Commercial Compost Containers & Home-Made Pens

All sorts of composting units are available commercially. Some are cones covering a collecting basket in a pit. Others have doors or chutes to let you harvest the compost out of it from the bottom. On this post we will look at three of the six types of the most popular compost containers which may be used by gardeners: the commercially sold compost containers and the home-made pen.

Anyone who has come back home after a long holiday knows that, given enough time, organic matter can decompose even in the back of the fridge. And out in the back yard, nature certainly doesn’t care whether the compost is heaped out in the open or enclosed in a bin.

Why Gardeners Use either Commercial Compost Containers Or Home-Made Pens

A container of some sort helps keep the yard neat and the neighbors happy.

A covered container also means the pile can retain both heat and nutrients while keeping out rodents, raccoons, and pets.

Because hot compost piles need regular turning, and you’ll want to harvest finished compost from time to time. the container makes it easier to do this work.

Beyond those considerations, you’re safe in choosing a container for its appearance, convenience, cost, size, or other qualities.

Closed Cone-shaped & Square Aired Commercially-Sold Containers with cover and trap door

The closed cone-shaped commercially sold compost container on the left has two sections: the bottom part (looks like a clothes basket) which is placed in a hole dug in the ground and the plastic cone-shaped airless top with a cover. The material to be composted is dumped into this basket in the ground via the cover at the top of the plastic cone. This type of container tends to compost anaerobically and the composting procedure can be slow.

I have used both but prefer this second one by far. The commercially sold bottomless square plastic container has many openings so that air can circulate freely inside the container; thus, the composting procedure is much faster. The lid prevents animals from getting into the compost bin and protects your pile from the rain which would make your pile too wet for composting. The trap door at the bottom allows the gardener to shovel out the composted material without disturbing the rest of the pile too much. If the compost pile is turned on a regular basis, there is absolutely no smell while the pile is composting.

These types of containers can usually be found in any gardening center. Price range begins around the $75 mark.

Home-Made Compost Containers (the lazy way)

On the other hand your own system may be as simple as a circle of chicken wire, or a bottomless barrel with air holes in its sides. Just lift it away from the pile, set it up again nearby, and put the newer layers back in, leaving behind the finished compost.

Home-Made Compost Pens

One of the simplest structures is a circle of snow fencing or wire mesh supported by posts or stakes. At turning time, you unwrap and remove the fencing, set it up in a new location nearby, and fork the compost back into the pen. It’s true that this requires a little more space and some lifting effort, and it leaves the compost in full view. However, it is inexpensive, strong enough, and very easy to construct.

In the next few blogs I will show you more ways to set up compost containers for hot composting.

See you on the next post.

Take Care!

Marcie

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