Compost Sifter Plans

Why Sift Compost?

A compost sifter or sieve is an important addition to your composting equipment and is easy to make following one of the plans which are readily available on the Internet. If you have made a composting bin, or have a composting area, then you will already be producing wonderful homemade compost. If you have yet to build a bin, then there is plenty of information available explaining how to tackle this project.

A compost sifter or sieve allows you to sift your compost to remove any lumps of material that have not completely broken down. There may also be non-organic matter in your compost, such as small stones or pebbles, and screening your compost will allow you to remove these. Running your compost through a sieve will give you a fine, soft compost which is perfect for all sorts of gardening uses. The uniformly screened compost is good to use with young plants and seedlings that might otherwise get damaged by lumps and other matter.

While it is possible to do this by hand, a compost sieve will allow you to process the compost in a much more quick and efficient fashion.

Making a Compost Sifter

Making a compost sifter requires a few basic DIY skills. Most sifter plans involve making a wooden frame and attaching a piece of mesh or netting to this frame. This will entail a few woodworking skills and some basic equipment.

A great feature of making your own sifter is that you can use up any odds and ends of timber that you may have lying around. In addition to this, unwanted items such as pallets or old furniture could be broken down and recycled. The creative recycler may also find that netting can be retrieved from other items and recycled into the sifter. Netting from an old rabbit hutch, for instance, would be perfect for this project. Netting may have been discarded from other garden projects because part of it was deteriorated or has holes. The damaged part can be cut away, leaving you with a perfectly usable piece of netting.

Making a garden sifter requires little in the way of specialist equipment. Plans often state the tools which are required and these are likely to include:

• Hammer
• Tape Measure
• Saw
• Drill
• Staple Gun
• Framing Square (this allows you to form perfect corners -- whilst this is useful, it is not necessary)

Different Types of Sifters

There are many different types of compost sifters or sieves. These range from basic sieves which are hand held, to more complex versions such as the wheelbarrow sifter. The wheelbarrow sifter allows great amounts of compost to be sieved directly over the wheelbarrow, whilst keeping both hands free. Deciding on the type of sifter to make depends largely on your needs. While hand sieves are fine for small gardens with a small amount of compost, they can be tiring to use when sifting large amounts of compost. Therefore, gardeners with large gardens who might have a greater need for compost might want to consider a wheelbarrow composter.

Finding Compost Sifter Plans

There are many free sifter plans and sets of instructions on the Internet. Some of these compost sifter plans have printable instructions or are available as pdf files which can be downloaded and saved onto your computer for future reference. Some interesting information and plans can be found at the following websites;

• Nifty-Stuff.com - information about building a wheelbarrow compost, plus links to plans.

• Lowes.com – plans to build a sifter, plus lots of other useful information.

• Compost-Bin.com – ideas and instructions explaining how to make a compost sifter.

• WashingtonPost.com - article about compost sifters, plus instructions.

• CanadianLiving.com - plans to make a hand sifter.

Making a compost sifter is also be a great project to build with children. The project presents an ideal way to teach youngsters a few basic woodworking skills, as well as involving them in the composting process and encouraging a lifelong interest in green living.