Improvised Compost Bins

One of the projects on my list this year was to build a new “two bin” composter. Well. I ran out of time and didn’t get it done. I still wanted to collect and keep my leaves, though, and didn’t want to have to bag them all. So, I improvised and whipped together a couple of wire bins. Okay, “whipped together” isn’t exactly how it happened. The hardware cloth is quite stiff and comes in a roll. By the time I got to the end of the roll, I needed to use some stones to hold it down so I could bend it in the correct places.

I used rebar posts from the home store as my corners and placed them 3 ½ feet apart. Then, I started measuring the hardware cloth and made creases in it every 3 ½ feet so it would stand up better around the posts. I started using zip-ties to hold the hardware cloth to the rebar posts, but found that some coated wire cut into about 3 inch pieces worked much more quickly. If you look closely, you can see that I ran out of hardware cloth on the second bin and used rabbit fencing to finish off the fourth side. Since it’s temporary and holding only leaves, I think it will be okay.

I then got out a tarp, raked the leaves onto it, and dragged the tarp to the bins, which to my surprise, filled VERY quickly! We had some rain yesterday and I noticed that the leaves have already started to compact themselves. In the photos, the leaves reach almost the top of the bins, but even a few days later, there is already about a 12 to 15 inch gap!

I can hardly wait for spring so I can spread the composted leaves through the gardens!

p.s. Oh. Those stones in front of the bins are for ANOTHER project I didn't get to this year -- the stone steps on the West Hill. *sigh* There's always next year!

Compost Pile -- July

Garden blogs, like gardens, evolve. I’ve been talking with people about little things they do or ideas they have for the garden. I’ve also been reading magazines and culling a few ideas from those. But, most of the ideas wouldn’t fill an entire post, so until now, they’ve just been rolling around in my brain, or in the folder of good ideas. So, I’m starting the Compost Pile. And, once a month, I’ll share the good ideas others have thrown out.

Coffee Filters. A colleague mentioned that she and her mother use coffee filters instead of (or sometimes in conjunction with) pebbles at the bottom of pots. They hold the soil in and let the water through! Very clever!

Cupcake tin liners. The August issue of Martha Stewart mentions a use for cupcake tin liners I think is super creative. She makes an x in the bottom with an xacto knife and uses them upside down to protect summer drinks from bugs. (The x makes a nifty hole for a straw.) If you’re like me and use gigantic cups outside when you’re gardening, a coffee filter may be a better fit!

Last year’s leaves. A friend saves her leaves from the fall and then uses them through the year as mulch. I was skeptical, but tried it this year myself, and, I’m sold. I put paper down first, then the mooshed up leaves. I did end up topping it off with a little cypress or cedar mulch to keep the leaves from flying around. Cost savings and soil enriching. How can you go wrong?!

Okay. That’s the Compost Pile for July. If you have a nifty idea for the garden you’d like to share, send it along! August is right around the corner.