Transform waste into high-quality planting soil.
Instead of wasting your waste, you can turn it into nutrient-rich compost that adds vigor to your garden. Home composting provides an opportunity for gardeners to promote plant vitality and increase yield while recycling waste. Home composting bins range from simple to elaborate and success is dependent on how well you use them to manage the compost. Choose a bin that fits your needs, budget and neighborhood requirements. Does this Spark an idea?
Tumbling Bin
Tumbling bins can be purchased or made out of 55-gallon drums or plastic garbage cans with lids. These bins take the work out of turning mulch and also provide more oxygen to the compost pile through aeration holes. Tumbling bins sit in frames off the ground and usually have handles to spin the container. The aeration holes and turning mechanism allow more oxygen into the bin, resulting in shorter composting time and less odor -- and making tumbling bins an option for gardeners living in urban settings. Adding soil to the bin expedites the breakdown of organic matter.
Closed Bin
Also well-suited for gardeners living in the city, closed compost bins are constructed from recycled plastic; they conceal the compost and fit in well with a neat, urban landscape. They are ideal for cold composting, which requires no mixing or turning; however, material can take over a year to break down into useable compost. Closed bin composting requires little maintenance once started, making it perfect for people with little time to devote to composting and those in no rush for it.
Open Bin
Open compost bins, usually made from wood, offer the flexibility of making either hot or cold compost. The open design allows for easy turning and harvesting; however, the compost is not entirely hidden from view. You can build open bins in many configurations, including connecting several bins together to separate different stages of the composting process. Open composting requires more space than other methods, and bins can be expensive to construct or purchase.
Vermicompost Bin
Perfect for apartment dwellers, the vermicompost bin uses brandling or red worms to break down kitchen scraps into usable fertilizer. These bins, usually made from dark plastic containers, are small enough to keep indoors under the sink or in a cupboard. Mixing scraps of newspaper, computer paper, cardboard and peat moss with soil and water creates a perfect bedding for the worms. Fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grinds and tea bags can be buried under the bedding for worm food. The worms eat the scraps and create a high-quality fertilizer suitable for garden and houseplants.
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