What is a Compost Bin?

• Compost is an all-natural soil amendment that is absolutely free. By using a designated bin to put ordinary "garbage" into, you can turn leaves, grass clippings, soft prunings, fruit and vegetable parts, tea leaves or bags, coffee grounds, cow and horse manure and fireplace ash into compost that's better for your plants than a commercial fertilizer. Using compost improves your soil, adds aeration and helps sandy soil retain water.
  
  

Compost Pile

• The easiest "bin" is also the most time-honored. Cordon off a section of your garden with planks of wood, and pile composting materials inside the resulting frame.
  
  

Chicken Wire Bin

• One step up from this is a chicken wire compost bin. Using 10 feet of 36-inch wide galvanized chicken wire, heavy wire strips and four metal or wooden posts, you can create a tidy bin. To do so, simply fold back about three inches of chicken wire at each end, stand the chicken wire up in a circle, cut the wire strips into tie lengths and attach the ends of the chicken wire together with them. Make the bin sturdier by placing posts around the circle; hold the posts tight against the edge of the bin and pound into place.
  
  

Fence Bin

• If you prefer, make a similar compost bin out of four pressure-treated wooden posts (about 4 feet long - or you can use metal posts), heavy wire pieces and 13 feet of snow fencing that's 3 or 4 feet high. To build, pound the posts into the ground, three feet apart, creating the corners of your square compost bin. Cut the wire into appropriate lengths for ties and attach the snow fence to the outside of the posts with the wire. To attach the fence ends together, tie them with more wire.
  
  

Garbage Can Bin

• Find an old, street curb garbage can that's a dark color. (A light-colored can works, but it will take longer for your kitchen and garden scraps to turn into compost; darker colors heat up faster, encouraging the decomposing process.) Using an electric drill, drill holes all over the body and lid of the garbage can to let in air.
  
  

Make Your Bin Work Better

• The best compost bin in the world will always work better if you do the following: Place smaller ingredients into it, mix the contents frequently and add a thin layer of soil to the bin now and then. You'll also make better compost if you fill your bin with a variety of ingredients. For example, if you have lots of grass clippings and not much else, your compost won't be as effective.