Hi so glad to find this site and getting more ideas and since I am cleaning pots to fill for this year --gathering my seedlings and hoping it warms up soon My cheap plastic plant pot it just starting to crack around the edge-- few pictures I took yest. would love to see pictures of all your gardens and raised beds-- my little bed is starting to buckle -hope it goes a few years more Have a wonderful day -bright and sunny Mari PS how does one post more than one photo ???

Try freecycle or craigslist for a scrap metal piece. The plastic will last for awhile before cracking. I've used a sterlite brand large tote for a worm bin outside year round for at least 10 years. I have garden buckets from commercial suppliers from pickles, sour cream, mayonaise, etc. that are still water tight. The worm bin lid is a bit cracked from opening & closing. The roughneck Rubbermaid totes seem to last forever & put up with a lot of handling. None of ours have ever cracked despite rough use & some were even used as sleds when our kids were little. Remember where it is by leaving a bit of it out of the soil/mulch, so you don't shovel into it.

bahacca, Living in the city , we must maintain a reasonably tidy appearance of our gardens and compost piles, or the nuisance department is called, the home owner is ticketed and either cleans up the mess, or the city will, with a lien being placed on the home to cover the cost of said clean up. It's just part of being a good neighbor when many people live close together and attracting rats is frowned upon. I'm a big time composter, but I'll be one of the first to make a complaint call if someone is causing problems for the rest of us. Yes, some folks throw pallets together and pile up garbage, but I assume they live in a more rural setting and own guard animals to take care of the problem rats etc. I think this is how some of these differing opinions occur here. Neither way is always wrong, it just depends on each individuals situation. Amazon has a good selection of composters most of the time, and personally I love having so many choices, click, and in a few days it's delivered to my front door. Gardening is my hobby, and it's okay to spend a little fun money on our hobbies. The composter that might be right for you is the SoilSaver. I don't happen to have this model but in forums it's often talked about positively and it does fit your stated budget and would keep your pup out. Odd that it's not automatically free shipping. Be sure to study the final cost carefully, or put it on your wish list, and wait till it shows up at a better total price. I do that often with books, and have saved a lot. I'm adding a link to it, and also....the picture with the three lined up...isn't that a member here ???? Looks familiar. Here is a link that might be useful: Soilsaver Classic Composter

The composting bins I have now were built against a 4 foot high concrete block wall of the yard tool shed with 4 foot high scrab board walls extending outward 4 feet. The front is made of scrap pieces of T-111 siding as doors for access and scrap pieces of 5/8 inch plywood are laid on top for a lid. With the exception of the corner posts, 6 of them for two bins, all the rest was salvaged material from construction, including the stretchers that run between the conrer posts, ie. very low cost. That tool shed was constructed specifically to support compost bins as well as store the yard work tools.