Thanks a lot for this tutorial!!! This is exactly what was looking for. I started working on my compost bin following your instructions, looking good, so far. Blessings from Lima, Peru
If you have ever take gardening seriously & plan doing it every year, a Composting should be your number 1 thing to do for your garden. I started out with an open compost pile using 4 railroad ties 6ft long & 3 fencing post 4ft high. Threw all my kitchen garbage in it & had a friend who would get me sawdust free of oils. I would put leaves, grass cuttings, straw, small twigs along with all my kitchen garbage. My kitchen garbage would consist of lettuce, cabbage, carrot, celery, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, pepper, cucumber, rinds from melons, peelings from oranges,apples,pears, old grapes,bananas, egg shells, old cereals cheerios, wheaties, corn flakes, old stale bread & all other fruits. Newspapers, cardboards, egg cartons & old rags of cotton material. Believe me America has garbage worth money made into free enriched vitamins, minerals that make thing grow & nourish on. All this makes free enriched dirt for just about anything to grow. I made only a few mistakes throwing in cucumber seeds which grew in the compost pile & Potato peelings with the eyes on. Never throw meats, or milk, sour creams, insecticides, weed control chemicals into your compost. With the right weather conditions the compost will germinate vegetable seeds so easily you'll be amazed. I now have a smaller 3 bin composter made of wood in my yard taking up little space. I do container gardens & use my compost for fertilizer. I have saved money buying all kinds of fertilizers & I mean to say I bought lots of them granular & liquid from 1 lb to 5 lb bags or ozs to qts in liquid. I buy some seeds & purchase plants for transfering to large containers of 1 gal to 25 gal containers. Compost is my main way to fertilize my plants.
Thank you so much! I just made a small one for my garden out of old fence palings and it looks fab. I followed your instructions - so easy with your guidance thanks :)
That's a nice, neat job! I'm a retired general contractor and woodworker, and that's right purdy! A suggestion if I may? Keep all sides solid. It will help to hold the heat in and cook more evenly and closer to the edges. But again, nice job!
Nice job! I'm going to steal this idea, with a slight modification. I think I'll make the bins just under 5 feet wide, so I can fit my small tractor's 54" loader bucket in there. That should make turning and moving the compost a lot easier. Are you still happy with the way you built the fronts of the bins, with loose boards held in by slats? I was thinking of putting swinging doors on mine, but your approach is a lot simpler and probably cheaper.
you have good ideas. I do like the way I have the boards in the front however I have had to replace 2 of them as they warped. If anyone thinks of a better decide I'd be open to change it. Other than that the bins are still going strong
@@gothicliterarysociety7577 You'll love the bins once you build them. I've been happy with mine since I built them last fall. A few suggestions: 1) I made the dividers / side panels on mine a few inches higher in the back than in the front. It made the construction a bit harder, but I want to add hinged lids to keep rain off. The slope should help the water run off. (We just had our wettest winter in at least 25 years here in NorCal. Unfortunately I haven't built the lids yet, so the piles got completely saturated.) 2) I made the bins about 5 inches wider than my tractor's bucket. I wish I'd made them a few inches wider for more clearance, maybe 6 inches per side. I'm not a very precise tractor driver yet, and I've already hit them with the bucket a few times. 3) You'll need to anchor the bins to the ground somehow; otherwise it's too easy to move them when pushing in to scoop out compost. I pounded in a metal fence T-post at the front and back of each divider / side panel, then drilled holes in the metal and ran some structural screws through them into the wood. I hope some of that helps.
For the front slats I now permanently attach the lower two. I find it stabilizes the entire rig. And I never have to remove the lower two boards when stirring or emptying. Just thought I'd share.
2021, with the cost of wood that have exploded, this thing,could easely cost around 150$ to build here in Canada. great video, it got me some ideas of how to do my own.
This is the easiest one I've seen on line. I am getting ready to buy the materials and make these bins. My question is that I live in the rain country where it rains all the time. I was hoping to find your next video and the pattern and how to do the covering for them.
Yeah sorry. It didn't materialize. I am planning on doing it this summer. But since it is made from cedar, it is holding up great. So stay tuned. I promise it is coming.
Chris C, I just looked at the pricing of those as well! So much has changed in the last 4 years. I thought about using fencing material and making the section 3x3 vs 4x4. It will still be expensive, but it might work. Still looking into it.
Nice vid :) . I would just suggest that you should protect the wood !! direct contact with humidity / ground / UVs etc .. will make that in 1 year, you'll have to build it again for sure . Plastic covering is the only way to make it last for years .
