Cheap-O Homemade Compost Bin Idea

Would this work? Buy four of the largest, tallest pop-up net laundry baskets (the kind you find in bins at flea mkts for about $2 each). Double them up to make 2 stronger baskets. Start filling one with composting materials and use the other to slide upside down over top of first one as cover. The netting makes it aerated. You can separate them easily to fill. They can be sprayed with water and rolled to mix. What do you think? Worth a try?

I think animals will just tear that apart to get at the stuff inside

I think its worth a try. Composting can be back breaking work and any advantage would be appreciated. Let us know how it works

If you can get the bins for $2 each, I'd give it a try too--not that much to lose and lots to gain. You'll probably have to give it extra water though since the mesh will allow it to dry out faster. Having compost is worth an experiment.

I'm skeptical. Not because animals would tear it up (you shouldn't be composting anything that animals want to get at), but because it just doesn't seem durable enough to hold up to the constant watering and the 130 degree temperatures needed to properly compost. But give it a try and let us know! I nailed together free pallets in a 3 sided box for my compost bins. Ventilated, contained, easy to water, turn and add to. I have 4 bins

It does seem like the fabric might rot away rather quickly...what about the inexpensive plastic open weave design laundry hampers from the Dollar Store? They come with lids and would only require a couple drainage holes in the bottom?

Actually, if you choose to swap to something else, an inexpensive trash can (with a lid) from the Dollar Store, Big Lots, wherever, would serve very well. Lots of folks use them. I tried to compost on the ground in a corner of my garden but fire ants quickly found it so we bought a compost box. I'm not sure if you have fire ants up in MD yet--if not, LUCKY YOU!

We use wooden pallets, which are free at various big-box stores and lumber markets. Three of them can be set on end to form a box, and 2x4s can be screwed on to form the fourth side. Or, alternatively, 4 free pallets could be used to a four-sided box, and another 3 can be added on at either end to double the capacity. The volume is more than enough to ensure heat generation, particularly in your warm climates.

Thanks for all your input, everyone! Altagardener and Mccaine, I would be interested in seeing photos of the pallet boxes made into composting boxes! Maybe I can search youtube for them.

Hi SueGee...here is some info on the pallet bins for you

http://planetsave.com/2009/03/05/build-your-own-recycled-pallet-compost-bin-for-15/

http://www.eatniks.com/2010/06/shipping-pallet-compost-bin/

http://www.livingoffgrid.org/used-wooden-pallets-or-skids-making-free-easy-compost-bins/

While I've posted loads of photos of plants and flower beds, I don't think I've ever posted shots of our utility area! Oh well, grungy as it is, here's a first! ;-)
This shows the use of wooden pallets, fastened together with wood screws, to make 3-sided structures (or you could always make 4-sided ones), and also how to add on another 2 (or 3) to make most efficient use of the space and materials for more composting room.

Thank you atagardener and moonhow for the photosl! I need to get me some pallets (I have one). My yard is small, and I can put a bin behind my new 8 x 15 foot Lifetime Shed (LOVE, LOVE, LOVE IT!), but I'm thinking, to make it more attractive, maybe I will combine TWO pallet projects and put plants in vertically on the sides -- or maybe just paint it. At any rate, this looks like a project that's worth doing, and GREEN to boot. My daughter recently got a RABBIT, and I'm told their manure is excellent for compost and gardens, so....I think I'm in business.

Yes indeed....Rabbit poop is great for the garden and doesn't require a long breakdown period as it is all vegetable based.

I finally got a photo of my bins. They're full now but in this picture I just installed them. Anyone want to buy the white pampas grass I just dug up to build the fourth bin?

