How to make a compost sifter? If you make your own compost soil, you might’ve noticed that different components rarely break down at the same rate. Having large chunks in your compost isn’t bad per se, they just give it more of a mulch consistency that’s not suitable for all tasks. That’s why you need to have a compost sifter at your disposal. Luckily, building a DIY compost sifter is pretty easy. Read on to find out more.
Why not just buy it?
You could buy a compost sifter online, of course. The problem with that is that most of the sifters on the market are quite small and fragile for some reason.
You sure can use them to fill a moderately sized pot with soil but sifting compost on a larger scale would require a larger tool.
So if you plan to use compost soil in your garden, it is much more easy and effective to use a DIY compost sifter. Making a sifter is not at all hard and the end product will be perfectly tailored for your needs.
Besides this is also a lot cheaper, since you probably already have all the needed materials lying around in your backyard. Killing two birds with one stone: building a nice compost sifter and freeing up some space at the same time!
Types of sifters
First, you need to come up with all the dimensions of your future sifter. The size of your sifter’s frame will vary significantly depending on how you’re planning to use it. There are several methods.
For example, you could hold your sifter over a bucket and sieve the compost by moving the sifter back and forth. Just the way you would do with a flour sieve.
In this case, you need a smaller sifter because otherwise, your hands are going to get tired pretty fast.
This kind of compost sifter may come in handy if you just need a little compost for your potting soil, or for your seed starting mix. Seedlings require finely sifted compost since large materials might block them and impede their growth.
If you need to sift larger amounts of compost you should consider a sloped screen. Sifting compost using this screen would be similar to sifting sand.
All you need to do is to throw shovelfuls of compost on the screen positioned near the compost pile. Sifted compost will just land on the other side of the screen while larger bits will just roll down back into the pile.
The problem with this method is that after you’re done sifting, you still need to transport the finished compost to your garden somehow. So, ultimately you’ll be doing double work: first throwing the compost onto the screen and then shoveling the soil into a bucket or a wheelbarrow. Why not sieve it into a wheelbarrow from the very beginning?
Wheelbarrow-style sifters are pretty popular. They allow you to relatively large amounts of compost soil with ease. Just rest the sifter on your wheelbarrow and load some soil on top. Now you can sieve the compost soil by moving it back and forth in the sifter.
Smaller particles will fall right into the wheelbarrow while the larger bits can be thrown back into the compost bin. That’s the type of sifter we’re going to talk about in this article.
Wheelbarrow style sifter
As we’ve discussed, every sifter consists of two parts: the frame and the screen. The wheelbarrow sifter is not an exception.
However, since the barrow is an integral part of the whole system the size of the sifter frame can’t be arbitrary.
The frame should be large enough so you can rest the sifter across the barrow safely and steadily.
Measure your wheelbarrow. Most of them are less than three feet across. That’s why your sifter should be at least three feet long.
Next, the metal screen. You can use pretty much any kind of hardware cloth, chicken wire, for example. Just make sure that the holes aren’t too big. A 1/3 inch hardware cloth is the optimal variant, but you could also use 1/2 inch.
A 1/4 inch cloth would be too small for this project. It will be great for a smaller kind of compost sifter, however. So if you want some finer compost for your seed starting mix, for instance, a quarter-inch cloth is what you need.
Measure a three-foot piece and cut the hardware cloth with tin snips. Usually, hardware cloth rolls are two feet wide which means that the other side of your sifter frame should be about two feet long.
What lumber should you use for the frame though? Pretty much anything left from your other DIY projects will do. Two-by-three planks are a good option.
They’re sturdy enough and not too heavy at the same time.
Assemble your frame. You can use some nails or screws depending on what you have at your disposal.
The final step would be securing your screen to the frame. You’re going to need some nailable staples for that. Just put the hardware cloth cut onto the frame and nail the staples into the wood.
The gap between the staples shouldn’t be more than three inches, otherwise, the metal screen will detach from the frame.
From the compost pile to the garden bed
This is how you make your own DIY compost sifter. Not so hard, is it?
This kind of compost sifter does not cost too much to make and it should serve you for several seasons. You can cover the wooden parts with some varnish to extend their life for an even longer term.
Using this sifter is also quite easy. Just position it across your wheelbarrow and then put some compost soil on top.
Now just move the compost back and forth over the screen.
The fine soil will easily penetrate the screen and fall into the barrow. Throw larger pieces back onto the compost pile so that they can continue breaking.
Conclusion
If you make your own compost, you probably know that some larger components might take a lot of time to break down. Of course, you can use the compost as it is but this is counter-productive since these larger chunks trap a lot of nutrients and nitrogen.
Besides, your garden is just going to look like large compost heap. That’s why you need to use a compost sifter.
As you can see, there are many ways you can make a DIY compost sifter and none of them requires a whole lot of experience or expensive materials. Just make a frame, cut the hardware cloth of the right size, and assemble your sifter. Good luck!
Frequently Asked Questions
What do you use to sift compost?
You sift compost using a compost sifter. There are some commercial sifters available on the market but you can easily make a DIY compost sifter. All you gonna need is some wood planks, hardware cloth, and some nails and staples.
What hardware cloth is used for compost sifting?
It depends on what you’re going to use that compost for. A 1/2 or 1/3-inch cloth will do for most purposes. At the same time, if you want to make a seed starting mix, you have to use a much finer cloth, 1/4 for example.
Should you sift compost?
Yes, you should sift your own compost soil. Different materials in the compost break up at different rates. Sifting compost helps you to separate raw material from the good compost soil. Whole bits of potato peels or avocado shells won’t harm your plants, of course, but they won’t do any good either.
It’s better to separate large materials through the use of a compost sifter and then throw them back onto the heap for further decomposition.
