Building a Hotbox Compost Bin

I am not going to go into too much detail here as there is a download link at the bottom of the page. This bin is not too hard to build and does not require too many tools. A saw, a hammer and a tape measure are the minimum. It needs a sheet of plywood and to get this cut you can buy it from a major DIY store which has a timber cutting service. They may also cut the other timber you need but it is more likely that a specialist timber yard will be able to use the cutting list and just cut everything to size. All you need to do the is assemble the bin and paint with a safe timber treatment.

The bin works by providing the microbes that do most of the work somewhere safe, warm and not too wet to do their thing. As the bin is raised off the ground and covered with a wire mesh at the bottom, there is a constant supply of oxygen to the ingredients which is essential. Remember to build the ingredients of the bin in layers. A layer of browns, then greens and so on. There is a lot more information on carbon/nitrogen ratios and what you can add and should leave out in the book, High Density Gardening.

I start my bins off like this but every week I mix them up. Usually I empty the bin with a fork and just put it all back in. This mixes the ingredients up and allows more oxygen into it as well as creating air pockets. You can add a compost activator to your ingredients and I often do this but it is not really necessary. All you need to do is add a handful of soil every now and again as this will already be teeming with beneficial microbes. You can also pee in your compost bin. Yes, you read that right, pee on it. Your urine is high in nitrogen and helps your microbes to increase and feed on your compost ingredients. It is obviously easier for a man to do this than a woman and please remember to make sure that no one can see you doing it. You do not want to be arrested for activating your compost bin. It would be a good defense in front of a Judge though. Honest Mi Lord, I was only feeding my microbes.

Apparently male urine is better than female urine. Sorry ladies, it just is. I think it is something to do with hormones. I once read on the internet, that after reading this fact, a woman announced that this meant that men were useful for two things. One was peeing on the compost and the other was opening the tops of jars and bottles that women had already loosened.

I also insulate my compost bin by covering the top of the compost with a layer of plastic sheet, (I use an old compost sack and tuck this down at the edges so the moisture goes back into the compost), a piece of carpet, a layer of polystyrene and two more layers of carpet. This helps keep the heat in which the microbes need to reproduce. I have a digital thermometer which measure up to 170F and this often goes off the scale when I am composting in the summer. If this happens just take the insulation off for an hour to let things cool down. The ideal maximum temperature is 130 - 140F.

Anyway, here is the link you should use to download the pdf mini report, Building a High Density Gardening Hotbox Compost Bin. Just right click and save the file to your hard drive. You are free to use this file on your website or pass it on to anyone as long as you do not make alterations to it.