My composting area was taking the expected time to breakdown, according to what I was reading online. I became a little impatient and thought surely this could breakdown more quickly if I chopped everything I add to it. WOW!!!! It worked and now you’ve just confirmed my simple experiment. Thank you, thank you for all your knowledge and sharing. I LOVE your website :):):):):)
This was funny and informative. We always enjoy your content. We live in Northern California where there is drought so we have to add water. Question – How often should I turn my compost pile? From your article, it seems you turn it when it is full and then leave it? Mine has been heaped up with the end of the tomato plants and lots of fallen leaves. Thanks again for all you do.
Wow such great information Ben. I used pallets to make two bins side by side and every couple of weeks fork the compost from one to the other empty one which is basically turning it and yes, it does definitely speed up the composting process as you say. Here’s a thought, how about making a article on setting up a worm farm using an old bath tub. Set it off the ground a little and put a container under the plug hole to catch the liquid gold worm wee. A bit of soil, some veggie scraps, garden waste and a bit of old sacking to cover them works great. Thank you.
I experienced that cardboard and grass clippings both create that slimy layer, even when used sparely and cut up so my go to brown material is leaves, i also use leaves to make leave mould, and have somewhere around 3000L of leaved safed up, this will quickly shrink but i keep safing up leaves so i can use them as brown material next year for the heap, once greens start flutting in again 🙂
I confess to have CCD, compulsive composting disorder!! 😉 I go out collecting leafy material, this year I’ve invested in a petrol leaf vacuum and shredder as I go out for 6 large builders bags, I will store these for later use. I also collect ‘greens’ from the forestry fire prevention clearance and scoop up the horse poop and yes pee does find its way onto the heap. NB; beware that if adders are present in your area they might be nesting in the warmth of the heap, nasty fright for us both. Thanks for another great article
Lovely article Ben, and as you say it’s the best time now to do it. I’m waiting for a dry day to do mine,as ATM we having alot of rain on the south east cost. I helped cut my nans hedge down by about 8inchs or so and brought home all I could of that to be able to add to the heap. Have loads of cardboard boxes to rip up,gonna spend one of the wet days and put a Christmas film on,it’s time to start them lol, and get all the cardboard ready….have got pop up bings full of spent crops we have got all small and ready to go in. Everything is in its on piles ready to mix together just need a dry day to put it together.but ATM the only dry day we had was yesterday and had to go get some new clothes for my grandads frunnel as nothing I had was suitable.took longer then I like cloths shopping,hate it!!! But it’s done now,so I can concentrate on the garden again. Also another drytime,need a couple of dry days,we gonna go get loads of forest leaves,and a bit of dirt too, to make a load of leaf mold… Or gold soil lol looking forward too it. Never been so happy for this time of year lol usually I’m moaning it’s cold and wet and blaa now I’m like shall we do this or that or ahhh today we have new broadbean seeds come,let’s go play them … Lol my support worker doesn’t know what to do with me.
In the suburbs where I live, it has become impossible to compost in any kind of open system, as rats eat all the kitchen scraps. (I got a ComposTumbler, but it is so cumbersome to add to, and hard to turn, and I would not buy again! Will need a 2nd something enclosed once it is full, soon.) Rodents also eat any edible greens I try to grow, and I have given up. I’ve been told I have to build cages around my 3 raised beds, but I know I have too much depression to end up even using them, as unlocking and re-securing the cages will be far too much trouble to pick a few things every day. Also the rats are so smart, they will get in anyway, unless constantly repaired. I looked into getting owl nesting boxes, but apparently in our dense suburbs (especially my tree-filled garden!), the only owls who would hunt there are too small to eat adult rats. I can’t deal with cats nor cat poop in my garden, and won’t use poisons. Please do a article on how to discourage rodents from eating everything! They even eat all my miners’ lettuce (a tasty local weed where I live!) over the winters now. Love your articles, and your cheerful, can-do attitude! I need the inspiration and the kindness!
