Easy DIY Compost Bins | 3 Bin Compost Plans

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Welcome to the official April Wilkerson YouTube channel. I’m April and I’m the creator of Wilker Do’s. I'm not professional or have any training, so I just pick the project I want to tackle and figure it out step by step. On this channel you will find a variety of content like DIY home improvement, How-To’s, construction and more.

[jennifersatchell]

You're an inspiration to other women diy-ers!

[littlehousewoodworking]

I love my compost system. This one is pretty basic but a good start. I used the hardware cloth for my first version many years ago, but found it doesn't hold up well with the pitch fork and/or shovel's catching it as I move the material. I'm probably redoing it this spring. I have a plan using concrete blocks. Wood is so expensive it's practically cheaper with blocks.

I'd recommend making a sifter for the third bin. Then as you shovel the cooked compost over, you can sift the dirt/broke down compost and sift out the large pieces that need more time. Place those back into the 1st or 2nd bin. I have a 3 bin system where I will rotate back and forth between bin one and two and keep the 3rd bin for completed compost to use in my gardens. I've had my latest 3 bin system going for about 8-10 years and I'm going to rebuild it this year with a possible 4th bin for fresh raw scrap. Currently my raw (tree branches, leaves, grass clippings, garden pickings etc ) are thrown in a pile behind the 3 bins waiting for the next time I rotate to get added in. Remember to layer. Compost works best when it's built like a Lasagna of green, brown, and dirt layers. Doesn't need to be perfect layers and actually works best when mixed up a bit, but the method works for keeping proportions correct. Its also good to keep it moist, not wet. So be sure to water the layers as you turn your pile from one bin to the next.

[jasonclark]

Been composting for many years. my suggestion is to get some masonry tiles for the bottom floor. This makes shoveling out much easier and helps keep wildlife from digging up under. In my 3 bin system, only the first bin has a lid (movable), after the compositing starts the animal attraction diminishes and it helps the kids pick the right bin to drop food waste. Over time the piles in the bins start to all look the same and as you rotate the bins its easy to forget which one is #1.

[JeffreyMoon]

I have a very similar system that I built almost ten years ago and it has been GREAT for making TONS of compost to use in our gardens. It helps that we have not only food scraps and lawn and garden clippings, but paper litter and bedding that we use for our rabbits and guinea pigs and pine shavings that we use as bedding for our chickens. Filling a bin takes six months tops. My only change to this design would be to add an extra horizontal beam about halfway between the ground and the top of the bins on the sides and back of each bin. The fabric cloth WILL stretch over time, especially if it fills more than halfway, and securing to this will only help.

Also, there is a way to make your material compost faster. Start by filling one end a little less than halfway. Then, move it every few days between that bin and the center bin. In about four to six weeks, you will have usable compost. In the meantime, you can start filling the other end bin. Best of luck!

[halfglassfull]

TEN YEARS back, I built a 3 bin system out of reclaimed cedar from a fence. It has finally began to rot out. Fixing to replace it, I was going to use fresh PT wood sides but now I've seen this I will use hardware cloth on 3 sides. GREAT DESIGN! For our hot dry summers I use a drip irrigation system on a timer to keep the piles moist. Which also makes the piles heavy and I will likely put some cross members midway up each wall to keep the hardware cloth from bowing out too much. I also used horizontal and angled cross bracing on the back half of the tops to keep the walls from splaying out whilst stll being able to reach in to turn and shovel.

[CodlFaaic]

Your gesture always brings a smile to my face. Thank you.

[homebuddha]

Huge respect! As a male who strangely has never used tools other than a hammer & traditional screwdriver I’ve been lost just trying to name the tools you have used let alone know how they start. Best compost design I’ve come across and watching you build them gives me confidence to follow. Thank you 🙏

[WillysPerformanceCycleCtr]

Nice set of composting bins April. I like your step by step instructions. Always nice and you keep it simple. Thanks for sharing this one with us. Have a great day!

[mcmathwoodworks]

After seeing the full video, I like your method of holding/attaching the hardware cloth way better! Using a cutoff wheel looks so much easier than cutting one square at a time with tin snips!
And why didn’t I think of using a broom to hold down the other end of the cloth while working on it? lol ;)
I like the design and how you can add/remove slats to your desired height!
Thank you for sharing!

[joedenatale]

Great Job April! Just be careful on a windy day while working your piles, do not want the wind to slam the top doors on your head. Especially the 2x2 on the end. Maybe an 8ft 2x2 can hold them up for added security. Another idea to add, to make sure no animals do get in and may be trap in, us a bungy cord to tie down the doors. Were they is à will animals will get in especially if you have no tie down. Love your channel! Hi from Montreal Canada.

[therelaxingwoodshop]

Really smart to bring the wheel barrow up to the removable front. Niceone April

[hofhouder]

Another great step-by-step instruction video!
I didn't read all the comments so this might already be in there somewhere, but one suggestion, if I may:

Make the 2 wire panels inbetween the bins removable. This makes it far more easy to shovel your compost-in-the-making from one stage to the next. With only a removable front, you'll have to shovel everything into a wheelbarrow to dump it into the next bin or lift everything by hand over the wired panel into the next bin. That's either a lot of extra handling or a lot of backache.

The combination of a by section removable fontend and a removable side is perfect for working your way down a bin while moving it to the next, without the extra strain on your back and without spilling anything outside the bins.

Hope this suggestion helps!

[trapped]

May I suggest that you buy a few thousand red wigglers and add them to your bins.
Also I found a great tip a few days ago (Sadly I don’t remember who from) but buy an old blender from resale shops or yard sales, designate it for “scraps only”. Any kitchen waste destined for the compost bin gets blended. Take that slurry out and pour it into bins. Encourages worm activity.

[jewdd]

I like that air is surrounding it in almost all sides and the dados in the front to remove and add boards. Nice job, keep us updated on how the composting goes. If I built one I wouldn’t need such a large space but it’d be nice to not buy fertilizer/compost all the time.

[nicariverashorts]

I like the removable front-slotted design, I'm sure it's going to come in handy 😀. Great job!

[JeremySpidle]

I had willow roots living under my compost bins. I've now elevated the bins on pallets over a thick polycabonate barrier after trenching out the roots. I lost a year's compost to that tree... kinda. I'll take it down and chip it one day!

[velray]

As always luv watching u work . U make it look to simple, grunt or say oh shoot now and then.

[louroberts]

Hi, April! Now, THIS is a great project! Some good ideas for my composting area as my surrounding fence is dying a slow death. Thanks for sharing ANOTHER awesome video! God bless.

[lowcrawl]

Nice bins, if I ever need to redo my composting, I will definitely use these.

[thekaduu]

It's not too late. Look up "static compost". Just drill 1/4" holes on 2" pvc, put them on the bottom of the "cooking" compartment and force air through it (mattress inflator on a timer... 10 sec on and 50 sec off). This speeds up the composting process considerably. Also, mixing cheap chicken feed with no antibiotics, I got the core temperature to 67C (153F) in 3-4 days and it was usable in 21-22 days. Good luck.