How to Build a Composter for the Garden

Overview

Creating your own compost is an inexpensive way to obtain organic material from your garden and household scraps. Some compost piles are just piled in a corner of the yard. This leads to scraps scattering around the pile and messing up the yard. A bin helps by keeping the compost materials layered together. Most compost bins have the top left open so it is easier to dump your materials inside. Air gaps in your composter have the necessary function of allowing air to enter the pile and helping heat it up.

Step 1

Cut a length of galvanized chicken wire that is 10 feet long by 3 or 4 feet wide. Use a pair of heavy-duty garden shears. Wear work gloves to prevent scratches on your hands while you are constructing your composter.

Step 2

Fold back 4 inches of chicken wire at both ends. Make the folds go towards the inside of the composter. This will help prevent snags and pokes from the edges of the wire.

Step 3

Stand the chicken wire up in a circle with the folded edges on the inside. Creating a composter that is not anchored down by wrapping it around metal stakes makes it easier to move when turning the compost materials.

Step 4

Cut 4-inch lengths of heavy wire. Fasten the ends of the chicken wire together by twisting the wire. Stand the composter in the area where your pile is going to be located.

Step 5

Drive a 4 foot stake in the middle of the composter. This will help direct water into the center of the pile once the composter is full.

Step 6

Layer your organic materials into your composter. Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of green materials like grass clippings, fruit scraps and vegetable peels. Next add another layer of dry materials like shredded newspaper, egg shells and old leaves. Water your composter thoroughly.