Yay…to Guinea pigs…,we love ours dearly but they are also working animals….they “mow” the lawn because we move their outdoor run every day…and their hutch clearings provide a wonderfully bulky accelerator to the compost heap…we fill and need to turn over a cubic metre bin every 4-5 weeks…and it is ready to use in 3 months🎃🎃🎃. Jinxy
We should be having engineers trying to find a way to do this on a mass scale to fight climate change. I’ve been composting for a few years and have found urine + straw makes great compost in the hot season. In the winter season urine + wood ash makes great fertilizer. During the cold season after scoping out the stove ash and dumping it into a hole in the backyard my two sons gladly contribute, they think it’s fun playing fireman peeing out the hot coals in the ash perusal it poof and hiss. After a few months and a much lighter water bill my rose bushes and the surrounding trees are very happy with the free plant food.
For anybody focused on the “Fast” part of composting I would advise a few things from experience. Cardboard is a big no-no for fast composting. That takes forever to decompose completely. And if worms love it so much then why don’t I ever see any? But that’s besides the point. Straw/hay should be avoided as well even if a little less so. If you won’t avoid it I would suggest spreading it out and mowing it over or you will be stuck like me waiting for just that to finish composting (The advice is compost is done when you don’t recognize any of the ingredients anymore and it isn’t hot, just fyi). But just flat out avoid cardboard. The rest will finish and the pile will cool down and you’ll have to decide between just waiting it out, or adding more greens to make the pile hot a second (and possible a third) time, or sifting out all the straw/cardboard manually. Also it’s great to throw the plants in at the end of the season but even if you take the time to cut them up before adding them it still takes a long time because they are thicker and woodier. Grass clippings on the other hand are also a green but they can be broken down very quickly. If you had a pile with mowed leaves for browns and grass clippings it would be finished and ready to use WAAAAY before a pile with straw/cardboard and kitchen scraps/weeds/plants will be. Add 2 months at minimum to the latter to get it finished if you don’t sift.
I would advise against using cardboard. While it is an easily available source of carbon and will compost just fine, there are almost always additives that you don’t know about and probably don’t want in your compost. The coorugated cardboard you showed contained adhesives at the very least. Bleaching substances and other non-compostabele chemical compounds are very often present in paper products.
I have three insulated wheelie bins. I chick every thing in the bin in any quantity. Cooked or raw . Every 1st Jan I empty a bin and I have lovely brown 3 year old compo . I then start the empty bin . Each bin is in rotation 3 yrs . So one year filling then left 2 years Non-messing no mixing no adding in poxy correct quantities and no air hole in wheelie bins apart from 20x 8 mm holes in base . Its slimy and smelly during its first year towards winter but after 2 years being left alone it’s fine .
Great vid,,, I’m making my own compost at home,, I am a fisherman, I have made a compost out of kelp and dried Langoustine shells, lots of autumn leaves and I threw a old bag of alfalfa that I had in my hut,,, last summer was the first time I had used the shells in my compost and my tomatoes that had that compost were noticeably bigger, greener, healthier,, bigger leaves better fruit,,
Be a good high bacterial dominant compost, good for the brassica, but tea and coffee remains are brown, they have been dried, cooked and drained. And a higher fungal compost, 60-70% brown, and 30-40% green is the best. Turning constantly will retard the fungal hyphae development, which is required, just look at johnson-su
Hello Ben, i very much like all your explenations of the veggie garden. In this article you talked about animal 💩 adding to the compost pile. Now we got 3 birds at our home. Can you use their 💩 also on the pile? Yes or no and maybe a why? Maybe others also have a idea about it. Greetings Dennis from the Netherlands👨🏼🌾
My heaps are just in piles next to any bed covered in card – I need to get some bins as we can get wood ones cheaply from our Marie in France – but they are not so big as yours so we may need to use pallets. I have 4 chickens which is just enough for eggs, less feed costs and work; a lovely accelerator for the heaps, so if you can keep chooks they are worth their weight!
