In one form or another I've practiced composting for decades. Early on it entailed just a heap outside where kitchen scraps and grass clippings were deposited and over time, as the practice grew more sophisticated, bins were introduced. I came across this design in the image above on this website, Vegetable Garden Guru, years ago and I've stayed with it ever since. From the same website, here are the plans to build it. Vegetable Garden Guru also offers a wealth of useful and enjoyable information about vegetable gardening in general.

The functional beauty of this bin design is that it is composed of four tiers that nest one atop the other, and each tier can be moved about separately. This is especially handy when turning the pile, a process that serves to aerate and mix the contents, and is necessary for faster breakdown. The entire bin can be turned over along with the pile by removing the top tier, placing it on the ground, pitchforking a portion of the pile in, and repeating this step with each tier. It also allows for a more comfortable angle for working with a pitch fork.

I have three of these bins now and in the photo to the left their versatility is on display as two piles are being turned, and in the bin with the pitch fork handle protruding from it, a new pile is being built.

Another advantage of this bin design is that the tiers can be swapped between bins, which comes in handy at the start of the pile to stack the contents higher. I like to build the pile up to five tiers to get things started. An extra tier can be borrowed from an older pile where the level of the contents will have dropped significantly as the materials broke down.

Compost still breaks down in winter, but the process slows significantly or stops if it freezes solid, as microbes become dormant. Decomposition can be maintained by keeping piles insulated, turning them less, and chopping materials smaller. I'm working on a fourth bin now to complete a 6 by 6 foot square, in an effort to generate and hold more heat, and I only turn the piles during the occasional warm stretch.

In the winter after the garden activity has stopped and before indoor seed planting starts, attending to the compost bins keeps the spirit of gardening alive and is a pleasant reminder that the fun starts again soon.