Why screen compost

Wait a day or two until it dries out a bit. If the compost is too wet, it will stubbornly clump into oval pieces similar to deer droppings on top of the screen. Place the screen on the target bin. Scoop some finished compost into the screen. Shake the screen side to side. Compost will fall through, and larger objects and worms will stay on top of the screen. Set the larger objects and worms aside.

Worms can dry out quickly or try to escape, so keep them out of the sun and contained. Repeat steps 3, 4 and 5 until you have enough compost.

You will need to leave some bedding behind for the composting worms at least one inch of depth. If necessary, make more bedding for the worms. Clean up the debris and worm pile. Remove indigestible items such as sticks, pips, stones and stickers. Place the worms and undigested food back into the worm bin. Shining a light on the bin for a few hours will encourage them to dig deep. Before planting, make sure your potting soil has been sifted or screened.

Often times twigs, clods of dirt, and small rocks can be found in potting soil. This can damage root growth. This is big enough to let small stones fall through, however will clean out any twigs, leaves, large rocks, or uncomposted things that will rob large amounts of nitrogen from the garden. It also just like before ensures a smoother texture to allow water to be absorbed, reduces leaching of nutrients, and reduces air gaps in the soil that harm plant roots.

The result after sifting will be a beautiful super fine potting mix. See my homemade sifter using a fireplace screen. Did you enjoy this post? Now, you're done. You can get fancy and use a router to cut handles into the sides, or attach sturdy handles to the sides to give you something else to hold on to. I haven't done that with mine, so either way will work. To use your handy dandy new compost screen, just put a shovelful or three of compost in it, then either shake it to sift it into a container or onto a tarp or use your hands to push the compost around.

The nice, small stuff will fall into your chosen container, and the big pieces will stay in the screen. Put those back into your compost pile to continue breaking down. You can use your sifted compost right away, but you can also set it aside to continue breaking down if you want. So, there you have it: an easy project to help you get finely sifted compost to add to potting mixes or garden beds! Actively scan device characteristics for identification.

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