For some reason, I was under the impression that composting was this big complicated thing and that a DIY compost bin would be a pain to make. Green matter, brown matter, not too much, not too little. I’m a person of uncomplicated. I do not like it when things get too complex because it makes me feel like I can implement it into my routine and life. I have far too much to worry about and don’t have time to work on an entire science experiment day in and day out.
But the more I read about the benefits of compost in gardening, the more I felt like a DIY compost bin was kind of a necessity and actually so easy. It turns out this is the broke person’s method of amending garden beds! So this weekend, I put on my boots, rolled up my sleeves, and went around my house/yard looking for the perfect compost bin.
Supplies.
I knew I really only needed 4 things: bin (similar), drill (mine + my husband’s), brown matter, and green matter. It occurred to me quickly that the easiest thing to use was an old garbage bin that I would put yard waste in. Turns out when I opened it, there was already compost in there! Apparently I was doing this without even realizing. So all I did was drill a few holes in each side of the garbage bin for ventilation and viola, DIY compost bin complete! If you’re super broke, you could always look on craigslist to see if anyone is getting rid of a trash can (or dumpster dive for a container) and beg your neighbors for a drill. Most people won’t mind letting your borrow a drill for 5 minutes to poke a few holes in a container.
Green Matter.
The green matter was pretty easy to gather because it was meal prep day. We eat a lot of fresh produce. Usually, at the end of preparing a meal, there’s a stack of miscellaneous material that needs to be discarded. Today it happened to be watermelon and pineapple rind, eggshells, stale bread, coffee grinds, lettuce core, onion and garlic peels.
Brown Matter.
The brown matter again was relatively easy to stumble upon. I took a lightweight pot around the yard and raked fallen leaves into it. I also had a coffee filter that needed to be disposed of and I broke down some sticks in the yard. I have a feeling this will be my go-to brown matter material. Also, my husband will be thrilled that I’m finally doing my part to help with the yard work!
The Finished Product.
Once I threw in my green and brown matter, I put a little water on it and turned it over with a garden hoe to mix everything up. I’m ready for everything to be completely broken down and ready to go. I plan on building this compost to amend my garden bed when I start working on my fall-winter garden. I have conveniently situated my compost bin right next to my garden bed for easy access when I need to use it.
A DIY compost bin can honestly be achieved by anyone and I have reason to believe that every gardener should get one started. You can use any container that can be ventilated. My DIY compost bin is in no way pretty to look at but I know that my garden will thank me later. Instead of throwing the waste in the trash, I can compost it down to be a benefit to my garden.
