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Where to buy cover for wooden compost bin?
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Posted by snowang MD (My Page) on Wed, Jul 1, 09 at 14:18
| We bought an old house 5 years ago with a wooden compost bin in the far corner of the backyard. It's pretty big with three bins. My husband is using it occasionally for mulched grass and primarily for fall leaves. As time goes, the wood panels and columns start to turn black from the bottom up and is probably rotting a bit. It's becoming an eye sore for me every morning I look out the window. Without taking the entire thing out or replacing the wood panels, which will probably cost more money and time than we have to put in, I wonder if there is any easier way to maybe cover it up using mesh materials. I searched on the web but couldn't find any compost bin cover that would serve our needs. Any ideas? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Where to buy cover for wooden compost bin?
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| I use salvaged materials to cover my round mesh bins as I think they need covering. For six bins I have four pieces of carpeting, and three heavy tarps about 15 ml thick. The black tarps have to be covered with wood or they blow away. The carpeting, which mainly serves to absorb excess moisture or provide a bit of insulation in winter, is heavy enough not to need securing. At times I have used burlap material and black landscape material on top also. One has to have an idea of the process inside the pile, and future weather; to make the best decision on what to use. Most of the time the piles are uncovered. |
RE: Where to buy cover for wooden compost bin?
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If you and/or hubby can build maybe a hinged lid to cover all 3, sort of like a toybox cover, or in 3 parts so that you can cover/open each one separately. Not sure if that will solve the eyesore problem, however. What might work is to camoflouge the bins with a trellis in front, growing a vine, or some shrubs or tall perennials in front of it. Some tall ornamental grasses perhaps? Unless you have a very big property and can hide the bins away, it's always hard finding a place for compost and keeping the rest of the yard beautiful. We have an area where the A/C unit is, and we fenced that area with a little picket fence (salvaged pickets, unpainted) and gate. My bins are there, 2 uncovered, and one is a large lidded black container. I plant in front of the fence. I keep extra pots etc back there too.
laurie |
RE: Where to buy cover for wooden compost bin?
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My bins, 4 feet by 4 feet, have a salvaged piece of T-111 siding in place for covers. I did put a length of 2 x 4 (again scrap) along the back and I did screw in a piece (scrap) of 2 x 4 under the front so that hooks on to the doors.
However it sounds more like you would like to hide those bins from sight than just put a lid on them. |
RE: Where to buy cover for wooden compost bin?
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| Very old joke; doctors bury their mistakes, architects plant vines. To me, your description of the compost bin problem indicates planting something. |
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