Making your own compost bin at home is something that’s quite easy to do and will hardly cost you anything at all! It’s a great way of doing your bit for the planet and provides excellent nutrient-rich fertilizer for your garden. The best part is, you can do it at home all by yourself!
If you’d like to make a compost bin at home, we’re here to help! Just follow these step-by-step instructions.
1. Choose Your Bin
To start off, you can either buy a large plastic bin or use something you have at home. It should be at least 24 inches tall and should have a lid that fits tightly to keep creatures out and keep the soil nice and moist. Choose a nice, neutral color that’ll blend in with your backyard. A storage container like this one would be perfect for your compost bin and it costs less than 10 bucks.
2. Drill Holes in the ‘Bin’
Using a drill, make several small holes in the bottom of the container you’ve chosen. This is so that your compost will be aerated. Healthy compost needs oxygen. Don’t make too many holes, about 8-10 would do.
3. Drill Holes in the Lid
Drill another 8-10 holes in the lid of your compost bin to help with the air flow. Once you start composting, make sure the lid is securely placed on the top.
4. Make the Base for Your Bin
Put some dry leaves (if you’ve got a lot of those lying around) or shredded papers on the bottom of your bin, creating a base for it. Fill it up to about 1/8-1/4th full.
5. Add Soil
Now, place a thick layer of soil over the newspaper and leaves. Fill the container about halfway full with dirt.
6. Put In Your Compost Materials
Now it’s time to place your compost materials in the bin. These include any food scraps you’ve got or paper products. Here’s a complete list of things you can compost and things you shouldn’t. You can compost things like eggshells and lint, while things like lime and animal manure are considered off-limits especially since they can carry disease.
7. Turn Your Compost
Using a shovel or a stick, turn your compost every now and then. The food scraps should be covered with dirt. The purpose of turning your compost is so that it will be well aerated and won’t rot.
8. Water Your Compost
Your compost should be moist, but not too much to the point where its soaking wet. Spray some lukewarm water in it every now and then. If your compost starts smelling bad, it’s probably because you’ve watered it too much.
9. Place Your Compost Bin in a Good Spot
Place the compost bin in an area that’s shady and some distance away from your house. If you haven’t got a backyard or a lot of garden space, or if you live in an apartment, you can have it on the patio. Don’t place it in full sun since this will dry it out.
10. Start Collecting Your Compost Materials
Now that your compost bin is all set up, start collecting your food scraps! Every time you add your compost materials into the bin, make sure you give it a good sti. This will help things to break down faster. Keep a small container in your kitchen and put all your food scraps in it, making sure to dump it soon before things begin to rot.
So that’s it! All you have to do now is to wait for about 2-3 months to use your compost. You can use it in your garden or your yard as potting soil or mulch. You can also use the compost as lawn conditioner, by sprinkling some of it over the grass. However, remember not to use it all up, since you need about 1/3 of the compost to keep the process going continuously.
Wrapping Up
As you can see, making your own compost bin at home is pretty easy! It’ll cost you less than $10, but if you use a container you have at home, then it’ll cost absolutely nothing! All it requires is a little of attention and effort so enjoy the process and happy composting!
