Compost Bin Complete!

The compost bin is complete, thanks to an intrepid crew of gardeners that earned a gold star by braving this morning's freezing fog and uncomfortably cold temperatures.

It was a lot of fun, and everyone was happy to pitch in and get some hands-on experience, unrolling fencing, using the t-post clips, and even pounding the last post into place.

For those of you that didn't make it out, here's a rundown of how to build your own. Keep in mind, this was a first-draft design and had a few flaws, but we worked them out along the way and I can pass along a few tips and tricks we picked up this morning.

First, the materials you will need:

Tape measure

Fencing

T-posts

Post driver or mallet for putting the t-posts in place

T-post clips or wire to attach fencing to posts

Wire cutters

Pliers (we used welding pliers and fence tool pliers)

Gloves

Use the tape measure to lay out your design. Mark where the posts will go. A big thanks to the kids from Culliver Reading Center for helping with this task during last week's garden class!

Install the posts by pounding them into the ground with the post driver or mallet.

This compost bin used 8 posts total - 4 corner posts and 4 posts for dividers to make three bins. Posts were spaced four feet apart along the back, with the outer posts placed five feet out, to make bins four feet wide and five feet deep.

Then simply attach fence to posts using the clips.

We started along the outside, but in hindsight I realized I should have done the divider portions first.

Tips and tricks: Start at the bottom of the post when attaching the fence and work your way up.

Even with the chill in the air and semi-frozen fingers, the whole bin didn't take long to build at all. We were finished by 12:20, and that was even after our compost chat inside the hoop house.

Everyone was wonderfully helpful, and I loved all the garden questions! We had a great time despite the cold, laughing and joking which made the work go so much faster.