Some of you might remember last year when I was lusting after this compost bin from Lee Valley Tools. After living with a dilapidated compost bin (made in about 25 minutes several years ago with four pallets and a set of hinges) for about a year, what finally made me spring for the new system was our furnace.
Confused?
Well, turns out we needed a new furnace last fall, and since we were still in shock over how expensive propane was the winter before, we decided to connect to the natural gas line in the road. Then, in late winter, with the house plenty cozy with natural gas heat, we had the propane company come out and move the hideously ugly propane tank. A few years ago I had put up a reed fence to screen the propane tank and the compost bin, which I purposely set up behind the fence.
But with the propane tank gone, there was no more need for the fence, so I happily took it down. Then I looked out of the back door/kitchen door and saw this:
And if I thought that was bad, what do you think my neighbor (right there in the background) thought? The pallet compost bin served us well for the cost of two hinges and a couple screws, but it was time for a new bin and a new location for the compost.
I moved the location of the bin over to the other side of the property, close to the vegetable garden and picked up those great bin brackets from Lee Valley. You buy just the corner pieces and have to supply your own wood so I went off to Home Depot and got some boards. It was my first time in the wood department and certainly my first time having someone cut boards for me. Although the corner brackets suggest you make a bin that is a maximum of 4 feet square, I decided to stretch that to 5 feet square. I had 10 10-foot pine boards (they won’t last as long as cedar but they were half the price) cut in half, then screwed all the boards into the brackets with the supplied screws. I left the top two boards on one side unattached so I can remove them for easier access to the bin.
And isn’t this better looking?
Best of all, we can’t see it from the house, and neither can any of my neighbors (although compared to that other bin, it’s so good looking it wouldn’t be bad to look at).
4 Responses
Hi Erin
Yes, your compost bin is better looking. Is it still holding up? Cascade Manufacturing also offers a stainless steel composter bracket set. The green looks nice, but I would worry about it chipping.
Seven years and at least two moves later and it's holding up great and currently making compost like crazy. All of the metal brackets are powder coated, so pretty tough. I've not noticed any chipping, but even if there where, who cares? It's a compost bin! I want the whole situation to be "neat," which that pallet one was certainly lacking, but I'm not fussy about pretty in this case.
How often have you had to change the boards thus far?
Hi Erin,
That is downright pretty! Now, you need another one so you can turn the pile.
Yes, our kitchen is done, and we are getting used to the changes. I still think I can't do something I'm about to do at times, because the dishwasher is running. It's so much fun when I remember that I can. Before, a fuse would blow.
I have some before and after photos of it on my Keeping my Branch Connected to the Vine blog.