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Northwestern Gardening

Compost Bin Advice

9 years ago

After researching the costs of materials and help to make a nice looking wooden 3 bin compost setup, I found it would be less expensive to buy pre-made bins (just need to assemble; which I can do by myself). The catch is, the bins I'm looking at are 3' square but only 30 inches tall. I know they say you have to have 3 x 3 x 3 to do hot compost. Do you think that 6 inch short bin will still work to make hot compost? Thanks!

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Comments (5)

larry_gene
9 years ago
3x3x3, conveniently a cubic yard, is just round numbers. Having 6 fewer inches in depth will not break the composting process. If these are unlidded, then you can heap up to the 36" depth, and if they have open bottoms, you can provide a foundation to raise them up.
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anise_hyssop
Original Author
9 years ago
thanks Larry! I'll consider a foundation--their location on my way too big sloped driveway may make that tricky. I'll get a piece of fiberglass for a lid so I won't do too much mounding, except perhaps in the summer. It's all gonna shrink down anyway. Maybe I need to just give it my best shot and hope that hot compost happens. If not, go to plan B.
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dalton thanks for the pics. I have been talking to my husband about making a bin. When I saw your pallets I knew that was the bin for me. Maybe because I can get the pallets free and it does not look hard to do. Swanz that is a very nice bin my hats off to you. I tried to do that once and my daughter just laughed at the finished product and my family threw it out. Oh well so much for building things.
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I'll make a comment on the size of the bins. When deciding on the size of each bin, one might consider the materials you will be composting. For example, if one expected to use a mix of sawdust and leaves as the 'browns', one might make the dimensions 3' by 3'. If one expected leaves to be the main 'browns', one might select 4' by 4' for bin size. If wood chips were expected to be the main 'brown' (without small filler stuff like sawdust), maybe a 5' by 5' size would be a good choice. My mesh bins are 5' by 8' by 2' high, and can reach 150F or more if the mix is optimal. The reason for the different sizes is due to air movement. Movement thru wood chips is easier than thru sawdust or very finely shredded leaves. The third number, height, can be less than the other two if the compost pile is sitting on the ground, which can also store heat. Since it is easier to turn a low pile, my compost piles have never been more than 2.5 feet high in recent years.
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oliveoyl3
9 years ago
If just yard waste & not food waste how about making a circle wire bin using tposts or wood 1x1s? Then you can get it larger & taller. Upside down carpet or cardboard works as a lid. If you're doing food waste you might prefer to use a closed container so you don't attract rats.
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anise_hyssop thanked oliveoyl3
larry_gene
9 years ago
The trick being the deeper it is, the harder it can be to keep everything turned or mixed.

Rats are on the rise in Portland; composting activities may be contributing, along with lax security of city roll-cart lid closure and discarded food.
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anise_hyssop thanked larry_gene
anise_hyssop
Original Author
9 years ago
These compost bins will be for yard stuff only--no kitchen. I have worms for that. But then, rats chewed through the bottom of my (old) worm bin and ate the food and most of the worms, but that's another story....
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