@@Growyourheirlooms I'd be curious to see what it looks like now :) . I've been using 'protected' woods to make rised up beds for gardening and 2ye after they were completly eaten from the inside + lenght retraction etc .. So no it's not possible that simple unprotected pine wood from palets can resist to moisture/humidity/UVs from my opinion and experience. But please show us , I'd like to say I'm wrong ! ;)
I fill the first bin only. It gets turned into the second bin. Then when the first bin is full again, I empty the second bin into the third bin (which is now finished compost)
What kind of wood was it? Was it untreated? Could the thing be painted/treated with something to make the wood last longer (something safe that wouldn't leech chemicals into the compost obviously)?
I wouldn't as, the pressure treatment is something toxic, no? So you would be killing the microorganisms that make compost a living soil! The mycelium need nutrients, you don't want to kill the bacteria that makes it alive.
I would be careful with treated wood... remember it will leach into the compost you're making, and then you're putting those toxic chemicals into your food beds...
Do you have instructions for the lid? I want to make this without my husband’s help. My woodworking skills are extremely basic but I want to grow them. If you made the lid, details would be much appreciated.
They are working great. Still Haven't built a lid though LOL. You can see them in the background of my latest 2 videos. Also, I showed them here: ua-cam.com/video/5xlkaz7eMCU/v-deo.html
Pricing is very regional for cedar, right now it's $29 for an 1x6x8 cedar board at home depot where I am, there are no cheaper options for cedar. Still a great video, thanks!
Grow Your Heirlooms I was thinking a small improvement might be connecting two boards at a time with two narrow pieces of wood on the front. You can do all the front panels and even put a handle pull , or two for balance, on each set so they're easier to lift out. That way they're just a bit bigger and not so much lifting boards out. What do you think?
This may be an amateur's design, but it's built well and was exactly what I've been looking for. Thank you. May your gardens thrive!
Thank you
Used your video to build my own this weekend! Pretty much identical to yours. Thanks for this!
Thanks a lot for this tutorial!!! This is exactly what was looking for. I started working on my compost bin following your instructions, looking good, so far. Blessings from Lima, Peru
Glad it was helpful!
If you have ever take gardening seriously & plan doing it every year, a Composting should be your number 1 thing to do for your garden. I started out with an open compost pile using 4 railroad ties 6ft long & 3 fencing post 4ft high. Threw all my kitchen garbage in it & had a friend who would get me sawdust free of oils. I would put leaves, grass cuttings, straw, small twigs along with all my kitchen garbage. My kitchen garbage would consist of lettuce, cabbage, carrot, celery, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, beets, pepper, cucumber, rinds from melons, peelings from oranges,apples,pears, old grapes,bananas, egg shells, old cereals cheerios, wheaties, corn flakes, old stale bread & all other fruits. Newspapers, cardboards, egg cartons & old rags of cotton material. Believe me America has garbage worth money made into free enriched vitamins, minerals that make thing grow & nourish on. All this makes free enriched dirt for just about anything to grow. I made only a few mistakes throwing in cucumber seeds which grew in the compost pile & Potato peelings with the eyes on. Never throw meats, or milk, sour creams, insecticides, weed control chemicals into your compost. With the right weather conditions the compost will germinate vegetable seeds so easily you'll be amazed. I now have a smaller 3 bin composter made of wood in my yard taking up little space. I do container gardens & use my compost for fertilizer. I have saved money buying all kinds of fertilizers & I mean to say I bought lots of them granular & liquid from 1 lb to 5 lb bags or ozs to qts in liquid. I buy some seeds & purchase plants for transfering to large containers of 1 gal to 25 gal containers. Compost is my main way to fertilize my plants.
Thank you so much! I just made a small one for my garden out of old fence palings and it looks fab. I followed your instructions - so easy with your guidance thanks :)
You're welcome
Great instructions ... I stained mine and it looks really good 👍 Please post lid instructions soon! We get snow here in October 🥶 Thank you!
Great idea! I have the materials just hoping there’s a lid update soon
I really like it. Great idea. I’m going to make something today. Will use some of your ideas to fit my space. Thanks for posting.
That's a nice, neat job! I'm a retired general contractor and woodworker, and that's right purdy! A suggestion if I may? Keep all sides solid. It will help to hold the heat in and cook more evenly and closer to the edges. But again, nice job!
Thanks
Air is important if you want to encourage aerobic bacteria and a faster breakdown so having the sides somewhat open helps to introduce oxygen...
Nice job! I'm going to steal this idea, with a slight modification. I think I'll make the bins just under 5 feet wide, so I can fit my small tractor's 54" loader bucket in there. That should make turning and moving the compost a lot easier.
