Compost Screen

Step 6 Sift some compost

Sift the soil through the screen before you use it for potting plants. You will find all kinds of stuff that you might not want in your soil - rocks, root balls, foreign objects - maybe even gold!

Comments

[robert1959]

I built one of these also, but I added an additional screen. The top screen has the 1/2 inch spacing and the lower screen has the 1/4 inch spacing. The screen frames were built similar to the author's screen above. I put about a 4 inch spacer between the screens. The first screen removes large items and the small screen removes the rest. I do have to tip it unfortunately, but it yields some very fine compost. Our community has a recycling center for twigs and grass. They will compost this, however the product is not very good until it is sifted. I was toying with idea of creating a rotating sifter. Same concept with using screens, however it would be in a tube form and tilted on about 15 or 20 degrees (or more, what ever ends up working). You would rotate the tube while someone else shovels in the dirt. As the tube rotates, the finer material falls through the screen as the larger stuff makes it's way to the other end of the tube and falls out. A bit more complicated as a stand would need to be made for the rotating tube, however I believe the throughput would be much greater. Depends on how much compost one needs to sift.

[compost screen]

I've made screens like this for years but believe that I have an ergonomic improvement and a suggestion for an easier frame. In this design the compost is put into the frame the stuff that doesn't sift through is trapped inside by the frame edges. The user must then tip the sifter to get out the trapped large pieces (that will tire you after a short time). It is better to build a frame and put the hardware cloth over the top. The weight of the material on the hardware cloth will cause the cloth to bow slightly leaving enough of a rim around so that it stays on the sifter but when only large particles are left you can simply push the material off of the edge, no lifting required. I use the backside of a garden rake to work the material back and forth. Next, no need to make miter joints, simply use 2x4s and make butt joints. Nail through the short dimension. Then, as stated previously put the hardware cloth over the top. Now, if you think ahead you can make the frame fit over the top of either: a wheel barrow, a mulch trailer, or the frame of a raised bed. I have all three -- and now plan to move onto the ultimate compost screen as my next project. Here is the nicest design I've seen on the web: http://www.flickr.com/photos/laj2006/541061869/sizes/l/. Basic construction here: http://www.instructables.com/id/Trommel-Compost-Sifter/

[hv3333]

We've been wondering about building something similar to help turn our heavily compacted former farmyard into something that plants can actually grow in. As you can imagine, we have quite a large volume to sift for stones, glass, random rusty nails, & slate slivers (mmmm, all lovely & sharp), not to mention sifting the additional organic matter we plan to add. Our (not yet constructed) idea was to suspend the sifter on thin rope from a frame or tree so it swings freely and all our effort could go into shaking the sift rather than holding it up.

[Composto]

 If you built something workable, I'd like to hear.   I've seen sifting screens in tv documentaries re: archaeology, and interest is keen.  Share what you have learned, please.

Composto