Now that you've been given an overview of what it actually takes to compost (hint: not as much as you would think!), you're hopefully thinking further into the future about the abundance of nutrient-rich fertilizer you'll soon have. The video introduction provided yesterday mentions a sifter, also known as a compost screen, which you'll need once your compost is ready in the next few months.

You can buy one through an online store like Amazon, but an even better and more cost-effective option is to build your own. If you're able to saw wood and operate a drill or hammer (or know someone who can), you can construct a sifter with minimal materials and time. In fact, the time it takes to put one together is only a quarter of the amount of time you'll spend glued to your TV watching the latest episode of Gossip Girl or American Idol.

Intro: Compost Screen
This is an instructable for how to build a simple compost screen out of redwood and hardware cloth that can be used to sift foreign objects out of your compost or potting soil. It takes about 15 minutes to assemble and can weather the elements outside

Step 1: Materials
The compost screen is built from:

- 2"x2" redwood stock (I prefer to build with cedar for outdoor applications since it is more abundant than redwood, but not all places carry it in California)
- hardware cloth (This is like chicken wire. You can get it in 1/4" or 1/2" mesh. I used the 1/2" mesh so it will sift quicker)
- staples
- screws

You will also need the following tools:

- chop saw (I used a chop saw to cut my frame but you can also use a hand saw with a miter box)
- drill with bit and driver
- hammer
- tape measure

Hit the jump for the remaining instructions to build your screen sifter.

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