Some bad news and some good news for you here….Just FYI, Urine is sterile…there are no bacteria in it to help the compost. Not only is it sterile, its actually anti-microbial, and the buildup of urea from pile pissin regularly will kill off the helpful microbes your looking to have colonize your pile. So, Xnay on the pissin. The good news however, is that if you poo on it, that can be quite beneficial for it. You could build a little porta lou right on top of the pile, just don’t forget TP, you wont want to wipe with compost leaves, you would never be able to tell if you were done wiping!
Hi Ben Just a little tip to really get a fast compost. I put everything from my veg n fruit beds in the heap, but to get it faster i chop EVERYTHING TO no longer than 4 inches this really does make a big difference. Ok its extra work but well worth it i find…. And I’ve arthritis in my hands/wrists..🤣👍
I don’t believe you can make good compost in 3 months, 6 is more like it as a minimum. You haven’t mentioned the ecological advantages though, instead of having all your composting ingredients taken away in plastic bins, simply use them. The only things which go in our bins here are plastics and glass, everything else we use here, most of it gets composted. I never ever leave the paper or the garden waste bin out so the bin lorry never has to stop at our house, if everyone who had a garden did this the total savings would be huge. The really silly thing is garden rubbish which gets collected by the Council gets sold to commercial compost makers who then sell it back to you in plastic bags, it’s bonkers. Cut them out of the deal and keep it at home.
Ben, I have two questions: 1 – What do you think of bokashi as a compost activator/accelerator? (I think it is supposed to be used in contained composting like a tumbler, but not in open-air composting…not sure….) 2 – What do you think of adding natural pine pellets (horse bedding that I use as cat litter box filler) to compost piles? (I’m assuming it’s a carbon/brown.)
Thank you for clarifying that even brown dead grass is actually nitrogen although it looks like carbon …I don’t have access to animal manure but do have coffee grounds daily …I do need to turn more often but am guessing in the Deep South that’s not doable in 100 degrees but do add water …your compost looks amazing …as always thanks for your knowledge and expertise…
I’ve been making my own compost for literally decades, using pallets but screwed together to make a more solid structure, and including a fourth side. I also have some corrugated iron on the top of them which are on hinges so I can open them as and when required. I use paper from my shredder – all that junk mail is gold for the compost! To be honest, I learnt nothing new in this article but that didn’t detract in any way from the professional, informative and mildly excited (!) delivery, the elegant filming and editing and the wonderful English garden surroundings. Frankly the article (as are all of your articles) was a delight to watch. Thank you so much for brightening my morning (and reminding me it’s time to turn two of my four stewing compost bins!!). :goodvibes:🤗👍🐛🐜🪲🐞🦗🪳🕷🍃🍂🍁☘🌿🌾🌻🪱
there is a quick activation method not mentioned here: a mixture of water, sugar, bakers yeast and nitrogen fertilizer. One bucket of this mix sprinkled over and mixed into a 3 foot high pile of grass clippings will get the pile cooking! Cell walls will get broken down and get your composting effort a great head start.
Can you help me? Im trying to understand how turning over the compost pile is in keeping with “no til” gardening? Or is it not? Im just kind of confused as to what is best? I have experienced weeds popping up in my garden as soon as I start mixing up/turning over the soil. What are your thoughts on this?
I apologize for the off-subject question; I recently purchased four plastic pools and plan on growing my potatoes in them this season. I was asked if I was aware that the plastic would leach into the soil and poison my food? I planned on placing some barrier against the sun but is using pools and bad idea?
I don’t let my compost finish. When nearly done I sift my compost using 1/2″ hardware cloth. The plants really love being in what is still composting and take off like rockets. I get huge plants that produce like crazy because there food is still being made and there are plenty of enzymes. Now for those stink bugs and Japanese beetles…
How much natural accelerant is needed and how often? I built of compost bin earlier this year which is a cubic meter I tend to collect up to about 4 litres of the natural stuff and then pour on it at any one time and I have done this so far 3x since the spring. Is that too much and does it need to be watered down?
