I love straw bale compost bins!
As you may have read in my previous composting post, compost made simple, I have used several different methods to create compost.
My favorite method uses an extremely low-cost resource that your compost needs anyway: straw bales.
Buy some straw bales from the local market or feed store, we can use them to make a highly efficient straw bale compost bin. In case you don’t have any straw bales laying around, they are very cheap and a great resource that you should invest in anyway. Here is how I utilize the straw to fashion a simple straw bale compost bin.
Creating Your Straw Bale Compost Bin
Straw bale compost bins do a great job of retaining both moisture and heat.
So here’s what you do…
A straw bale compost bin holds the compost very well and also helps retain heat and moisture, all while adding valuable brown matter to your heap. Layer your yard waste and table scraps with soil within the straw bale compost bin. In time, the bales will decompose along with your kitchen and yard waste; perfect to include in your new straw bale compost system made from new bales. Whenever you have new organic waste to add, simply add it to the top of the pile, mother nature does the rest.
Simple Composting With Straw Bales
How you mix your compost is an important factor as well, you will get better results if you utilize some very basic components into your pile.
You should always include fresh green matter, dried brown organic materials such as leaves, and soil.
The green matter should be the fresh waste from your garden, flowerbeds, or home. Brown matter includes any older and dead garden waste, paper products, sawdust, or old leaves.
Be sure to layer these materials with soil, or feel free to add manure or older compost in place of soil to give your compost an extra boost by increasing the quantity of microorganisms and worms to the mix. I like to layer the manure over the top of the heap to keep critters out.
Creating compost with these three organic resources in equilibrium is the ideal way to fashion nutrient loaded compost to put your gardens in balance. Keeping the pile moist is the next step.
Keeping the pile nice and damp is as crucial for success as it is necessary to keep the smell depressed. The moisture is fantastic for keeping the pile odor free and quickly starts a feeding frenzy for many little micro-organisms that break down the heap.
By keeping a warm and moist compost heap, bacteria and worms will break down your organic waste into exceptionally effective fertilizer. Luckily for you, the straw bale compost method keeps your pile warm and moist with minimal work.
Keeping your pile in a location where you can capitalize on the heat from the sun is also necessary for the straw bale method to work.
The straw bale composting method works so well because it naturally retains the heat and kicks your efforts into overdrive. Remember, you can’t compost unless you give micro-organisms the environment they crave!
Following these simple steps will produce high potency fertilizer that your garden will thank you for, all from straw bale compost.
If you have any straw bale compost stories of your own, let us know by leaving a comment below!
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I’m a student trying to learn more about the green industry and I really enjoyed this. It’s absolutely worth sharing!
Cheers and thanks Mario
Nice, I’ve been looking for other composting method and it’s good to know about straw bale composting. I should start looking for a cheaper resource of straw bale.
As a newbie this was a great start for me in a ecomical way(disabilty pensioner) to start my first compost area and then soon raised beds. Many thanks I look forward to starting!!