Compost Bins?

Does anybody know a good on-line catalogue or company to purchase a compost bin? Any suggestions as to what type is best. How about the ones that are barrel-shaped and that you can rotate?

Coincidentally, Gloria, I'm working on a story right now about compost tumblers for Mother Earth News. So, if you have some specific questions, I'll do my best.

We made ours from pallets and they are doing us proud!! One is used for immediate use, the other is full already and left to decompose and the third contains leaves. They cost very little and sometimes are free. :-) Brook I used the Hotter Rotter back in England. Heavy duty plastic and the sides were padded as was the lid but it didn't hurry up the process any more than the pallets I'm using now. I would be interested to know of your findings.

Ours are made from old snow-fencing.
Pretty much like Louisa's:
one for immediate use, one to fill, one for leaves.
I've always wondered if the rotating types
work well.
I think that they'd be great for city-sized lots.
I'll be interested to learn how they work, too! :-)

Gloria
I agree you can probably can build a better one than you can buy. I made mine out of stockade fence (very cheap at the big box stores) and cinder blocks. A double bin cost less than $30.

Paul

I got a big round black plastic tub, with holes in the bottom, as a (young) Giganteum tree was in it for transport to the Hamburg Botanical Garden.
I just give the stuff a turn every week or two, and it seems to be working quite well. I would be interested in something a bit more hidden though, even one of those enclosed composters would look better, whether it did the job quicker or not, since this pot is a true slug magnet.

All the best

Wintermoor

I just pile mine in the veggie garden for a year, and the next spring I spread it out or move it to a flower garden, then start another pile in a different spot of the garden for that year.

Gardener's Supply has a good information page about how to choose a composter. Personally, I have a homemade bin system, cedar boards salvaged from skids. However, I am lazy about turning it, and keeping it moist, despite all good intentions. What I think I am going to do is leave it for yard waste which untimately decomposes, and get a worm compost system to use in the basement for kitchen waste. They have a worm composter at my county extension office, right in the offices. No smell, etc.

I am new to the thread and saw your request for bin info.
I just make a ring out of fence wire about 3 ft tall and 4 ft in dia.
OR you can make them out of 4 shiping pallets.
eather one will last as long as the plastic in the sun.

Welcome poorboy! I did the same thing - we salvaged pallets and constructed a two-bin system (I'll probably add a third this fall or next spring.) It works great, and the only expense was our labor to haul them to the back of the yard, and a few decking screws to attach them together.

Aesthetically, the pallet bins aren't the most pleasing, so if your yard is small and your composter is going to be sitting out in an exposed area, a ready-made one might be the solution. Or you can do lasagna composting and layer your compost materials over a new or fallow bed.

The Dirt Cheap forum had a thread a while back "compost Bins for $0" you might want to look at. With a little paint and imagination they wouldn't have to look like compost bins and maybe the neighbors wouldn't know. As for slugs in the bins, try a shallow pan of yeast, sugar, flour and water. Dump it every morning before the sun hits the compost and they go into hiding for the day.

Welcome,Poorboy! Is this ring like yours? We made up several of them so I can just throw weeds, discarded seedlings, etc, into them all summer.

That's how I do it Weez. The best thing about the wire bin is you can take the wire off, set it right next to the pile, and fork the compost back into it. It might not be pretty but it's the easiest method I've found.

Yes, K-I-S-S! (Keep It Simple, Stupid) We have a regular compost set up that Dennis keeps cookin' all summer, but you can't beat those wire rings for simplicity and portability! After all, isn't God the best all-time composter of all?

We ordered our Mantis Comost-Twin on line - Hyperlink I love it!!

Here is a link to several other threads on composting. http://davesgarden.com/search/index.php?forum=&search_text=Compost+bins If these don't answer your questions - then you just can't be helped!!! LOL