SeleniumMaking my own backyard compost bin might just be one of the nerdier things I’ve ever been excited about doing, but I can’t help it! I love it. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last few weeks scouring the internet to learn what things are safe to compost (and what should be avoided), how to keep the mixture balanced, and how to avoid welcoming extra critters.
I’ve recently relocated from a 2-bedroom condo in San Diego, to a small house in the suburbs of New York. The amount of mind-boggling changes in my everyday life will definitely be the subject of several entries here, but one new freedom here is the room to compost. Don’t get me wrong, I was very grateful for (and super proud of) my succulent collection in San Diego, but I now have the chance to grow those budding gardening skills into an actual yard. Since we moved here right at the beginning of fall, my major projects right now just involve keeping things clean, and getting everything ready for winter. Because I can’t really start new vegetable or herb gardens this late in the year, composting became my first DIY back to tackle. I didn’t reinvent the wheel or anything, I really just read through a handful of various tips and tricks online, and then went for it (because really, what’s the worst that can happen? It’s just dirt).
My Materials:
- Large Plastic Bin w/Lid: Mine was a clear, 20-gallon one, but if you have a dark one, I think that is actually preferable.
- Drill w/ multiple sized bits
- Dry Leaves
- Soil
- Dowel/Large Stick (to occasionally stir)
- 2 Terra Cotta Plant Pots
Because I had just finished unpacking from the move, I had stacks of empty bins laying around, so I just re-purposed one of those. However, because it’s clear, I took care to store it in a shady corner of the yard, that way it won’t get too much light and dry out.
Steps:
Drill a whole bunch of holes!
Starting about ⅓ from the bottom, I drilled evenly spaced holes in all 4 sides of the bin, leaving the lower third, and the bottom of the bin alone. I used a combination of two different sizes, and just eyeballed the spacing until it looked like I had good coverage.
*Go nice and slow while drilling through the plastic. I got too excited and ended up causing a few cracks by accident.
Once I had the sides covered, I repeated the process with the lid until I had a nice spread of holes.
Line the bottom with leaves.
I filled ⅓ of the bin with leaves, to give it a nice lining on the bottom. Raking leaves is a completely new experience for me, so it feels really good to be able to reuse some of these, at least!
If you don’t have a yard full of leaves, you can line this with newspaper, or something similar. You just want the material on the bottom to be damp, but not soggy.
Add soil.
I had the remains of three different bags of soil laying around (plus the soil that was already in the yard). I added all this to the bin until it was about half full, then I covered it with another thin layer of leaves.
Water.
I watered the mixture to make sure the moisture was consistent all the way through, then stirred it all together.
Add stuff to it! Science!
Stuff I was expecting to be able to compost:
- Fruit and Vegetable Peels/Scraps
- Coffee Grounds
- Cardboard
- Garden cuttings/leaves
Stuff I was really surprised to learn I could compost:
- Dryer lint (what??)
- Hair
- Nail Clippings (gross, I know)
- Fireplace ashes (in moderation, don’t overwhelm the mixture)
Like I said before, everything about life is brand new here. It seriously took me three weeks to figure out when the trash pick up was, and I still haven’t figured out the recycling schedule! It feels very productive to be able to work towards reducing waste, even if it’s only in a small way. Plus, I’m really excited to tackle gardening projects in the Spring with some great soil.
I’ll come back and update as I learn more about what works in here and what doesn’t. I’ll also be sure to let you know how it survives the winter. For now, the bin is doing great by the fence in the back corner of the yard. I’m adding in more leaves whenever I detect a smell, but really, everything has been nice and contained so far. Let’s hope it stays that way!