Are you still happy with the way you built the fronts of the bins, with loose boards held in by slats? I was thinking of putting swinging doors on mine, but your approach is a lot simpler and probably cheaper.
you have good ideas. I do like the way I have the boards in the front however I have had to replace 2 of them as they warped. If anyone thinks of a better decide I'd be open to change it. Other than that the bins are still going strong
I’m thinking the same thing. I want to be able to use the tractor since we generate a lot of compost on our farm. But I LOVE the design of these!
@@gothicliterarysociety7577 You'll love the bins once you build them. I've been happy with mine since I built them last fall.
A few suggestions:
1) I made the dividers / side panels on mine a few inches higher in the back than in the front. It made the construction a bit harder, but I want to add hinged lids to keep rain off. The slope should help the water run off. (We just had our wettest winter in at least 25 years here in NorCal. Unfortunately I haven't built the lids yet, so the piles got completely saturated.)
2) I made the bins about 5 inches wider than my tractor's bucket. I wish I'd made them a few inches wider for more clearance, maybe 6 inches per side. I'm not a very precise tractor driver yet, and I've already hit them with the bucket a few times.
3) You'll need to anchor the bins to the ground somehow; otherwise it's too easy to move them when pushing in to scoop out compost. I pounded in a metal fence T-post at the front and back of each divider / side panel, then drilled holes in the metal and ran some structural screws through them into the wood.
I hope some of that helps.
For the front slats I now permanently attach the lower two. I find it stabilizes the entire rig. And I never have to remove the lower two boards when stirring or emptying. Just thought I'd share.
Thanks for the info
Thank you for com-posting this video 😝
No problem 😊 LOL
Very good build, I made 3 similar to yours out of pallet wood. I do need to put some boards like you have on the front.
This video is great! Thanks for sharing. I have been looking for an easy system I can build and that looks great. I am going to follow your plan. 👍
Glad it was helpful!
2021, with the cost of wood that have exploded, this thing,could easely cost around 150$ to build here in Canada. great video, it got me some ideas of how to do my own.
The cedar alone is more than 150
@@joshuagarner1654 its ridiculous! but on the other way.. to grow a Cedar tree, it can take more than 35 years...
Awesome build with great information! Excellent quality build!
Thanks
This is the easiest one I've seen on line. I am getting ready to buy the materials and make these bins. My question is that I live in the rain country where it rains all the time. I was hoping to find your next video and the pattern and how to do the covering for them.
Yeah sorry. It didn't materialize. I am planning on doing it this summer. But since it is made from cedar, it is holding up great. So stay tuned. I promise it is coming.
Cool I'll be waiting for that too, very rainy in Midwest. I'm going to use a fence we took down
And no pallets were harmed in the making of this video. Never know what was on those things anyways.
HAHA true
Hey, this looks great!
Thanks
Great compost bins - and well constructed!! :)
Is there a video for the lids yet?
"31 1x6 cedar boards"
I guess it's time to put another mortgage on the house
Chris C, I just looked at the pricing of those as well! So much has changed in the last 4 years. I thought about using fencing material and making the section 3x3 vs 4x4. It will still be expensive, but it might work. Still looking into it.
Nice job 👍👍
Nice build!
Thanks
Thank you for the video. Would this work if I build it out of plywood instead as I have lots of it?
I used cedar to stand up against the weather. Plywood might not but you could try
This is fantastic
Thanks
Very nice! I’m about to do something like this myself!
Sweet. I love mine
That looks really great
Thanks
Do you mind sharing how much it cost you to create this 3-bin system?
Exactly what I was looking for!! thanks so much
You're welcome
Thank You So Much..
Much appreciated this
Did you use cedar for the 2x4’s also?
No just regular 2x4s
Nice vid :) . I would just suggest that you should protect the wood !! direct contact with humidity / ground / UVs etc .. will make that in 1 year, you'll have to build it again for sure . Plastic covering is the only way to make it last for years .
Thanks. This video is 4 years old and I showed this a few months ago and it's still like new.
@@Growyourheirlooms I'd be curious to see what it looks like now :) . I've been using 'protected' woods to make rised up beds for gardening and 2ye after they were completly eaten from the inside + lenght retraction etc .. So no it's not possible that simple unprotected pine wood from palets can resist to moisture/humidity/UVs from my opinion and experience. But please show us , I'd like to say I'm wrong ! ;)
@@kiteclem35 I'm doing a Q&A this weekend. I'll show it then
I like this setup but one quick question. How do you turn your piles?
