Buying a Compost Bin

[girlygirls3]

Hi there... need help. I did a search but couldn't come up with the results I was looking for. I want to buy a compost bin and I'm not sure which ones I should be looking at. I'm hoping to spend as little as possible, and I need something easy to use. Any help would be much appreciated!!!

[Lady Mayapple]

Mel Bartholomew's square foot gardening website sells one. I think it was around $60 for the diy assembly version. I didn't end up buying one, however. I just fenced the pile with chicken wire to keep the baby out. I'm always adding stuff and I turn the pile a few times a week, so I figured I didn't need the bin.

[CanBoo]

Did you have a look what your municipality has to offer?

Many cities have programs for reduced cost compost bins.

[lunarlady]

We bought an Earthmaker composter, and honestly I wish we hadn't. It seemed like a good idea at the time, since I could throw the food scraps in and they would move through and out the bottom as compost. But at first it blew over in the wind all the time, then the plastic split, then the interior shelves collapsed...I'm back to the pile.

If you really want one, I wish I had gotten a rolling compost bin. I've heard it is actually pretty easy to make one using a big trashcan, but I've never tried. But my biggest issue is remembering to turn the pile.

[seeing_stars]

My city provides them for $5, maybe check your city's website to see if they have a compost program.

[girlygirls3]

I just checked and they don't provide them here, we live in a really small town, I wonder if that's why.

[pbjmama]

Could you do a compost pile in your yard? Super easy and free!

[xekomaya]

The way you want to use the bin, and how much construction you are willing to do has a big effect on which ones will work for you.

One low-cost idea is to take several feet of 4ft wire fencing and zip tie the ends together something like a mesh trash can open on top and bottom. You can fill that up in layers and when you want to mix it you lift the wire off, set it to the side, and shovel everything back in. That is better if you're letting it sit though, or you'll have stray compost all over your yard.

If you actually want to buy a premade bin, I don't know. I made DH build me a big one from wood and welded wire fencing and now I have a hot pile going

[rlmueller]

Compost pile

nuff said--I'm cheap.

[lovermont]

We found free pallets listed on craigslist and nailed a box shaped frame together using the pallets. We made two boxes that share a middle so we can have one pile cooking while adding to the other. We decided to keep the front open but you wouldn't have to do that.
My parents bought us a plastic one also (that we didn't ask for) when their town was selling them for cheap. It works fine but the free one works just as well!

[wemoon]

Originally Posted by lunarlady

We bought an Earthmaker composter, and honestly I wish we hadn't. It seemed like a good idea at the time, since I could throw the food scraps in and they would move through and out the bottom as compost. But at first it blew over in the wind all the time, then the plastic split, then the interior shelves collapsed...I'm back to the pile.

Great. I JUST bought this. I read reviews and most of them seemed favorable. We'll see how it goes.