DIY Compost Bin

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We love tending our vegetable garden. Regular fertilizing is vital for healthy plants. Therefore we are building some easy DIY Compost Bins.

Compost provides the necessary nutrients for plants. The best part is it is a “free” organic method for amending the soil.

We use vegetable scraps and yard debris in a composter to create the best rich garden amendment.  

Last year we built a small raised bed garden that produced a small amount of fresh produce. We enjoyed it so much we decided to build a larger garden to enjoy an abundance of fresh vegetables and herbs. That means we will need more compost too.

We used a wide plastic tube that was not attractive, and it did not have good airflow.  We wanted to build our compost bin to coordinate with the other wooden structures in our yard, such as our obelisk, trellis, lanterns, hose storage, floating deck, window flower boxes, shutters, and birdhouses.

🌱Please note: You will find more amazing garden inspiration at the end of this post. 🌱

How To Make a Compost Bin

Building a compost bin is easy and inexpensive. 

 

 

This post contains affiliate links. This means that if you purchase from one of these links, I will make a small commission, but rest assured, you will not pay more for any products.

Compost Bin Building Supplies:

Lumber {we used cyperss}:

1x4x8 6 each

2x4x8 1 each

2x2x8 2 each

Hinges 4 each 

Handle 2 each (these are the ones we used)

Hook and eye 1 each

Lid support 1 each (this is what we used)

Polycarbonate roof panel 24×96 1 each

1-inch pan head screws 14 each

1 ¼ inch deck screws 24 each

2-inch deck screw 22 each

2 ½ inch deck screws 16 each

4-inch deck screw 8 each

½ PVC coated wire mesh 48×64 (this is the one we used)

Staples 3/8″

Exterior grade wood glue

Tools:

Cordless drill with a countersink drill bit

Impact drive with driver tips

Miter saw (this is the one I used)

Speed square

Measuring tape

Pipe clamp

Small quick trigger clamps

Multipurpose snips 

Stapler

Speed horses

Folding portable workbench

 

Building the Sides

Cut lumber to size:

• Legs – cut four 1x4x32
• Horizontal supports – cut six 1x4x24

To assemble the sides, lay the legs on a flat work surface. Predrill then attach the horizontal supports with 1.25″ screws (these are the ones we used) on the top of the bottom and top of the side legs.

To attach the center side horizontal support measure and mark the centers. Attach in the same manner as above.

Attaching Hardware Cloth {Mesh}

Using the side measurements of less than one inch for both length and width, cut the hardware mesh.

Center the hardware cloth and begin stapling it in place, starting in the center working your way outward. 

Press the mesh in place to achieve a tight fit. 

 

Building the Back

Lumber cuts:

• For the legs, cut two 1x4x32
• Horizontal supports cut three 1x4x24

Attach legs to outside edges of the sides using 2″ deck screws.

Note: Using a pipe clamp to hold everything in place while attaching makes it easier. 

 

The Back Side 

We used a small trigger clamp to attach the center horizontal support (this is the one we used) to hold the board in place while attaching 2″ deck screws.

Measure and attach hardware cloth (mesh) to the inside back.

Building the Compost Bin Front

Lumbar cuts:

• Cut two horizontal supports 2x4x24
• For the legs, cut two 1x4x32

Attach front side legs to outside edges of the sides using 2″ deck screws.

Attach the supports (one flush with the top of the bin, the other in the center) using 2.5″ deck screws.

Measure, cut, and install hardware cloth to the inside area between the center and top horizontal supports.

Before building the door, we measured our bin was square (learn how here). 

 

Building the Door

To determine the door’s size, measure from the bottom of the center horizontal support to the bottom of the bin.

The door’s width will be the same as the bin front width. 

 

Cut the boards to the 

 

Measure the finished door to determine the hardware cloth size (cut the cloth 1″ smaller than the width and length measurements 

Before attaching the door, check that it fits in the install area. 

With the door in position, use a clamp to hold it in place while installing hinges.

 

 

Lid Building

Lumber cuts:

• For the front and the backside of the lid, cut two 2x2x24
• The side frame pieces cut two 2x2x22.5 

 

Place your cut boards on a flat surface to assemble. Attach with 4″ deck screws. 

Measure the lid frame for the exact final measurements.  Add 1″ overall for the polycarbonate top. We used snips to cut the polycarbonate to size.

Predrill in the valley areas of the polycarbonate to attach 1″ pan head screws.

Attach hinges to the back of the lid. 

We added lid support (stay) to make adding composting materials easier. 

Indoor Compost Collection

It is easy to start composting; you can start by gathering your kitchen scraps. To collect our vegetable and fruit scraps in the kitchen, I purchased this farmhouse-style bin for our kitchen. 

What to compost:

Food scraps (fresh)

Coffee grounds

teabags

dry leaves

Yard waste

Eggshells

Grass clippings

After filling and turning the organic material in the first compost bin, it will decompose into a nutrient-rich soil amendment.

To scoop out the finished compost, you can lift the “front” door and remove compost. Adding compost to your garden beds to create rich soil for your vegetables.

🌱🌱🌱More Amazing Gardening Inspiration🌱🌱🌱

I have gathered some of my favorite bloggers to bring you lots of Garden Inspiration.   

Next on tour is my friend, Niky from The House on Silverado.  I am green with envy over her fenced garden. I would be in heaven with a gorgeous garden like this (hint, hint)!  Be sure to check it out along with all the other amazing bloggers below.

 

 

 

 

 

Do you enjoy a beautiful garden and yard? Please join me HERE for everything you will need to create a beautiful garden/yard one project at a time. 

See you soon, 

Kippi