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Step 2Size matters
consider how big you want your bin to be.
from what we have read, one cubic yard/meter is ideal: any bigger and it can be hard work to turn it; any smaller and it can be hard for the pile to generate and store heat that helps in the degradation of the vegetable matter. consider the size of your household and how much you will compost. we are a household of two vegetarians, and chose the size of each bin to be 2'x2'. we already had an idea of what size we would need from our old compost heap, which was the bottom of a barrel (in both senses...), around 2' diameter. if you are very pressed for space, you could consider making the mature compartment of the bin smaller, since the compost does reduce in volume when it degrades.
in order to have an interior volume of about 2' square, we made the overall length of the long sides:
24" bin 1 +24" bin 2 + 2" end 1 overhang + 2" end 2 overhang + 1" notch + 1" notch +1" notch = 55"
and the length of the short sides:
24" bin + 2" end overhang 1 + 2" end 2 overhang + 1" notch + 1" notch = 30"
we have a small car, so ended up having the lumber yard cut the lengths on site for us. we also bought precut corner posts (typically used for deck railing balusters, hence the angle cut on end) which were ready to be hammered into ground as-is.
so, to make a bin this size you will need:
4 x 55" lengths;
6 x 30" lengths;
4 x corner posts.
our total cost was less than $15.
from what we have read, one cubic yard/meter is ideal: any bigger and it can be hard work to turn it; any smaller and it can be hard for the pile to generate and store heat that helps in the degradation of the vegetable matter. consider the size of your household and how much you will compost. we are a household of two vegetarians, and chose the size of each bin to be 2'x2'. we already had an idea of what size we would need from our old compost heap, which was the bottom of a barrel (in both senses...), around 2' diameter. if you are very pressed for space, you could consider making the mature compartment of the bin smaller, since the compost does reduce in volume when it degrades.
in order to have an interior volume of about 2' square, we made the overall length of the long sides:
24" bin 1 +24" bin 2 + 2" end 1 overhang + 2" end 2 overhang + 1" notch + 1" notch +1" notch = 55"
and the length of the short sides:
24" bin + 2" end overhang 1 + 2" end 2 overhang + 1" notch + 1" notch = 30"
we have a small car, so ended up having the lumber yard cut the lengths on site for us. we also bought precut corner posts (typically used for deck railing balusters, hence the angle cut on end) which were ready to be hammered into ground as-is.
so, to make a bin this size you will need:
4 x 55" lengths;
6 x 30" lengths;
4 x corner posts.
our total cost was less than $15.
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