Introduction: A Woven Two Bin Compost Pile

This instructable will show you how to make a somewhat sturdy but completely free compost bin. All you need are some long sticks, a shovel a saw and an axe to cut some of the smaller sticks. This will probably not last too long as I've built it but I imagine with some better material like bamboo you could make a much sturdier and more permanent structure. This whole project took me about 4 hours from start to finish. I've included a random picture I took during construction. For the intro.

Step 1: Step One

We just moved in to a new house and I had to trim a lot of branches off the trees to make mowing easier. Since I wanted to make a compost pile for a future garden I decided to make a couple bins with what I had, a lot of small tree branches.

Step 2: Design

I decided to make a 3 x 3 array of posts for the framework of the two bins. First I used a weed eater to clear the area of tall weeds. Then I dug 9 holes roughly 1 meter apartment. A 3 x 3 array. I cut 9 long sticks for the frame to put in the holes. The holes are about a foot deep. I would have gone deeper bye I don't have a post hole digger yet. The holes are hard to see but I hope you get the idea.

Step 3: Weaving the Walls

Immediately it became clear that I needed more posts to weave the branches through. So I Added smaller posts between each larger one. These I only stuck a few inches into the ground. Once I started weaving the sticks in around the posts it helped stabilize all of them. I wove any long sticks I could easily get in between the poles working in layers as much as possible. None of the branches I had available were very straight but they got the job done. You can see it looks pretty ragged because I really didn't trim any side branches or leaves off the branches before weaving them in. The whole process would have been easier and looked nicer with straight uniform pieces of wood like bamboo.

Step 4: Finished.

I built the side up to about a foot high all around. I originally intended to go higher but it was hot and I got tired so I decided to stop. It will probably not survive the winter anyway so why build the Taj Mahal of stick compost bins. I filled it with weeds from an overgrown flower bed and some grass clippings and. Called it finished.

Outside Contest

Participated in the
Outside Contest