Falling Planting On The Sunnyside Lane Hobby Farm

This week we have been clearing a small patch for planting our winter greens garden. We have found that the soil here has a lot of red clay in it. I am gonna try to grow some greens this winter, but it is going to need some dressing up to continue to grow.

We will be ready for the spring planting season as we will be planting more during that time of year. When we plant our garden it is for our household, our other grown children and our aviary. We try to make a few trips to the local flea market to make a few extra bucks to assist in purchasing supplies for ourselves and the farm.

For now, we have decided to create a compost bin, well actually several, to help with the spring gardening. In order to speed things a little bit, we have to do some planning.

One thing is the five of us will not have that much kitchen waste over the spring for a 2 acre garden. How are we gonna to be ready for the spring? A way we have decided that works for us is to explore the local produce markets to collect their waste. We load up the back of our full-size GMC Pick-up truck with large plastic totes. Then we are off to collect whatever we can find for our compost bins.

We never use any animal waste in our compost as we do not want to chance the spreading of disease from this.

My husband and I have been collecting wooden pallets from various places. Here are the plans for our compost bins.

Wood and wire three-bin turning unit

Figure 3
A wood and wire three-bin turning unit.

A wood and wire three-bin turning unit can be used to quickly compost large amounts of yard, garden and kitchen wastes. Although relatively expensive to build, it is hardy, desirable and should last a long time. Construction requires basic carpentry skills and tools.

Materials

Four 12-foot lengths of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber
Two 10-foot lengths of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber
One 10-foot length of construction-grade 2 x 4 lumber
One 16-foot length of 2 x 6 lumber
Six 8-foot lengths of 1 x 6 lumber
A 22-foot length of 36-inch-wide 1/2-inch hardware cloth
16d galvanized nails (2 pounds)
Poultry wire staples (250)
Twelve 1/2-inch carriage bolts, 4 inches long, with washers and nuts
One quart wood preservative or stain

Materials for optional lids

One 4-x-8-foot sheet of 1/2-inch exterior plywood
One 4-x-4-foot sheet of 1/2-inch exterior plywood
Six 3-inch zinc-plated hinges
Twenty-four 3/16-inch galvanized steel bolts, with washers and nuts

Tools

Tape measure
Hand saw or circular power saw
Hammer
Tin snips
Carpenter’s square
Drill with 3/16-inch and 1/2-inch bits
Screwdriver
Adjustable wrench
Pencil
Safety glasses, ear protection, dust mask, and work gloves

To build a wood and wire three-bin system

Cut two 31-1/2-inch and two 36-inch pieces from a 12-foot length of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber. Butt-joint and nail the four pieces into a 35-inch x 36-inch “square” (Figure 3b). Repeat, building three more frames with the remaining 12-foot lengths of 2 x 4 lumber.
Cut four 37-inch lengths of hardware cloth. Fold back the edges of the wire 1 inch. Stretch the pieces of hardware cloth across each frame. Make sure the corners of each frame are square and then staple the screen tightly into place every 4 inches around the edge. The wood and wire frames will be dividers in your composter.
Set two dividers on end, 9 feet apart and parallel to each other. Position the other two dividers so that they are parallel to and evenly spaced between the end dividers. Place the 36-inch edges on the ground. Measure the position of the centers of the two inside dividers along each 9-foot edge.
Cut a 9-foot piece from each 10-foot length of pressure-treated 2 x 4 lumber. Place the two treated boards across the tops of the dividers so that each is flush against the outer edges. Measure and mark on the 9-foot boards the center of each inside divider.
Line up marks, and through each junction of the board and divider, drill a 1/2-inch hole centered 1 inch from the edge. Secure the boards with carriage bolts, but do not tighten them yet. Turn the unit so that the treated boards are on the bottom.
Cut one 9-foot piece from the 10-foot length of construction-grade 2 x 4 lumber. Attach the board to the back of the top by repeating the process used to attach the base boards. Using the carpenter’s square, or measuring between opposing corners, make sure the bin is square. Tighten all the bolts securely.
Fasten a 9-foot length of hardware cloth to the back side of the bin, with staples every 4 inches around the frame.
Cut four 36-inch-long pieces from the 16-foot length of 2 x 6 lumber for front runners. (Save the remaining 4-foot length.) Rip-cut two of these boards to two 4-3/4-inch-wide strips (save the two remaining strips).
Nail the 4-3/4-inch-wide strips to the front of the outside dividers and baseboard so that they are flush on the top and the outside edges. Center the two remaining 6-inch-wide boards on the front of the inside dividers flush with the top edge and nail securely (Figure 3c).
Cut the remaining 4-foot length of 2 x 6 lumber into a 34-inch-long piece, and then rip-cut this piece into four equal strips. Trim the two strips saved from Step 8 to 34 inches. Nail each 34-inch strip to the insides of the dividers so that they are parallel to, and 1 inch away from, the boards attached to the front. This creates a 1-inch vertical slot on the inside of each divider.
Cut the six 8-foot lengths of 1 x 6 lumber into 18 slats, each 31-1/4 inches long. Insert the horizontal slats, six per bin, between the dividers and into the vertical slots.
(Optional) Cut the 4-x-8-foot sheet of exterior plywood into two 3-x-3-foot pieces. Cut the 4-x-4-foot sheet of exterior plywood into one 3-x-3-foot piece on one of the three bins, and attach each to the back, top board with two hinges.
Stain all untreated wood.