Backyard Composter Kit

Description

Food scraps and yard trimmings make up a large share of what many households throw away. Composting them at home keeps that material out of the landfill and turns it into a dark, crumbly soil amendment your garden will love. The Backyard Composter Kit gives you everything you need to start: a well-ventilated wooden bin, a pail for collecting scraps in the kitchen and a practical guide written for Fox Valley seasons.

Who it is for

• Households with a yard or garden who want to cut kitchen waste and build healthier soil.
• First-time composters who want a simple, forgiving setup.
• Community gardens, school gardens and congregations looking for a shared compost station.
• Gardeners who already compost in a pile and want something tidier and easier to manage.

What is included

• Compost bin: pre-cut, untreated wood slats with interlocking corner posts and spaced slats for airflow. Assembled size about 26 x 26 x 30 inches, holding roughly 85 gallons.
• Hinged lid to keep rain and critters out while letting air in.
• Removable front slats so you can reach in, turn the pile and harvest finished compost from the bottom.
• Galvanized hardware and printed assembly instructions.
• Countertop scrap pail with a lid, for collecting kitchen scraps between trips to the bin.
• Fox Valley composting quick guide: what to add, what to leave out, how to balance greens and browns and how to keep composting through a Wisconsin winter.

How it works

1. Pick a spot. Choose a level, well-drained site with partial sun that is easy to reach year-round, including when there is snow on the ground. Check any neighborhood or municipal rules about bin placement.
2. Assemble the bin. Slide the slats into the corner posts and attach the lid. Most people finish in under an hour with a screwdriver.
3. Start with browns. Lay down a few inches of coarse brown material, such as dry leaves or straw, to help air circulate at the bottom.
4. Add greens and browns. Layer kitchen scraps and fresh garden trimmings (greens) with dry leaves, shredded paper or cardboard (browns), aiming for roughly two to three parts browns to one part greens by volume.
5. Keep it moist and turn it. The pile should feel like a wrung-out sponge. Turning it every week or two speeds things up.
6. Harvest. Depending on what you add, the season and how often you turn it, finished compost is typically ready in a few months to a year. Pull it from the bottom through the front slats.

What you get afterwards

Once the bin is running, you will likely notice your trash getting lighter and less smelly, and within a season you will have finished compost to mix into vegetable beds, top-dress your lawn or use when planting trees and perennials. For a deeper dive, read our guide to backyard composting in the Fox Cities, and the U.S. EPA’s composting at home page.

Shipping

This is a physical kit. It ships flat-packed to addresses within the contiguous United States. We aim to ship within 5 business days of your order and email tracking information when it is on its way. Shipping cost is calculated at checkout. See our refund policy for returns and damaged items.

Specifications

Kit sales help fund the free guides and educational content we publish for the Fox Valley community.