Composting is a great way to improve the quality of your garden’s soil. It is also eco friendly, cost effective and can be done at home by using petty things like the leftover kitchen scraps. It generally relies on using kitchen scraps, leaves, twigs and other organic matter.

The type of composting that uses worms to speed up this process and efficiently break down organic matter into compost is known as vermicomposting.The worms used in vermicomposting are odorless and clean. To do vermicomposting effectively, you will need a vermicomposting bin. You can get an easy and quick start by purchasing one of the affordable ready made vermicomposting bins available on Amazon and elsewhere. However, if you enjoy DIY projects or if you want to save a little money, you can also build a bin yourself.

A vermicomposting bin can be made out of an ordinary plastic tub. A plastic tub measuring 20 inch by 30 inch and having a lid should be ideal. You would also require a mesh screening for which you might use an old window screen. To prepare a vermicomposting bin you will require a small drill and some shredded newspapers. Do not forget the basic ingredients of your vermicompost, the worms and the kitchen scraps. You will also require fine sand or coffee grounds and a garden trash bag.

Now to begin with the bin making you need to first drill around 20 holes on the sides and bottom of the tub you are using. The drill can measure up to a quarter of an inch. The wire mesh that you are using must be placed at the bottom of the tub serving as the vermicomposting bin. The function of this screen is to hold all the composting materials in place. Your next step towards creating a vermicomposting bin would be to shred the newspapers first and then create confetti like structure before filling half of the bin with these moistened newspapers. Next you are to add coffee grounds or fine sad over this newspaper heap.

After the work of making the vermicomposting bin is over, you have to introduce the worms on top of the heaped newspapers and fine sand. Now you need to cover up the bin with the lid and keep it in a place where it will not be disturbed. It should be kept in a cool place away from heat. For any dribbles, you can keep a garden trash bag under the bin. Keep the bin a bit above the floor by placing it above some pieces of bricks.

During the first week of the installation of the vermicomposting bin, do not feed the worms. From the next week onwards start feeding the worms with kitchen scraps and dampened newsprint. Absolutely any sort of raw or cooked food can be used to feed them. Make sure that the food is cut into extremely small pieces so that the worms can feed on them. Increase the frequency of feeding the worms as time passes. Do the work of harvesting and layer shifting after a good six to eight weeks. This will help you find worm free good compost for your garden use.

Click here for a great guide to vermicomposting! Or, return to The Composting Bin homepage to learn more about small composting bins, back porch compost bin models and much, much more!

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One of the first decisions you need to make when choosing a garden composting bin model that is right for you is deciding what size will best suit your needs.  And this will depend on what kinds and amounts of materials you will be composting.  If you are only planning to compost kitchen scraps, a small worm bin may work well for you.  But if you have a considerable amount of yard waste that you also want to compost, you will need a much larger garden compost bin model.

The second decision will be whether you will be “hot” composting or “cold” composting.  Hot composting requires a bigger pile and you will need to ensure the right combination of brown and green matter in your composting bin.  And you will also need to turn and mix the pile often.  For hot composting you may want to seriously consider a tumbling compost bin model which will allow you to turn you compost quickly and easily using a hand crank. With hot composting and a tumbling compost bin you can have finished compost in a matter of just weeks.

The cold composting process, on the other hand, can take six months to a year to create compost.  But it is also a much less labor intensive method of compost making.  You will probably need a larger garden compost bin if you choose the cold method, however, since it will take much longer for the compost to break down.

This raises yet another issue: will you need one bin or multiple bins to handle your composting needs?  If you have a small yard, rarely have more than one container of yard waste to dispose of, and choose to leave your lawn clipping on the lawn than a single compost bin may serve your needs.  however if you have a medium to large sized yard, want to compost grass clippings, have several trees that drop leaves in the fall, a large vegetable garden or flower beds, and want to make as much compost as you can for use in your garden, then you should certainly consider investing in a garden compost bin systems that is expandable or comes with two or more bins to start.

Regardless of the garden compost bin system you select, be sure that the bins are well aerated and easy to turn (especially if using hot composting methods).  For even more tips about garden compost bin, or to see a selection of some of the top examples of the easy to turn rotating compost bin, please visit the Composting Bin Home Page.

Would you like to learn how to make the World’s Best Compost? If so, you should learn about colloidal humus, and how to make this amazing compost at home. Click here for more information!

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One of the fundamentals of having a good compost pile is creating a balanced mixture between “brown” and “green” organic matter.  Brown materials are items such as dead leaves, straw, dried grass, while green materials involve items such as green (undead) yard waste and most kitchen scraps.

Besides creating a balanced compost pile, you also need to know what can and cannot be composted properly.  Here are lists of items you can put in a composting pile or bin, items you should not put in a compost pile, and those that you should use with caution in a compost bin or pile.

What Can be Put into a Composting Bin or Compost Heap

Most yard waste (grass clippings, leaves), vegetables, and fruits, coffee grounds, tea bags, corn cobs, and egg shells.  You can also put in cardboard or paper, sawdust and hay and even clothing made from organic materials like cotton or wool.

What You Should NOT Put in your Composting Bin or Pile

Avoid adding dairy items, meat and eggs.  Animal and human feces.  Weeds with loads of seeds in them (especially if you will be using the compost later on in your garden), or noxious in nature.  Also do not use compost heaps to dispose of used oil or overly oily food products.

What Items to Use Sparingly or with Caution

Citrus fruits, wood ashes, evergreen needles.

If you have the right balance of materials in your compost heap (brown and green) and the proper materials to compost (see the lists above) you will be well on your way to creating beautiful, rich compost for your garden.

For more information about how to make compost quickly and efficiently using methods such as using a tumbler composting bins, please return to The Composting Bin homepage.

Would you like to learn how to make the World’s Best Compost? If so, you should learn about colloidal humus, and how to make this amazing compost at home.

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Small compost bin models are perfect for those who wish to compost household organic waste and do not have much yard waste that they need to compost.  Most of these compost bin models rely on the hot composting method, which means your compost will be finished in just a matter of weeks.  And many of these models can also be used to make compost tea, which you can use to nourish a wide variety of plants, including houseplants.

Here are some of the best small compost bin models currently available:

Envirocycle Composter

At just 30 inches high and two feet wide, this compost bin will fit almost anywhere.  You can put it on a balcony, in a garage or your yard or garden.  It is a tumbler compost bin, meaning that you can spin the compost bin, which helps with assuring your composting process is quick and complete.  This model was build specifically to handle kitchen waste and small amounts of yard waste.  It also costs under $150, making it one of the most popular compost bin models on the market.

The Back Porch Compost Tumbler

This compost bin is only 37 inches high, and has wheels making it very portable.  Yet is also can hold up to 37 gallons of compost material.  Another tumbler compost bin model, the Back Porch ComposTumbler is very well aerated to help with the composting process, but also screened well to keep small animals out.  It comes with a five year warranty, and costs just under $200 if you buy it from Amazon.com.

The ECOmposter

Now this is an interesting looking compost bin.  The manufacturers claim that they spent five years research compost bins to come up with the design for this model.  The ECOmposter is made of recycled plastic, and will produce compost in as little as four weeks.  It is 32 inches high and wide, and costs about $250 (this compost bin is only available in the United States, unfortunately).

For more information about garden compost bin models, including five reasons you should consider using a tumbler compost bin, please return to the Composting Bin Home Page.

Would you like to learn how to make the World’s Best Compost? If so, you should learn about colloidal humus, and how to make this amazing compost at home. Click here for more information!

Related posts:

1. Composting Bin Resources
2. Choosing a Garden Compost Bin: Which Model is Right for You?