[daveinmanc]

having some brainwaves  :shock:  after reading up on compost bins . . . . .  thinking along the lines of  3 -   3 foot by 3 foot waney lap panels, with a wire mesh 'door' on the front so it can breathe and  be opened to 'turn' it, then maybe a top that can be placed over in cold weather to keep heat in and remove in the warmer weather  etc etc . . . . . . . .

anything obviously wrong with a design like this or a simple improvement that could be made??? is an open meshed front a good idea or not necessary  ?

[Selkie]

would a wire side mean that it would dry out very quickly though?

[WG.]

IMHO the best type is like this :



A wormery is pictured but I use the same wood for compost bins (up to 6ft tall).

I have used free wood (rough backs from a sawmill) but tanalised wood with the same notches cut in the ends will last for many many years.

[daveinmanc]

just thought a wired front might help it to breathe and speed or help the composting process? i was under the impression they needed a certain amount of air to them and W.G's looks fairly well ventilated?

thing is, i always have the option of covering it up with a board if i need to?

also thought that as waney lap panels aren't exactly 'sealed' this would be beneficial too? and besides, i've got 5 that i've just taken out and replaced so am thinking i either recycle em or burn em lol  

[WG.]

Use what you've got and you'll never want for anything, mate.  You could use the panels on all four sides - just come up with an arrangement which lets you dismantle easily.

[daveinmanc]

cheers  W.G.  

it'd be just as easy to make 4 panels as 3 . . . . .  was going to hinge one so it can be opened and turned easily enough so i suppose it may as well have 4 solid sides to it  . . . .  

i do like the simplicity of yours, wish we had the wood lying around to do one like that   . . . .    :roll:

[Trillium]

I built my main bin on a Geoff Hamilton style. All sides are used wood floor panels with a hinged wood panel roof. The 2 sides and back are solidly screwed into the corner supports, but the front has 2 slot channels on both sides so that front panels can be simply dropped in or slipped out when adding or removing compost. The construction keeps out truly pesky racoons, rats and other scavengers. The base sits on hardware cloth which no vermin can dig through.  In front of the bins I set down 2 ft sq pavers so that I can pull out the compost and easily scoop it back up for return. Wish I could send a pic but the bin is buried in snow at the moment.

As for breathing, the bin has enough small gaps from the panels that it's not a problem. Worms are not essential for making compost, only the percentages of varying 'ingredients' will heat up the contents quickly.  

[daveinmanc]

thanks for that trillium, i like the idea of the front panel sliding out, so if i'm getting you properly, you can raise the panel. remove/rotate the compost, slot it back in and refill?

sounds good to me if i understand you properly, and yes, i would have loved a pic but never mind  . . .maybe after the thaw then  . . .  lol  

[Trillium]

The bin is made of old flooring slats. Being the perfectionist that I am, I lined them up level all the way around. The front 'panel' is actually the loose slats, cut to size, which slip down one at a time into the little wooden U channels on each side. You can either add another slat at a time as the bin fills or simply put all the slats in (as I do) so nothing gets out or in (such as vermin). If you can access the Ornamental Kitchen Garden video or book, Geoff's is more of a fancy beehive style, while mine is simple since no one sees it lurking behind flower bushes.  

[noshed]

Mine are just pallets tied together with rope and wire. The fronts open like a door and you can run a barrow right up to them and tip it in.
I cover them with old fertiliser bags and bin bags full of packing material.
They are very scruffy but seem to work OK.
I have 4 of them and one dalek.

[Selkie]

Mine is the same as NoShed's; though mine is really bockety because I made it myself about 3 years ago. We also have two of the daleky ones, which I usually use for nearly composted compost.

[Trillium]

IMHO the best type is like this :



.

And I thought my garden was messy      

Hey, Wiggy, what's with the holes in the building roof? Collecting snow and rain for water for the house?  

[WG.]

And I thought my garden was messy  

Cheeky vraitch!

BTW, I don't recall seeing any piccies of either you or your garden ...

[mkhenry]

IMHO the best type is like this :



A wormery is pictured but I use the same wood for compost bins (up to 6ft tall).

I have used free wood (rough backs from a sawmill) but tanalised wood with the same notches cut in the ends will last for many many years.

I thought this was another Barret Home Ready For Occupation.  

[richyrich7]

I thought this was another Barret Home Ready For Occupation.  

Timbers too good