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Out in the Garden
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Table top compost bin
Monday, 17 November 2008
By Doug Gardener
Hello again to all of you gardening lovers and composting enthusiasts! Last time I talked about how to compost and what materials to use for it. I also did a mention of getting compost bins from the market.
But hey, here is an exciting plan to construct your own little bin if you love indulging in DIY. Believe me – it’s not very difficult, and is quite an interesting exercise.
A Worm Composting Bin can be used year round to recycle most food wastes (don’t use meat, bones or fatty foods like dairy products or cooking oil). This bin’s size is convenient for using indoors on a table top. A box this size will handle about 3 kg of garbage per week (typical for a family of four to six).
Materials
• One sheet of ½” plywood, one 12’x2”x4”, one 16’x2”x4”, 500 gm 6d galvanized nails
• 250 gm 16d galvanized nails, and two galvanized door hinges with screws
• About 1 kg red worms (Approx. 800 to 2,400 worms).
Tools
Safety glasses, ear protection, tape measure, skill or rip hand saw, hammer, saw horses, long straight edge or chalk line, screwdriver, and drill with 1/2” bit.
Construction
• Cut plywood as indicated in Diagram A
Two 16” x 24” ends, one 23” x 42” base, two 16” x 42” sides and one 24” x 42” top.
• Build base
(Diagram B) Measure and cut the 12’x2”x4” into five pieces: two 39”, two 23” and one 20” long. Following the diagram, nail the 2”x4”s together on edge using two 16d nails per joint. Nail the plywood base piece onto the 2”x4” base frame.
• Build sides
(Diagram C) Cut four 1’ lengths out of the 16’x2”x4”. Take each plywood side piece and place a 1’x2”x4” under each of their ends so that the 2”x4” is flush with the top and side edges of the plywood, and nail the boards into place.
Nail the side pieces onto the base frame. To complete the box, nail the ends onto the base and sides. Reinforce the box by staggering a nail every three inches wherever plywood and 2”x4”s meet. Drill twelve ½” holes through the bottom of the box for drainage.
• Top it all off
(Diagram D) To build the lid, take the remaining 12’x2”x4” and cut it into two 45” pieces and two 20” pieces. Lay them flat with the short pieces on the inside as indicated in the diagram, so that the plywood top is inset from the edges of the 2”x4” by 1-1/2” all the way around its perimeter. Nail the plywood onto the 2”x4” securely. Place the hinges on the back side of the box at both ends on the 2”x4”s, and on the underside of the 2”x4” lid frame, so that the lid will stand upright when opened.
If you have any tips to add to this or if you have any questions, email them to compostbin@ruralliving.co.nz.
Happy composting!
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