My life in compost.....2

So there I was, frustrated and annoyed, I knew I just had to face facts and put the effort in and go old school. Build a compost heap. Keep it simple and keep it cheap – ideally free and recycled.

I knew what I wanted it to look like. Ideally I’d like two of them, but I only had a small space to put one. Most of our back area was filled with rubbish bins (3), wormery and waste digesters. This left a very limited space, but I had high hopes and big plans. This time, with only my knowledge, skills and tools in my disorganised shed to help me I would build a composter!

I knew I wanted it to be wooden, but where would I get it from? Luckily in my trade, access to wood is generally quite easy. During my weeks of cogitation (things can take me a while to process!) I came upon a stack of pallets. In great condition and looking for a home! With a quick check as to the pallets ownership and with the owner’s permission, five of them were quickly put in the back of the truck (another trade bonus!) and re-homed to the back of my garden.

So, armed with the pallets, some fencing posts, a sledge hammer, a hammer and some nails. I was ready to go. I had a quick cup of coffee, cut the posts to 1/3 longer than the pallets, knocked four of them into the ground at the four corners of my compost area (I even used a spirit level to try and get them level!), had a quick cup of coffee, put a pallet at the back, two at each side and nailed them in place. Voila! A compost bin!

But I didn’t want to stop there, oh no, if a jobs worth doing it’s worth having a few luxuries. I knew that this would work fine and start making black gold as soon as I was ready. But I wanted a front and a roof. I wanted the front to be removable so I could have easy access for regular turning with a fork to aerate the pile and speed up the composting process and I wanted a lid to keep the rain off it, keep a little bit of heat in there to speed up the process even more!

So after another quick cup of coffee and with a couple of extra posts driven in to the ground at each side, just the right width to let the front slide up and out I had a removable front. With a hinge connecting the final pallet to the back one, I finally had the compost bin of my dreams – not that sleeping was an option after all that coffee!

Standing back, looking at the creation, I could see the afternoons work in its full glory. It wasn’t pretty but it WOULD DO. Now we could finally reap the benefit of all that wasted food, weeds and dead flowers we no longer needed!

Next week, how I managed my compost heap and what I did next.

From Simon Zec
Treedom Tree Surgery & Garden Services
www.treedomsussex.co.uk

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