So, I recently read an article about peeing around your plants to increase health of the plants. After getting over my laughing fit from reading the story. I informed my husband that he needed to “help my plants out” by re-leaving himself on my recently planted bushes. Now I will be informing hime that he also has to “help out my compose” doing the same. As always Ben, thanks great information.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. (Romans 10:13) Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. (Psalms 51:1-4)
Hi Ben! I ended up getting a compost tumbler. How often do you recommend giving it a good turn? I’ve seen everything from twice a day to every 2-3 days to once a week. Can you advise? Love your book! Would you do another one specifically for indoor vegetable growing for those of us with homes that don’t get much sun? Thank you! Love from Aus!
I cover mine with a plastic tarp to keep the heat and moisture in. Be very careful using manure and straw, as many fields are now sprayed with Grazon to keep the weeds down in the hay. Same with lawn clippings from yards sprayed with Weed ‘n’ Feed or a similar product. It will make great looking compost that will kill or stunt your plants. I learned this all the hard way. A compost thermometer is a must. I use one made by Cootway that is multi-colored for easier heat identification as opposed to the gray ones.
I combined raising rabbits and composting as 1 system. I built a 9 foot x 3 foot compost pile and that was part of the structure to build a rabbit hutch across the entire heap. I read rabbit urine was not something you wanted in the compost but I never had any issue. Come fall I gather about 50 bags of leaves from our tree and slowly add that to the pile during the winter. Come spring its all broken down. I also added red wigglers to the heap to speed up decay faster and I had a compost that was full of worm castings. This is called vermicomposting.
Another great article Ben! Loved the pumpkin #short too! What would you say is better? A “darlek” type bin or an open air one, like with pallets/ chicken wire? Our current Darlek bin is full, as well a builders bucket. We still have a lot of courgette greens to compost but have been keeping them in the containers as they are still alive but not doing much other than keeping the soil active. With the heavy rain, our tomatoes got blight and died. I was hoping to try and over winter a cutting as an experiement but we was away during the storms and came back to dead plants. 🙁 We did however, buy some lovely garlic bulbs from the Garlic Farm, whilst we were away. We got 2×2 Hard neck and the same for soft neck. Was a quick visit to the shop so i wrote the names on the paper bag and took photos and now they are sitting in the fridge ready for planting. I am hoping that we have at least 36 good enough for planting. These bulbs though, do look better than the ones we ordered from Suttons last year. We also have the Kingsland Wight again and there is no comparison to quality, so will probably get them from the farm again next year, if we don’t have any saved cloves. Was also tempted to get the elephant garlic, even just to try but they just sold them in cloves and not bulbs and i think that they will also be too big, interplanted with the tomatoes. The price of the bulbs was £3 each or 4 for £10 and you can mix and match. Elephant garlic was £3 each for one clove. They also had loads of preserves, pottery, utensils and other bits and bobs.
The bag from tea bags is generally plastic or plastic infused and will never break down. For those that claim to be biodegradable, read the small print. Most only breakdown in commercial composting facilities that get the temperature very high for a long time. And no, you won’t set your compost bin on fire.
Great information mate, I didn’t realize I was throwing good compost away. I’ve also put banana peels in the water so that my plants can get potassium. I’ve also used goat and Guinea pig poop as manure. Every time my daughter cleans out her Guinea pig cage I always ask for the poop especially when it’s soaked in Pee and she just looks at me funny.
I am convinced that my neighbours are convinced, that I am mad. 😉 Instead of bagging up loads and loads of fallen leaves every Fall only to be picked up and carried off by the ‘garbage’ collector I rake the entire lawn, front and back, again and again. Throwing loads and loads of fallen leaves into the back of my pickup truck. Cover them up with a tarp so they don’t fly away and off I go, I haul them away….to the farm. Truly, they are the absolute best thing going for the compost heap. Carried off in bags to God knows where? I don’t think so!