I've used the pallet crates system for years, actually they don't look that un-sightly to be honest, where you need to place them is the hardest bit, you want to be able to reach them with ease and also when everything has composted down within the crates, you want ease to get your wheelbarrow close enough to empty it's contents onto the garden via the barrow.
the open slats are great for allowing air to circulate the compost, you need to make sure you can add water IF the contents goes too dry, but heat is the best way of rotting things down so never over water the composting waste (I have never had to add water but I am in a cooler area and wetter too.
Never add anything MAN made to the compost bins, but again you can add news paper shredded up, the contents of the vacuum bag, the fluff from the clothes drier, all UNCOOKED kitchen waste, coffee grounds and tea bags, all fruit and veg (uncooked) peeling etc too, egg shells, hair (a lot of people ask hairdressers for their cuttings) don't forget the garden waste, all the grass cutting's BUT, add these in no more than 2 inch layers between other stuff or shredded newspaper, twigs etc as these will allow air the get in and stop the mass of grass cuttings to turn smelly and slimy, your compost bin should NOT give off a strong smell, if it does, get your garden fork and empty it out (called turning it) as you replace the waste, your moving the bottom of the heap up to the top and this will air the whole heap.
to help you do this, I work with 7 pallets as I use one in the middle to divide the crates into 2 composting bins so that as soon as one is filled, I empty it into the second empty bin (airing the 1st bin) then start to fill bin no 2, this will result in you always having a good supply of compost, in normal situations, I have my waste turned into compost after 6 months maybe longer in cooler weather.
When I cut the green off larger things like cauliflowers or turnip skins that are larger, I always cut them up smaller so they compost down quicker. any shrub pruning I cut up smaller too but IF they have not composted down enough I either add them to the soil with the rest of compost or pick them out and throw them back into the crates for longer composting times.
I have friends who don't compost but dig 2 spades depth of trenches in the veg beds and throw all there kitchen food waste into the bottom of the trenches, it's deep enough to rot down and any animals cant get to it, so IF you have some green that has not fully rotted don't panic, it will rot in time.

Hope all this is some help to you and before you know it you will be addicted to composting as many of us are ha, ha, ha.
Good luck. WeeNel.

Is there some reason why you only compost uncooked vegetable waste?

Hi Altagardener, If you add cooked food of any kind, vermin will sniff it out and before you know it, you could have rat's, mice and many other undesirable things that will then know there is a food store ready to eat, they will even venture close to or into your home searching out the source, this is not to say it happens all the time but older gardeners will tell you of the problems, I have my compost bins close to the house, but out of sight and as I live quite rural, I really don't want to encourage any mice into my home, I know they have got into my greenhouse this winter (little field mice with long tails and big eyes, rather lovely little creatures) they have nibbled some of my stored bulbs, but cooked food will also smell after a while as it begins to decay. You should not put any raw meat, chicken etc in the compost, or cooked, only green food. Garden or kitchen waist.
Hope this helps answer some reasons for not doing this.
I know in the countryside where my great grandparents family lived, they put cooked bones, blood etc deep into planting holes and they had lovely roses, etc in among the borders. My Dad used the fat from the roasting pans at the bottom of the deep holes for planting his Roses to fend off greenfly and I tell you he never had a problem with those bugs, he reckoned the grease was taken up by the plants and the foliage was never eaten due to this, he also planted garlic bulbs for preventing bugs, yes I know, you now think I have a broom stick instead of a car, ha, ha, ha, but it worked.
Take good care and good luck. Weenel.

WeeNel, what you've said about what to compost or not is very conventional; it is only your statement against composting cooked vegetable waste that is unique, and hence my question.
I haven't personally found that putting cooked vegetable wastes in the composter is detrimental though. It seems unlikely to me that cooked vegetable matter really decomposes much differently than uncooked vegetable matter, other than that it rots much more quickly since the fibres are already broken down by the cooking process... possibly not much different from what one expects to happen in the composter anyway. Smelly compost seems to occur when the compost gets too wet (rare in this climate, and we don't compost any meat products) and it seems this can be fixed by covering the surface over with a few shovels full of soil, or by turning it, as you've said.