D.I.Y Bush Turkey Proof Backyard Compost
Posted on Sunday 24th June 2018
There’s nothing worse than throwing out food you bought but didn’t get to eat in time. Well, nothing except, having to chuck out untouched leftovers hidden at the back of the fridge. Despite all our good intentions, these scenarios are a fairly common occurrence for most Brisbane households.
What if you could turn your unwanted food scraps into new food, or even just a healthy garden?
Composts are the circle of life in action, the nutrients of mother nature’s fruits returning to the earth to feed the next cycle. Not only is it a little bit poetic, but it is also a fantastic way to reduce landfill, and fertilise your garden!
Whether you have a modest Brisbane backyard or a spacious patch in Lowood, Boonah or Kalbar, everyone in the great south-east can have their own compost.
The Perfect Compost Pile
When considering the design of your compost, you need to consider;
How much room you have
Its durability
The aesthetics
Because Brisbane is subject to a) sub-tropical storms and b) lovable (read: frustrating) Bush Turkeys, we highly recommend a DIY compost bin made from timber and chicken wire.
Square compost bins tick all the boxes, they can be made as small or as big as you need, they are strong, and the use of timber gives a beautiful, natural aesthetic which looks at home in every Greater Brisbane backyard.
The Frame
For the simplest design, you can use timber to create a cube frame. Then, using wire cutters and a staple gun, you can cut the chicken wire to size to make the walls.
For those who are a little handier, why not give making the whole cube from timber a shot. This is also an option for those who don’t particularly want to see the decomposition in action.
The Lid
No matter which frame you decide to go with, you will definitely need a lid. Bush Turkeys can fly at after all.
The most basic lid is simply a wooden sheet cut to size with some bricks or rocks for weights. However, of something that is a little bit more practical and generally looks better, consider attaching a hinged lid.
This lid can be done in the style of the frame and wire body or all timber.
Of course, you can play around with using part chicken wire and part all timber for the whole box depending on your preferred look.
The Placement
Where you place the compost in your yard is important. Firstly, you want to have it as out of the way as possible, the decomposition process doesn’t exude the most beautiful aromas.
Secondly, try to place the box in the shade, but within access of a hose. Keeping the pile and surrounding soil moist helps to encourage worms – who are the key players in composting.
What Goes In?
For a compost to be effective, it need to have;
air
moisture
carbon (often referred to as ‘browns’)
nitrogen (often referred to as ‘greens’)
Carbon aka Browns
As the nickname suggests, carbon, or browns, are brown in colour. Think, dead leaves, sticks and twigs, sawdust and wood shavings, cardboard and paper.
Note: that when considering cardboard and paper, refrain from adding anything bleached white, or with excessive ink printing on it.
Nitrogen aka Greens
Greens refers to all the other organic material you can add. Particularly, food scraps, lawn clippings, coffee grounds and more.
When is it Ready to Use?
Time before you can use your composts nutrient rich goods varies, it depends on;
what you’re adding
how much you’re adding
how often you’re adding it
the size of the compost
the weather (cooler climates will slow the process)
What you are looking for is dark rich soil which is free from visible remnants. If you can only see a few small particles of food or cardboard, you can try to sift them out, adding them back the pile, using the pure soil on your garden.
Tricks to Help It Along
Your compost needs air and moisture as well as all the things you are adding to it. To help the decomposition process, you can aerate the compost with a pitchfork.
Also, moistening the pile and the soil around the pile will keep it moist and encourage worms to come up from the ground and get munching.
Once you have made your DIY Bush Turkey proof compost in your Brisbane backyard it is pretty self-sufficient. All you need to do is keep feeding it with your kitchen scraps, and garden waste.
For advice on designs and materials, or to pick up your supplies, drop into one of the four Farmcraft locations. You can find us and our helpful team in Coopers Plains Brisbane, Kalbar, Boonah, and Lowood.
