How To Build Compost BinsBuild yourself nifty compost bins and turn your unused garden waste into an enchanting garden. There's no reason your soil shouldn't be as rich as it can be! And you don't have to spend the last of your hard-earned pennies just to make the veggies grow, take it from me. If it's one thing gnomes can't stand, it is a human wasting what they think is trash that can easily be turned into a wonderful natural fertilizer ! Building A Simple Round BinMaking your bin requires not much more than scraps and elbow grease. To build a simple one, purchase or scrounge a length of chicken wire or wire fencing around home or at your local home and gardening store. Figure out the approximate diameter you'd like your circular bin to be and estimate the length of chicken wire by multiplying the diameter by Pi, which is about 3.14. So, if you want a bin with a 3-foot diameter, here is the math:3 x 3.14 = 9.42 You’ll need about 9 1/2 feet of wire for your outer wall. Purchase or scrounge four pieces of scrap wood to use as stakes, and make sure they are a few inches taller than the chicken wire or wire fencing. And while you're at it, purchase some refills for your staple gun, as this will come in handy later. At home, lay the chicken wire out, curly-side down. This will make the process a lot easier on you, as its natural curl is hard to beat unless you smooth it across the ground. 
Place one of your stakes underneath the chicken wire, a couple inches from the end of the length. Make sure the top end is flush with the wire so that a few inches are not covered on the bottom on the stake. Staple it in place. Repeat every couple of feet with the remaining stakes. Then, overlap the wire ends on the last stake, stapling both ends of the wire to that stake to create a circle. Pick the perfect place for your compost bin, and stand the circle upright so that the exposed points of the wood are pointing down. I've been around for along time, and so it's safe to say you will want your compost bin out of direct sunlight to avoid overheating! With a hammer or mallet, secure the stakes a few inches into the ground. Presto! You've built a basic compost bin. Bottom line, compost is gold to any serious gardener, be it gnome or human.
The Pallet Bin
Another method of building compost bins is to simply lash four trucking pallets together to hold your garden waste while it rots. Old pallets are available for free at many loading docks, or there are local pallet suppliers that will sell used ones to you for a buck or two each.Stand them on end and lash them at the corners with bailing or other wire. Don’t make the wiring too permanent. You will want to disconnect one side each time you turn the compost or get some to use in the garden. Happy gardening, Geefrank Return from compost bins to the Compost Page Return to the Vegetable Gardening HOME PAGE
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