Three-Bin Composter

Now that it is November, is garden season over? Heck no. There are lots of exciting things happening!

Christmas has come early for me! My husband built me a three-bin composter. Thanks to my 1970s Crockett Victory Garden book which I referenced in one of my 1st posts, I found the perfect directions. As long as the weather was temperate we went to the hardware store and bought all the supplies.

What is this & why did we build one? In previous posts, I wrote about why compost is essential to helping develop the best soil for a garden. I also extensively wrote about why I like to make my own “garden gold” or as Jim Crockett calls it “The caviar of organic materials”. That being said, now that I am working two gardens and am living in Green Lake WI full-time, I have plenty of kitchen waste (as well as a lot of leaves, etc.), so it is time to expand my composting. Compost tumblers are kind of pricey so it seemed natural to expand my composting with a three-bin system.

A three-bin system is an air circulation system rather than a closed system like in a tumbler. The sides and backs of the bins are built with wire for circulation. The front of each bin has sliding pieces of wood to make it easier to add your organic matter and harvest the compost. You use the same organic matter to create the compost in a three-bin system and a tumbler. As I noted in other posts, I don’t use a scientific formula to make compost. I just add whatever I have, whenever I have it. I’m not making commercial grade compost because I don’t grow vegetables commercially (at least for now - hahahah). Seriously though, making compost isn’t rocket science, and you will be happy that you don’t have to buy as much compost & garden soil and break your back hauling it out of your car. (Millennials will be happy that you are not adding to landfills!) You are making your own so you have to buy less. OK, moving on…because the outer edges of the compost dry out in the summer & fall and become wet in the winter & spring, you must “turn” the compost over with a pitch fork. How often? Whenever you feel like it. Turning it is when you move some of the composting matter from the sides & top, turn it upside down, put it into the middle of the compost pile, and then put some of the wetter matter from the middle of the pile to the top of the pile. This causes the drier matter to decompose faster and “mingle” with the matter that is already decomposing. The weight of the pile also helps speed decomposition. You are basically doing the same thing as when you turn the handle in a tumble composter. As you know, I am not only a frugal gardener, but I am also an impatient one and want to make compost as fast as possible. Spring always comes faster than you think, and this method allows you to start harvesting the compost in the early spring.

So why does the system have three bins? When you begin to compost using a system like this, you add your matter to the 1st bin. If you continue to turn it over, after a few months your compost will be about 50% decomposed depending upon the kind of things you are composting. After all, some things decompose faster than others (dry leaves, coffee grounds, etc.) and some things introduce water to the compost (like banana peels, celery stalks, etc.). And of course rain and snow will add more moisture to help it decompose. When the pile is “squishy” and you only see remnants of your matter, it is time to move it into the middle bin. This buries the outer material on the bottom of the bin and helps it decompose even faster. When matter is in the middle bin, because it is partially decomposed, bacteria and fungi will continuously work to create actual compost. Now you can start a new compost pile in the 1st bin! In early spring you can take the compost out of the middle bin, take out things that still aren’t decomposed, and put those things back into the middle bin. You put the compost that is almost fully decomposed into the 3rd bin where it will be ready to add to your garden whenever you want. It sounds gross to take the compost out of the middle bin and look for partially decomposed matter, but it isn’t. Most of the matter will already be decomposed anyways and if you leave some remnants of your matter in the compost, who cares? There are no composting police. Believe me, you will get kind of a thrill out of knowing that you actually made this stuff. With a three-bin system you can continue to make compost all year and you can harvest some in the spring as well the summer and fall. Kind of cool, huh?

Because we are living here full-time (as the song goes in Green Acres, goodbye city life!) we sold our 1st Green Lake home and so I moved the compost tumbler next to my new three-bin system. After composting for about six months in the tumbler, I moved that mostly decomposed matter into the second bin. I started my new batch of compost with leaves, spent flowers and gardening matter (no tomato stalks though because of potential blight) and kitchen waste. I also added about 3 inches of mulched leaves to the middle bin on top of the compost from the tumbler because they decompose quickly and most of them will fully decompose during the winter. In fact, mulched leaves decompose four times faster than whole leaves IF mixed with other organic materials (it’s true)! Because I am lucky enough to have two different compost systems, I will continue to incorporate matter from one system into the other. I will rotate putting my organic matter into the first bin and the tumbler. I can’t wait to harvest all this garden gold!

Have I peaked your interest yet? Americans produce 40 MILLION TONS of food waste each year, yet 72% of Americans have never composted to use this garden gold in their garden. Composting actually minimizes greenhouse gas emissions and its use not only improves soil health, but also increases water infiltration and storage. Yes, I have alot of composting books and also read the Internet. I ask you again, have I peaked your interest yet? You can start composting any time of the year. You can use whatever system that fits your needs and lifestyle. Your can build a system or buy a system any size. If you build one, you can make the size of the bins any size you want. Does it smell? Will you offend your neighbors? NO! When I lived in the Chicago suburbs, I put my tumbler on the side of my house (and we only had 10 feet between the houses). In fact, my gardening buddy and I bought our composters at the same time. Your friends and neighbors will think it is pretty cool and you are now armed with facts about why you should do it. They won’t think you are weird. They will think that you are super cool, and who doesn’t want that?

My dear readers, is this TMI (too much information)? My friends, neighbors (and yes even strangers who walk by) ask me what this stuff is on the back of my property, so since I am telling people who ask, I thought I would share it with my loyal followers.

Besides making compost, my gardening season is NORMALLY now over until the spring when I start planning my garden, buying my seeds (no plants for The Victory Gardens), and starting my beloved seedlings in my makeshift greenhouse. Secretly, I am thinking about building a cold frame (my secret is now out) to make it easier to harden my seedlings. The cold frame collects and retains warmth when the sun’s rays penetrate the glass; no energy is required! You simply crack open the “window” and close it as needed in early spring. And I won’t have to move my precious seedlings inside and outside my greenhouse before they are ready to plant. I need to investigate this further…

But this year is excitingly different for me. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, so I won’t tell you too much about what I am doing later this fall and early winter. OK, I will give you a hint. I need to hire someone to do it. Yes, it will cost money. But it will make my gardens better for decades (no exaggeration). One of my favorite sayings is, “you have to spend to save” like when you buy more shoes during the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale! The same is true for my gardens. It is time to spend a little more to save a little more - hahaha!

I hope your Thanksgiving holidays are wonderful and truly blessed. Regardless of where you live or your family situation, I hope you spend it with family and friends and are honestly thankful for the life you have. This is a wonderful time to be alive, especially to be alive in America, so enjoy it to the fullest this season and year-round.