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Geoffrey Carr |
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November 2009 Compost Heap from Pallets Just
about any soil will benefit hugely from the regular addition of an improver or
conditioner, otherwise known as compost. Compost can be any recycled organic
matter such as well rotted farmyard manure, leaves, garden waste or the bags
of compost available commercially. Three
non-returnable pallets can be the key to a lifetime’s supply of free, good
quality compost made directly from your own
garden , kitchen or allotment waste or your neighbour’s unwanted green
waste. Usually free, pallets are
perfect for the job because of their size and the ratio of surface to air
holes. Without a free flow of oxygen the compost heap soon becomes a slimy,
stinking pile rather than the hot, dry odourless heap that it should be. The
compost heap should ideally be sited in full sun and without an overhead
canopy of trees or buildings. The sun will help to heat the compost and thus
speed the process of breaking down the waste matter into usable compost. Rainfall helps things along too because the
moisture helps to feed the billions of micro-organisms that work so hard on
your behalf. It is the feverish hard
work of these little critters that produces the heat that in turn helps to
break down the material from green waste to usable, crumbly compost. Treat
the pallets with a wood preserver if you want them to last 5-10 years. I prefer to let the pallets slowly compost
themselves and replace rotten timbers as they vanish into the soil. For a
single compost bay you will need 3 x pallets, 6 x 2-3”dia 5’ posts, and about
20 6’ nails. You can do without the posts but they help to strengthen the
construction. Tip
the pallets onto their sides and keeping them all on the ground put two
sticking out at 90 degrees on either end of the third. Nail together where
the wood touches. Job done! Unless you want to put two posts through
each pallet once the structure is in its final position and bang them into
the ground with a sledge hammer to anchor the bin in place. For an advanced composting system increase
the number of bays by adding two more pallets, one for the back of the second
bay and one its side. Two bins will
make the process of turning the heap much easier and more effective; fresh
air introduced once a week via turning will speed things up and give you
lovely, usable compost much sooner. |
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