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Come in Spinner - DIY Soil Sieve
SERIES 27 | Episode 33
It's that time of year when you're constantly sowing seeds, so Costa builds a compost sieve to make his own seed-raising mix.
There are all sorts of soil and compost sieves that you can buy or make, but Costa's been inspired by a simple sieve he spotted at POWer plants community nursery, when Jane visited last year.
Please watch the video before you attempt this!
WHAT YOU NEED
- 3 x adult bike rims (Source these first. Tip shops are a good first stop, but you often see bikes in hard rubbish).
- 4 x rotating castors that fit inside the rims.
- 1 piece of galvanised aviary mesh with about 1cm aperture; you can buy these in sheets or rolls, you want a piece that's approx 2.5m x 90cm.
- Thin gauge wire or cable ties for securing the mesh roll.
- Timber for building a frame to put over the wheelbarrow.
- Tools: Saw, timber screws, screwdriver, wire cutters, string.
- Measure the inside circumference of your rims using the string.
- Lay the measured amount of string onto the wire mesh and mark that point by tying a small piece of string onto the mesh.
- Place the 90cm edge of the wire mesh at the point of the tied off string and roll it from that point.
- Before you secure the roll of mesh, place a rim over it to ensure it's the correct size, adjust accordingly.
- It's fine if the mesh overlaps.
- Secure the roll of mesh with wire or cable ties in a few places.
- Slip the three rims over the rolled up mesh (one on either end and one in the middle) and secure by 'sewing' wire in and out of the spoke holes.
- Make a simple timber frame to sit over the top of your wheelbarrow using screws rather than nails.
- Measure the width of your wheelbarrow, and ensure the lower pieces hang well over the edge so the sieve doesn't slip in. You need 4 x 80cm (depending on the width of your barrow) pieces. Position the timber frame and check the position of your castors before you screw it together.
- Screw the timber together.
- Attach the castors positioned under the two outer rims. You don't need castors for the centre rim; that's simply for stabilisation.
Crank up the sieve, removing sticks and large clods that would impede seed germination.