How To Build a Compost in Your Backyard
Posted on: 2013-06-12
Compost bins are great ways to use up leftover kitchen scraps and yard waste while creating all-natural fertilizer for your garden. You can place many things in a compost bin, including table scraps, eggshells, and leftover bits of fruits and vegetables, along with shrub clippings, flower cuttings, shredded newspaper and even coffee grounds. The trick lies in keeping the nitrogen to carbon ratio in balance, otherwise the process won’t work properly. This will leave you with a smelly compost bin that isn’t accomplishing its goal of breaking these things down.
Proper Location
You also need to place your compost bin in the right spot of your yard. You don’t want it to be too close to the doors of your house, but you also don’t want it to be too far away, as compost bins can freeze in inclement weather. Keeping it near your house will allow the ambient temperatures to keep it above freezing. A compost bin should also be kept out of direct sunlight, as this can cause the decomposition rate to rise, and cause the bin to smell like decay.
What Should My Compost Bin Be Made Of?
Compost bins can be built from many different things. You can make one out of scrap wood, for example, old wooden pallets, or shipping crates, or you can buy new lumber to build it. There are also premade compost bins available that are made out of plastic and wood. These types of bins are a good way to get started, and many have different mechanisms for turning the compost. However, with one of these you are limited to the sizes available. If you build your own, you can customize the size and shape of the bin.
Building a compost bin can leave you with useful, free fertilizer, while limiting the amount of trash that goes into your garbage can each day. If you follow the composting process correctly, you’ll end up with a non-smelly, fly-free compost bin – something that your neighbors will thank you for!
If you’re ready to start your next home renovation, contact Parabola Developments!
Photo by Alvin Engler on Unsplash
