Backyard Composter

I love the backyard composter because it works great unless you don’t have a backyard! Comparably less expensive, this cage backyard composter comes in many shapes and volumes. With either a closed or open covering over the top, these backyard composters allow you small critters to do the work of aeration for you! As ants, beatles, and worms work their way through your compost, they are creating natural passageways through your compost that gives your food scraps and yard clippings the opportunity to properly biodegrade.

Selecting a Backyard Composter

In selecting the backyard composter that suits your needs, you will need to determine the size that you want. How much compost will you need after a few weeks of composting? Will the dimensions that you choose hold all of the scraps that you or your family produces over the next several weeks? Furthermore, you should also consider whether or not you want cage that opens near the bottom. The reason for this bottom opening is simply for access to the compost that has already aged and is now ready to be spread in your garden. Be sure that the opening of the backyard composter is large enough to allow easy access because you will more than likely be using a shovel to assist in retrieving the aged compost. Still, another possible option to a bottom opening, would be to only access the compost through the top opening, but to be sure to first move all of the newer compost over to one side before scooping out the compost from the bottom. For many who are taller, this is generally the preferred type of backyard composter. Whichever features you find suit your family and lifestyle best, you will be pleased to have started composting for your garden without delay!

Drawbacks of a Backyard Composter

The drawbacks to any of the backyard composters are three-fold. First, since small critters will do most of the work of aeration for you, their activity often attracts much attention among the local community. Because there are so many arthropods bustling about, sometimes larger creatures also become curious about your backyard composter and you may lose some of your compost to them or, worse yet, attract attention to your house. For this reason, make sure that your composter is some distance from your home! Second, you will need to somehow anchor your composter to the ground. This problem can be easily resolved by using stakes to anchor your composter to the ground. Third, while the small critters do indeed complete most of the work of aeration, it may still be necessary for you to turn your compost once a month, depending on the density of your compost. The greater the density, the more often you will need to turn it. Still with these three small setbacks, you will be able to begin composting in a way that makes a difference for yourself, your family, and your community! Keep up the good work of composting at only a fraction of the cost!