If you live in Eau Claire Wisconsin and you have a lot of trees in your yard taking care of all the leaves can be quite a chore. My wife and I have been trying to green things up so to speak and we thought one of the ways that we could cut down on waste was with what many call yard waste. We just thought this was a little thing we could do and instead having the leaves hauled all off somewhere we could compost them. We also thought this was a great way to get rid of some food scraps as well. So we took a trip to Menards to get some supplies. At first I thought it might be rather expensive to build our compost bin but after taking a look at the materials available I quickly realized we could do it on the cheap.
We only wanted a 2 bin compartment. If you want to make it 3 bins then simply add 2 more posts. Each bin is for the different stages compost goes through. If you look at the pictures you can see we start our first stage in a plastic garbage bin. The heat from the sun bakes what is inside and basically cooks everything. We put holes in the bin to let water and air inside. This speeds up the process.
This is what you will need:
- 6 Posts – You want to find treated wood. I know that treated wood is not really green but there wasn’t any choice at Menards. It’s either that or wood that will fall apart after a few years and I didn’t want that either. You might be able to find some green alternatives in a store near you. I was also trying to do this cheap so maybe there is a more expensive green solution. I chose 6 foot posts so that if I dug a 1.5 foot hole it would be about 4.5 feet high.
- Rabbit Fence – This came in a 50’ section which was more than enough for our needs. I thought I could save the rest for when we actually get a garden!
- A shovel – This is used to dig holes J
- Staple Gun – This was what I used to attach the fencing to the posts. This worked rather well.
The total cost of supplies was around $40. The reason we went with rabbit fence was not only to keep out rabbits but you want as much surface area exposed to the elements as possible. If you built a compost bin out of wood you are basically closing off the 4 sides and not composting the material as fast as if it were exposed. Not to mention the fence was really cheap.
Before you start digging holes call Digger’s Hotline! In Wisconsin CALL 811 or (800) 242-8511 | (877) 500-9592 (emergency only)
- Ok I assume they have been to your house and marked off any power lines so you now have an area where you can safely build this. I wanted to build a 4 X 4 bin on each side. I would build it a bit bigger than you might think. It’s easier to not fill it up as much than it is to expand it later. It’s also easier to work the materials and move stuff around if you have more space.
- Now you want to mark off where each post is going to go. 4 x 4 x 4 long and 4 x 4 wide. The holes look something like this: X X X X X X
- Now dig your holes. It depends on how high you want the posts to be. I thought around 4.5’ was a good height. You want to go at least a foot into the ground so that the posts are sturdy. I didn’t want to create cement footings in case I need to move it or something. If you dig about 1.5 feet into the ground that should hold things in place.
- Once you have the holes dug start putting posts into the holes. Fill the hole back up with some dirt to hold things in place. I didn’t want to pack the dirt in too tight until I was done with placing each post. Once they are all in place you can start packing the dirt around each post. You really want to step on the dirt hard and put as much back where it was. The tighter you can get this the stronger the bin will be. The wire will help hold things in place as well.
- Now that the posts are sturdy start pulling the wire around the bin. If you don’t have anyone to help you just get it started by stapling the wire to the first post. This is going to be your anchor so make sure these staples are in place and you do enough that the wire isn’t going to slip out. Don’t forget that rabbit fence only goes one way! Make sure you put the smallest holes on the bottom. Once you have a good, secure fit on the first post then you can pull the wire around. It’s rather stiff and wants to pull back on you so if you can just get it to hold still for a moment it will make it easier to work with. If someone can hold the one side it should help.
- Now work your way around. You want the wire to be snug on each post to keep out animals. They might dig underneath but for now just make sure the fence goes all the way to the ground. Pull it tight before you staple to the 2nd post. Make sure you pull it tight on each post before you attach the fence. When you do pull it might start pulling the posts a bit depending on how secure you put them into the ground. It’s ok that it’s a bit loose because once you get the fence secure it shouldn’t move around too much. What I did here was have the fence go around the first 4×4 section and then cut the wire. I left the side open so this will act as a gate later. Then on the backside of the fence I reattach the roll of rabbit fence and start moving the wire around the 2nd section of the compost bin. Then I pulled it around the front to create a 2nd gate.
- For the front of the bins you are going to want a gate. This again is to keep out animals but also so that the compost material doesn’t slide out the front too much. If you notice the picture I had an old ladder that wasn’t much good anymore. In fact I have been trying to figure out what to do with it after finding it in our attic. So I took a few pieces of it and made sort of a stake for the front. I wrapped the ends of the wire around it and kept a piece of loose wire at the top. This acts as a latch. I just pull the stake across the front to close it like a door and then twist the loose wire at the top and it actually keeps it closed. I would think a long stick would work great for this. I think you can see what I mean from the pictures.
- Your bin is complete. Now you want to fill the bin. One more thing you might want to consider is to put a 6” circular section of rabbit fence in the middle of each heap. What this does is let’s air down the middle of the compost bin and speeds up the process. You don’t see one in the picture because I forgot! I will add it later and see if I can take a picture of what it looks like. It’s like a little chimney in the middle if that makes any sense.
- Enjoy a New Glarus Spotted Cow. It was a hot day and we spent most of the day outside. It only took about 45 minutes to build the bin but moving that much material inside took a few hours. A wheel barrow and a pitch fork come in handy for this type of yard work.
- I hope this guide was useful. I am no green expert and this was my first attempt at building a compost bin. It was rather easy to do and I think it’s the little things that each person can do that helps clean up our environment. I can’t wait for our dirt to be ready so we can get our garden expanded. Its more or less some bushes at this point! J
Looking for Eau Claire Homes For Sale?
If you have something to say please leave a comment.
If you would like to work with an agent who is leading the way call 715-894-1001 today or send me an email.
Buy or Sell, I’ll Treat You Well!
(In case you do not agree with something I said or feel that my blog or my beliefs could be construed as libelous I hereby declare that my entire blog is meant as a joke. I consider myself to be a comedian and everything I say or have said should be considered comedy. I want nothing I say to be taken seriously and if you do take it seriously take a break. If you do not think what I said is funny then that is your opinion. But for anyone who wants to sue me everything I said or say is meant purely as satire.The only thing that is not a joke is this disclaimer.)
