HOME COMPOSTER

Composting has become a favorite pastime in many homes. Many families will make their own design. A good composter will be found in the yards of the more environmentally minded. To build your own composter construct two bins out of planks or concrete blocks. Make the bins about 4 feet high, 4 feet wide, as long as desired, and open at one end for easy access. Leave spaces between blocks or planks for aeration. Plant refuse may be accumulated in one bin while the composting process is taking place in the other. A third bin may be desirable for nearly finished or finished compost storage.

A simple, portable compost bin can be made with three or four sturdy used pallets that are simply stood on their ends in a square or open square and lashed or otherwise held together. This type of bin can be disassembled for easy turning and emptying, then reassembled around the new pile.

A chicken wire cage supported by three or four wooden stakes will also work satisfactorily, but is not as sturdy.

There are also ready-made and kit composters available, including slat-sided cylinders into which refuse is added from above and compost removed at ground level.

Rotating barrels for easy turning are also available. Whichever type of compost maker you use, it’s a good idea to make use of the nutrients that leach out from under the pile. This is easily done by locating the composter in the garden (which also reduces hauling time), or under a large fruit tree, or by making some provision to catch the runoff from the pile and use it as liquid fertilizer.

Consider the many benefits of using a compost bin for a healthy garden:

• Save precious landfill space.
• Create yard and garden fertilizer!
• Enrich soil for planting and gardening year-round.
• Fun and educational for the entire family.