How To Use A 3 Bin Compost System

Using a iii bin composting arrangement makes it easy to manage, turn, aerate and employ. Learn more than as we talk about how to get started with this system.

Everyone loves to say they compost but do they really know what they are doing? This three bin organization works dandy for us and provides a fleck of fresh, wonderful compost for our gardens each season.

Benefits of a 3 Bin Composting Organization

Now, I love composting, only one of the bug I've had in the past with the "traditional" style of composting is that the compost never truly breaks downward all the fashion. Since nosotros're always calculation new ingredients to the pile, information technology is always "cooking."

As a result, you never actually know when the compost is ready to be used in your garden.

That might not exist a huge problem if yous're calculation mostly yard waste product and kitchen scraps to the compost pile. These are things that, in nearly cases, are just fine to add fresh to your garden.

The problem arises when you are calculation lots of ingredients to the compost that aren't exactly safe to keep your garden "raw." By that, I mean things like chicken manure and other animal manures.

These are great ingredients to add together to a compost pile as they add tons of nitrogen, just when added raw to your garden (meaning they oasis't had the chance to break down for several months) they tin overload your garden with nutrients and burn down your plants.

Some other do good of this kind of compost bin system is that it volition reduce the weight of the material yous are putting within.

If y'all don't want to spend a lot of time turning heavy batches of compost every week, you may want to consider this kind of system. There's less waste product to deal with all at one time.

Since you aren't constantly adding new materials to every pile, you aren't unnecessarily prolonging the decomposition process.

How to Build a 3-Bin Compost Organization

Now, you tin hands run to the store and buy a 3-bin compost. This will salvage y'all some time and effort, since everything will come hooked together and ready to go. Nevertheless, at that place's really no reason to practice that, since you tin can build one of these compost systems for very little (if any) money.

Build a 3 Bay Compost Bin Step by Stride

Here's an easy fashion to build one. All yous demand is a rake, a shovel, and a hammer, forth with vii untreated pallets and some nails.

Go ahead and level your compost surface area with the rake and shovel. Lay down a few sheets of cardboard to repel weeds (I'll tell you more about this later in the commodity) and stand upwards two pallets to create a 90-degree, L-shaped angle. The thicker pieces should be parallel to the footing.

Then, nail your pallets together where the meridian and bottoms see the slats. Adhere a second side pallet to create a iii-sided, open up-faced box. Hammer in your nails until you have three attached, open-faced boxes.

You can cull to add together a forepart pallet to each of your bins, or you tin leave it open up. Yous tin can as well add a pallet "roof", if y'all'd like. Merely make sure in that location'southward a way to proceed animals and other pests out, and a manner to allow moisture in.

Don't forget that yous'll also need to be able to get into your three bins to add ingredients, turn the compost, and move compost out on a regular basis.

How To Use a 3-Bin Compost System

Every bit the title suggests, we employ three bins to complete our full bicycle of composting. The three bin compost arrangement involves either buying or building three bins or boxes. They can be linked or merely positioned side by side.

This method is perfect for a gardener who tin can easily plough a compost pile with a pitchfork, also as a garden whose plot produces tons of food and found waste material.

The first bin holds all of our "new" stuff. We collect kitchen scraps and toss them in fresh. Nosotros make clean the chicken coops and throw all the waste material in. We accept downwards old and dead plants from the garden and add together them to bin number one besides.

The theory behind composting in the start bin is like to what yous might do if you were composting in a more traditional sense. Yous'll add your compost materials, layering green and brown ingredients whenever possible.

One time the pile starts decomposing, and information technology's around 3x3x4', that's when the differences first to come about betwixt this 3-bin method and a traditional method of composting.

Some examples of ingredients you might add to your get-go bin include:

Plant trimmings
Weds
Eggshells
Fauna manures
Java grounds
Tea bags
Kitchen scraps
Paper
Seaweed
Grass clippings
Dried leaves
Corn stalks
Forest chips
Java filters
Pine needles
Shredded branches

We are sure to turn the waste inside the bin frequently and keep it moist, but it is past far the yuckiest bin – filled with rotting food and all mode of bugs, who just love the stuff.

