How to Make a Composter

Easy composter ideas.

How to Make a Composter. Easy composter ideas and video instructions on how to build a composter for your back yard. Keeping in mind the basic needs for successful composting our tips will help you to create a composter suitable for your needs.

Before you build a composter keep these things in mind:

Space Requirement

Do you live on an acreage... or in a townhouse?

An acreage will produce much more compost fodder and require a larger compost bin than a postage stamp sized yard. Also, there are usually areas on an acreage where you can hide or disguise your composting area so no one really sees it. You may not need a pretty composter or any composter at all - just pile it in a heap if you want.

In the tiny yard, choose a size that will comfortably hold all of your fresh compost without taking up too much room. An attractive design may be more important when you'll be keeping it in a small yard in clear view. A tumbling composter fits well into an urban space and makes compost faster than other types. The worm composter is another good choice for areas with limited space. Here's how to make a composter of the worm variety.

Oxygen
It's really important for the contents of your compost bin to have a supply of oxygen. The more oxygen that's provided to the mixture, the faster it'll break down into compost. Choose a design that allows lots of air circulation into the bin. Turning the contents every day or 2 will give your pile ample air. Use a pitchfork or a compost turner, made especially for this purpose.

Access
Once the bin is in production you'll constantly be adding materials and turning the pile. At the end of the cycle you'll need to easily remove the finished product. Access is an important design element. Ask yourself the following questions before you make a composter:
Is it easy to add grass clippings and kitchen waste to this design? Will I be able to easily turn my compost? How will I harvest the finished compost? Is there an access door or can I design one into the project?

Type of Waste
What will you use the composter for? If you have a big yard that produces lots of grass clippings, garden trimmings and fall leaves - you'll want a big composter that heats up the contents and converts them into compost. If, on the other hand, you don't have much yard and it's mostly kitchen scraps you'll be composting - a worm bin is probably the best choice for you. The worms will eat the kitchen scraps and convert them into worm poop otherwise known as gardener's gold.

Here are some instructional videos that show you how to make a composter.

Here's a super easy composter you can make using old packing crates and wire coat hangers. If we made this composter we'd cut one third off of one of the pallets and put that one on the front. Doing that will make the front panel a little (18" or so) shorter giving you better access to the pile for turning, and for adding content. Remove the front panel to access finished compost.

This one is great for a large yard where you'll have lots of seasonal material. All of the best design elements are present and the end result is an attractive product.

So there you have it, how to make a composter whether your composting needs are big or small.

Really, you don't need much. You don't even need a composter, you can just pile all of your ingredients in a fairly sunny area of the yard and... tada, easy composter. Not very pretty but it'll work.