I thought these large plastic shipping totes would make perfect compost bins for recycling my Alaska Grow Buckets soilless grow mix. They are made with convenient fold down access doors on two sides that makes adding material very easy. I was able to find two for sale last summer at our local online market place.
I do not reuse the old grow mix in my Alaska Grow Buckets. I just do not want to take the risk of transferring soil born disease or pests.
I combine my leftover grow mix with shredded leaves, grass clippings, and other garden and kitchen waste and use the finished compost around my garden and yard.
So I decided to run my John Deere one more time before it snows to shred some leaves. They were not wasted. I added them to my new compost bins
I really like my riding mower with the grass catcher. It makes shredding leaves and collecting grass clippings very convenient. I also have a snowblower attachment for clearing my driveway in the winter. I still have my push mower for trimming and a smaller snowblower for winter too.
I set up my new bins near my greenhouse and covered them with a plastic tarp. I want to keep the bins from filling with snow all winter and control the moisture during summer rainy weather. I will probably need to design some way to get air into my compost material since the sides of these shipping totes are solid and turning the material will be dificult.
I will continue to fill them with plant material, leaves, grass, kitchen scraps, and leftover grow mix from my Alaska Grow Buckets. I attached the tarp with bungie cords that makes it easy to remove or to fold back for filling.
I would still like to find another bin or maybe two more next year. I am thinking of building a permanent shed roof structure above the bins with a clear plastic roof to act like a greenhouse solar heat collector and to speed up the compost process during our short, cool, Alaska summers.
Traditional composting will work, where I live, but it is slower than in warmer climates and can take several years for tougher material to break down.
I am also very interested in a powered compost sifter of some kind. So let me know what you would recommend?