I fill the first bin only. It gets turned into the second bin. Then when the first bin is full again, I empty the second bin into the third bin (which is now finished compost)
@@Growyourheirlooms Got it!
Beginning question? Do u use treated wood or untreated wood?
Untreated cedar
Beginner question here. How do you measure the guide boards and make them even, so the boards fit perfectly between? TY.
In the front rails? I just measure them and cut them to size.
Great job
Thanks
Looks good ... all the best!
Thank you
Thanks so much. I need to make one of these. I like your easy to follow instructions. Do you have the measurements for the lids/covers?
Have not done the cover, sorry. Haven't needed it yet. But I do plan on building it this spring
@@Growyourheirlooms Okay, thanks.
Looks Awesome
I love it I’m in an actual amateur
nice video! how much did it cost to buy the materials?
Get some pallets and you are set.
Can you use pressure treated lumber instead of cedar, we don’t have cedar where I live
I wouldn't use it near my compost. Do you have redwood?
So you can only add or remove materials from the top? Or remove all the boards on the front?
I move it all into the second bin, and then the third. I start over again in the first
What kind of wood was it? Was it untreated? Could the thing be painted/treated with something to make the wood last longer (something safe that wouldn't leech chemicals into the compost obviously)?
It's all cedar so I didn't do anything to it. It's still doing great
Can I use pressure treated lumber to prevent insect problems down the road?
I wouldn't as, the pressure treatment is something toxic, no? So you would be killing the microorganisms that make compost a living soil! The mycelium need nutrients, you don't want to kill the bacteria that makes it alive.
I would be careful with treated wood... remember it will leach into the compost you're making, and then you're putting those toxic chemicals into your food beds...
Do you have instructions for the lid? I want to make this without my husband’s help. My woodworking skills are extremely basic but I want to grow them. If you made the lid, details would be much appreciated.
Plan on making the lid before spring. I will post a video with instructions
Grow Your Heirlooms Thank you
Grow Your Heirlooms
Did you ever build a cover for this compost bin?
Nice job. Good video
Thank you
How long did this take you to build?
a whole afternoon
I have just completed the job, it took me 4 hours including clean up.
Are you still using this system? Can you provide an update on how they're holding up?
They are working great. Still Haven't built a lid though LOL. You can see them in the background of my latest 2 videos. Also, I showed them here: ua-cam.com/video/5xlkaz7eMCU/v-deo.html
nice setup
Thank You
about how much did it cost you in total? curious.
Sorry, I don't know. I didn't keep track. But I did get all the stuff on sale except the wire.
ok. thanks
Sounds expensive. I’m looking at cedar fence pickets and they’re $115 for 16 :(
Thank you for the information! My husband and I were wondering how you go about making the lid. It rains quite a bit where we are- thanks in advance!
I plan on making a video when I make the lid. Hopefully soon
Grow Your Heirlooms Id be interested to see how your lid design ends up. Going to make a 4 bay set up in the next month to replace the current heap!
I just made some here in Au. Would love some info on lids
Have you got a video of the lid you made for your beautiful compost bin?
Sorry, not yet. Probably this fall
What did you Mean by 1x6x8 ? Is it just 1x6?
yes. 1"x6" x 8 feet long
did you make a lid??
Not Yet
Subbed
If only lumber prices weren't out the wazoo these days. This build currently costs over $1,000! Oof! I'll have to use cheaper materials
I know it's sad. When I built this, 2x4's were $3 each and fence boards were $3.99
You could have made these with pallets... Do u have any issues with rats?
No rat issues
Holy crap, 31 1x6x8 cedar fence boards are $911 right now 😦
Actually, I buy the 6' boards And they are $4 at our hardware store
Pricing is very regional for cedar, right now it's $29 for an 1x6x8 cedar board at home depot where I am, there are no cheaper options for cedar. Still a great video, thanks!
It looks nice but the slat doors are a p.i.t.a. I think swing gates would be more convenient.
Yes, swing doors would work. But I like the slats. And they work perfectly because I can remove them incrementally as the pile grows.
Im reconsidering them. If i dont overload the bin it wont be too bad, and it saves buying 3 sets of hinges. Its not like ill be in it daily.
Grow Your Heirlooms I was thinking a small improvement might be connecting two boards at a time with two narrow pieces of wood on the front. You can do all the front panels and even put a handle pull , or two for balance, on each set so they're easier to lift out. That way they're just a bit bigger and not so much lifting boards out. What do you think?
Are these 6 ft u posts?
5 ft
I think the plural form for bear is bears haha
Your hat is not dorky
:-)