i don't know what is the best but i made 3 of these leaf/ grass bins. the wire is about 1 by 2 and the ends are tied together with black nylon wire ties. you can have the wire cut to any length.
william

Your stuff is always neat. Even your mulch in the bins is neat! Where do you buy the wire that they cut for you? My MFA sells big rolls; I've never asked if you could buy smaller amounts.

i bought this wire from our local true value store. it is more like a mfa. they will cut it to length for you.
william

Bonnie,
I once used similiar to what Willim uses except used chicken wire, and cut it with tin snips. Then wired the ends together. Now my compost pile is aoubt 20 feet long running the length of my privacy fence with short picket type fencing coming out from the privacy fence. I hope that makes sense, it simply makes a U shapped continer. I have too many leaves to use the circle compost pile. I would have them all over the yard. The circle ones are easier to manage. I have also put in four short 4x4's and attached the wire to three sides. I left the front open, so it is easier to turn the compost pile. Good luck on your search!
Ann

Some people mow and bag their leaves; I love to get those. I put them directly on my garden now as mulch. One man gave me pine needles; I really like those. Yesterday I went to my mother's farm and got mulch. When the utility trimmed trees in our area, I asked for their chipped branches. One older man told me I could go to the utility and get some. Then I talked to the young fellow who was boss of the chipper crew. He left me a mountain of it. I told him how much I value it and he bent over backwards to please. Funny how people are different. The calves played king of the mountain on it. That has been a couple of years ago and now it is nice brown crumbly stuff. When I dig it there are toads hiding so I have to be careful. Do any of you nuts talk to toads like me. I tell them I'm sorry and hope I didn't hit them with the hoe.

Thank's William.
I just wasn't sure if it was a stiff type of more of a very bendable one. But I am thinking a stiff type would stand up better to everything. I was wondering about maybe putting a "trap door" at the bottom. So I could just get my fork in there w/o having to take it a part. Then just wire it back closed when done.
I'm going to go the weekend and check the diffrent stores to find a type of
wire that will hold up well.
I think it will work best.
Because the wind comes up that valley from north and south. So nothing stays put very long if left open.
I don't think the wire cage will be that bad to look at. I can plant in front of it in the summer.
Maybe the neighbors won't complain too much.

No Helen, no toads to talk to. But do "talk $^$#^$" to squirrels when they get my bulbs. I do talk out loud to the dog though.
So if anyone drives by and see me talking, the dog "is" listening.

Bonnie

Bonnie

bonnie- don't make it too tall or you will get very tired of lifting up and over. 4 ft tall would be my max. when filled the bins get very heavy. to me chicken wire is too flimsy if not nailed/ stapled to wood. just my 2 cents worth.
william

That is what I thought to William.
I was going to put about my chest high.
Also going to see what they have that is more like a cattle panel. About that heavy so won't be too easily blown around or mashed. I have some concrete blocks. So I may anchor to them until they will be ok on there own.
What did you think about putting a door type thing at the bottom to remove compost from the bottom instead of having to pull the cage apart?
Talked to a guy at farm store he said he was sure he had what I was talking about so would help me when I came in.

Bonnie

Bumping this to the top, b/c I have a question.

William, do you "turn/mix" your compost that you have in the wire bins that you have pictured in this post?
I have not done so but am beginning to thing maybe I should.
Mine does not seem to be breaking down as well as I had hoped. even though it is 3/4 of the way full.
Do you think a potato fork (what I call it) would work well enough to turn it a bit w/o breaking my back?
Bonnie

bonnie- i don't work a compost pile like you should. as you know air and dampness is the key. i think a potato fork is for digging and the other is what you need, i think. believe they call it a hay fork.
william

jspeachyn5,

If you're big and strong, technically, a potato fork would work but I don't think it's the right tool for the right job.

A compost fork has sharper tines and is MUCH lighter and easier to use for the job of turning compost:

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Here is a link that might be useful: Compost Fork in Action

I had a compost bin simular to the photo a while back. But, due to where it was sitting, it was a beast to add, mix, remove any of the materials. I have since constructed a compost bin made of pallets. There's plenty of air circulation, and one of the pallets can be removed to work the pile. One side is sitting against a chain-link fence. The other sides are stiched together with heavy duty clothes line (vinyl covered wire). It's not the most attractive, but it's out of sight from my house and the neighbor's.

Any compost will break down over time. Adding more nitrogen in the form of green plant material and kitchen scraps (no meat or fats) make things work much quicker. The more you can turn, the quicker things work, but it will eventually break down without any turning, it just takes longer. A passive compost pile should have a finished product in about a year. Of course, most compost will not get hot enough to kill out seeds. Vegetable and flower seeds are usually not a problem if they magically appear after adding compost. Weed seeds, on the other hand, not so much.

Grass clippings are fantastic to speed up the process. BUT, do not use grass clippings if the yard has been treated for weeds. Those herbicides persist and can do a number on your compost. If gathering up grass clippings from your neighbor's yard, make sure they're not treating for weeds or using a lawn service. Also, do not use grass clippings if they are full of weed or grass seeds. These seeds probably will not get heated enough in the compost process to render them sterile unless it is a really hot pile.

Thanks.
Bonnie