Earlier this week Auggie, after much prodding from me, went on a mission to make our garden compost bin. After doing a lot of research and scouring several blogs, we put together a compost bin for a little less than 15 dollars via Walmart. Yes, I will include what I purchased!
Making a compost bin is surprisingly easy. Many of the things to get started are free. We had grass clippings, sticks, and leaves readily available to us.
For example, the park provided dead leaves, mowing the yard gave us grass clippings, and we had random sticks around the yard. The only ingredient we didn’t immediately have was the kitchen scraps. We forgot to save them before starting. We’ve since added that bit in. Additionlly, Auggie dug up some earthworms while helping his grandma, so we scored free worms.
Truthfully, you can make this bin for even cheaper than 15 dollars with a bit of planning. Auggie and I are more impulsive, so use this as a guide, and do it cheaper if you want! For example you don’t have to use Hyper Tough totes (but make sure your tote is sturdy).
We used a Hyper Tough tote with lid as the bin. We drilled holes on the top, sides, and bottom to allow air in and water out. After drilling the holes we stacked our layers. We did sticks -> leaves -> grass -> dirt -> scraps. Make sure you mix and dampen! For the dirt, we used a single 2CU bag and had a little bit left over. Your needs may vary if you don’t use the same tote we did.
Our compost bin won’t be ready for the flower farm or garden this year, but we’ve got it started for next year. We may not have made enough, but it’s a learning experience.
Why are we composting?
Auggie and I trying to move towards a more sustainable, off the grid kind of lifestyle. This year we planted our first garden and flower farm.
For years, I have hated that I was throwing out things that could be broken down and used for something valuable. Auggie was on board. Composting provides a nutrient-rich ingredient to add to your garden and allows you to make use of things you’d normally just throw out (like laundry lint). It makes me feel good to be able to be more sustainable, and I am excited to see how it goes and to be able to use the finished project for a future garden. I hope that you try this out too and feel the same sense of satisfaction that I do.
Results of composting are yet to be seen. Check in soon!