My New Compost Bin (from old pallets)

[wulf]

I love pallets as an outdoor construction material. There still seem to be plenty around and they are normally pretty solid wood. My latest project has been a compost bin which sits in the corner of the front garden:



With this one, I found a good back piece, which had been part of a small crate. The side pallets were a pair. For each one, I took off most of the planks from the back, which were sawn in half and used to run in the gaps (making them small enough to stop compost spilling out but large enough to allow air in). I left a "collar" round the top, which will be a convenient place to rest tools (or cold drinks!). Side panels were nailed onto the backboard, with the construction being strengthened with a cross beam (picked up from the same pile of scrap wood). You can see my rough and ready joinery skills:



To finish it off, I dug out a square of the grass (well, mainly moss!) and used the lifted turf to give a lip at the front. This will stop composting material spilling out and, although not permanent, will be enough until I build up the hedge next to the drive and give the bin a bit more privacy.

It was a project involving a few hours and some hard labour but the only cost was a bit of electricity (I used an electric saw to cut the planks in half longways) and overall it was very satisfying.

Wulf

[frozenthunderbolt]

Awesome Wulf, well done!

[Millymollymandy]

That looks very posh Wulf - should see some our pallet ones!

[spider8]

Propper job Wulf. Looks very good
Ours is also made from old pallets but is well camouflaged by nettles and rhubarb just now.

[Keaniebean]

Nice compost bin wulf. The pallets round here are usually so battered they are not worth using, but it looks like you've secured yourself some nice ones there.

[Thomzo]

Looks very professional. My composters are made with pallets, too, but mine just rest against each other, or are tied with flex at best, and get knocked over by cats or foxes regularly.

I will have to do better.

Zoe

[homegrown]

Looks great

[Treelover]

NICE!! my compost bin - er room? - is built from recycled bricks against a brick wall, with gaps - sort of Flemish bond without the bond - and with two access holes at the front with old roof tiles that slide up and down, so the cost was half a bag of cement and a couple of days work. four foot by eight foot by [currently] about four foot high. i get lovely potatoes off it from the peelings! any idea how to stop nettles regrowing from the tinieast piece of stem or root? i fight a continuous war with the nettles that seed into the wrong place and currently i'm drowning them in a bucket and letting them rot in water before adding it to the compost heap but some of the pests still survive to perk up even after MONTHS in water.

[wulf]

I'll have to put some more pictures up. I've just moved it and have put rhubarb down in the space it used to occupy and it has also had a cover added since I first built it. Pictures have been taken but not uploaded yet.

Wulf

ps. I'd love to have a patch of nettles growing - aside from the fact they need a bit of care with handling, they are very useful, including the nettle tea you mention.

[wulf]

Here is the latest picture.



The cover is made out of some old carpet underlay, supported by a couple of bits of wood (one left over from the new fence the neighbour had put up and one from our polytunnel construction). I think I could do with another supporting batten halfway across the top to stop it slumping so much in the middle.

Wulf

[Green Aura]

Very nice, now where's the rhubarb?

[wulf]

Pretty much invisible at the moment. It has all died down for the winter but there are some healthy root sections in the ground with just the tips of the crowns showing. I'm looking forward to spring!

Wulf