How to Build a Composter

Materials List:

For this project you will need the following…

• 5 Gallon Plastic Bucket with Lid
• 1 Can of Black Spray Paint
• Two Metal Stakes (pre-drilled)
• Candy (Optional)
• 2 x 2 inch bolts with washers and nuts

We bought all of the above at our local Home Depot and it cost less than $30, that included an optional candy bar to fuel our energy levels! Here is our receipt;

Composter Materials Receipt

Many of the materials could be found in your garage already so be sure to check whether you can re-use some existing materials found at home.

Construction:

Once you have the project materials the first step is to detach the metal handle from the bucket.

Remove the Handle From the Bucket

Now we can drill a selection of holes in the bucket to allow oxygen to reach our compostable mixture inside (this accelerates the composting process).

Drill Holes in the Bucket

Once you have a number of holes drilled the next stage is to attach the metal stakes to the bucket using bolts, washers and nuts.

Insert a bolt through the metal stake and into the hole in the bucket where the handle used to fit;

Attach the Bucket to the Posts

Attach Both Posts to Bucket

We bought our pre-drilled metal stakes in the fencing department of the hardware store and they made the project much easier but you could use some wooden stakes.

Now we can find a sunny spot in the garden and test the homemade composter by placing both stakes into the ground.

Test Fit the Composter in a Sunny Spot

To boost your composting power you will need to spray paint the bucket a dark color, we used black spray paint, this will allow the suns energy to heat up the composter much faster.

Paint the Composter Black

Note: We remove the composter from the ground and laid it on some old cardboard boxes to perform the spray painting process.

The Finished Homemade Composter

The final stage is to spray paint the lid for the bucket and attach it to the homemade composter;

The Finished Homemade Composter

The design allows you to easily add your compostable fruit and vegetable waste and the bolts allow the composter to be rotated everyday to get more air into the compostable mixture. The composting process will be accelerated by the aeration and the heat generated by leaving the compost bin out in a sunny spot.

We hope you enjoyed our “How to Build a Composter Guide” and we hope you try making your own version of this simple homemade composter. If you do build a composter we would love to hear from you, let us know your composting experiences.

With all of our waste fruit and veg we decided to start composting. A Home Compost bin is easier to setup than you might think and we found a cheap solution at our local hardware store. The “GardenView” Super Composter is approximately $50 and is available in the garden center section of most large hardware stores. The Super Composter holds 115 Gallons of compostable waste and stands about 3ft tall. The product is made from 90% recycled plastic and features a snap shut lid to keep unwanted pests out.

I am usually pretty good at assembling DIY products so I tackled the “Super Composter” by myself, these are the assembly steps;

Step 1/ Two of the upright sections are fitted together, this was the trickiest part of the assembly and would probably be alot easier with two people.

Step 2/ A third side is added and the compost bin is starting to take shape!

Step 3/ The final and fourth side of the compost bin is attached and the compost bin is already feeling sturdy.

Step 4/ Four orange clips are fitted to the corners for strength and the catch for the lid is fitted.

The final stage was to fit the wind and critter proof lid! The entire assembly took less than 15 minutes and I was extremely pleased with the quality of the final product.

I had read that compost must be kept moisturized but not wet through so I had to choose the location for the compost bin carefully to avoid direct contact with water from our sprinklers. I settled on a position at the side of our driveway which would be easy to access and away from sprinklers. The guidelines on the packaging recommend placing the composter in full sun to speed up the composting process but the Texas summer should provide enough heat, even in the shade.

July 2009 will be my first month actively composting our household and yard waste. I will be filling the compost bin with fruit and vegetable waste as well as dry grass clippings, weeds and soft stem plants. I will also be donating my beloved tea bags and coffee grounds to the compost heap! Watch this space, hopefully we will be able to report some beautiful home made compost soon.