One thing it is Not, notwithstanding, is smelly. An overly fragrant compost pile is a bad sign. If everything is in balance and properly covered, your compost pile should not aroma.

If you lot discover that the bin is getting dry, you lot might want to water it. It should be similar a sponge when you squeeze it.

If in that location's more than a drop or 2 of water when you clasp information technology in your easily, it's too wet – add a layer of soil or dried leaves and turn information technology to go some of the extra wet out.

In the starting time compost pile, the bin is edifice up fungal and bacterial action. The temperature volition increment naturally, and all you'll need to practise is turn the cloth regularly, and continue an eye on the wet and heat of the bin. Information technology can have a few weeks for the pile to actually get going, only usually, it won't have more than a calendar month.

This is when the fun begins. As the waste in bin number i reaches the top, we ready to move it to bin number two. In moving all of the contents of bin number one to bin number ii, we are able to really mix up and aerate the decomposing affair. This is of import for a proper and expedient composting system.

After the contents are moved, nosotros are left with an empty bin number one. We will brainstorm to fill up bin i once again with the "new stuff," merely we will never add new material to bin number two. The merely job bin number ii has is to continue to compost and break down.

When All Three Composting Bins Are Total

As bin number 1 fills again, we move the contents of bin 2 to bin number 3 and so on and so forth.

Past the time bin number i is full for the tertiary time, bin number 3 should exist fully composted and ready to use in the garden. *Remember* New material is Only e'er added to the offset compost bin.

All of this will depend on how quickly you create the material that needs to be composted.

Some people volition find that they demand much larger bins or need to but resort to big piles that are turned and shifted. These bins have always worked corking for us, just we alive on .15 acres in a large urban city, which may be very different from your situation.

You may as well wonder how to know if bin number three is truly gear up to be used. The easiest way to tell if your compost is washed is past sight and feel. Does it wait like compost and is it absurd to the touch on? If yous tin can however discern large chunks of food or specific plants, information technology needs more time.

The rule of thumb to alive by for the third bin is that it should contain but unrecognizable materials. If you notwithstanding see a chicken bone or a assistant peel hanging out in at that place, information technology's not prepare to exist used.

Also, if information technology is hot or warm to the touch on, then it is all the same decomposing. Don't utilize it if it isn't finished. It can burn your plants, and they will dice, which would be terribly tragic.

Other Considerations

There are a few other tips I tin give yous when it comes to using a 3-bin compost organization.

For 1, y'all need to be especially carefully about weed seed getting into your bin. Y'all can't actually move your system in one case you lot've gotten started, and the compost sits direct on the ground.

Therefore, it can be easier for weed seeds to infiltrate and you can and so transfer those seeds directly to your garden – something you actually don't want to do.

To avert this, you might want to lay downwards a few sheets of cardboard before you set up your 3-bin compost arrangement in place.

This will assist suffocate weeds and the cardboard will interruption down nicely, leaving you lot with rich, fertile soil below your bins (a plus if you make up one's mind that you ever desire to plant where you in one case had your compost piles).

Another word of caution? Moisture. Moisture can be problematic.

If you live in a particularly wet area, or during abnormally moisture periods of the twelvemonth, you may discover that your compost pile gets likewise wet. While a compost pile needs to exist somewhat wet in order to get the microbial action really going, too much wet can spell disaster for a compost pile.

Therefore, you'll desire to accept ane of ii steps.

You can put a pallet over the top of the bins, which will let in some moisture but not as well much. You tin can as well leave the bin open on one side. This volition let some moisture infiltrate but will still give y'all a spot where you lot can get your pitchfork into the bin to shovel out the compost and to plough it on a regular footing.

The choice is yours! Whatever you do, though, merely make sure you have the time to factor in how h2o might affect your compost pile.