Hand-Sifted Garden Compost in Delhi
Getting our compost just right is a real process. This is the story of our DIY sifter journey and how we create the perfect 'Garden Gold' for your plants.
This was us testing out sifter design 5.5. We added safety measures and a brand new screen, hoping this version would be the one to last.
Joel working on the sifter with his supervisors watching closely. The chickens are always curious about our projects, especially when they involve the compost they love so much.
Late-night work on the Dingo compost sifter, design 2.2. You can see the sparks flying as Joel makes modifications to try and get the vibration just right.
The frustrating reality of farm inventions. This is the unsifted material left over after the sifter frame broke during a test run. It's always back to the drawing board.
A close-up of the sifter after it broke. We got about half a bucket sifted before a bolt came out and then the frame itself snapped. It's a constant challenge.
A detailed shot of the broken weld on the sifter frame. Learning how to weld and fabricate has become a necessary skill on the farm.
This was sifter design 2.5 in progress. We were building a stand for it so we wouldn't have to mount it on the Dingo bucket, hoping for better results.
The workbench view of the sifter project. You can see the tools, clamps, and parts laid out as Joel works on replacing the old screen with a new one.
A close-up of the new, heavy-duty expanded metal screen we hoped would be more durable than the last one.
The wooden frame of the sifter stand, with a chicken inspector checking our work. Everything we build has to be farm-tough.
About The Sifter Saga: A Story of Perseverance
Our compost goes through a rigorous 1/4-inch mesh screen to remove debris and large clumps, leaving you with a fine, crumbly soil amendment. Whether you are filling pots or prepping seed starts, this 12-month aged mix is ready for direct root contact. Each 5-gallon bucket is filled by hand, ensuring you get biologically active material without the twigs or rocks often found in bulk bags.
Building the right sifter has been a journey of trial and error. We are currently on design 5.5, a result of countless welded frames that snapped and screens that tore under the weight of wet material. When you see our equipment, you are looking at the result of late-night fixes and repurposed materials, not expensive factory machinery.
Why go through this trouble? Because the quality of your garden soil matters. After the chickens do the heavy lifting of breaking down food scraps and manure, the final sifting step ensures the compost is fine enough to nurture delicate seedling roots. We do not use commercial fillers or chemical additives. This is raw, aged farm compost that has been screened to be perfectly consistent.
Because this is a farm-scale operation rather than an industrial one, supply depends on how well the sifter holds up that week. We are honest about our capacity—sometimes we have a surplus, and sometimes the sifter breaks and we are back to the drawing board. If you are looking for local, sustainable soil amendment in Delaware County that comes from a real place with real history, this is it.
Maria Schermerhorn
I'm Maria, and this sifter saga represents the grit we put into everything on our farm. When you buy our compost, you are getting the result of real, honest hard work from my brother Joel and me.
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