Building a Compost Bin with Pallets Start by joining together three pallets to create the back and sides. The larger the pile, the more heat. Drill gun. After making the frame we put the appropriately sized fence boards to make the walls. For this reason, many gardeners create their own methods for holding compost out of lumber or by repurposing a container. Very neat ððð Looks nice and sturdy love the veg and fruit cutouts ❤️❤️❤️, It may be simple but it's a great looking bin. Cathy Cromell is a Regional Reporter for the National Gardening Association. Make sure you also consider building a greenhouse so you can integrate everything properly, from compost to the end fruit. 2 by 2 for the inner frame Fence boards for the walls of the bin. The pallets are then nailed or lashed together to form an instant compost bin. Great inspiration to get my family composting! Brown materials include leaves, twigs, wood chips, newspaper, and cardboard. We did not make a base as the ground would make a good base giving access to insects and worms to help the material compost faster. First, start with you 2×6’s. That looks really easy - I love the idea! We finally had the time as we are staying home and finding things to do. I like how you don't need many items to build this bin. Decide which side will be the gate. You should have a well nourished garden area with a great yield once you add the compost soil. I was not composting until a couple of years ago when the city I live in brought a program in with our recycling. We used leftover fence boards, which was perfect for this project. One person can assemble a shipping pallet compost bin, although it goes smoother with two: one to hold the pallets upright and steady while the other ties them together. Baling wire or nylon rope to lash pallets together at the corners. While schooling them at home you could study the bugs that help break down the compost. You will need the following boards for each side: 5 – 2×6 at 3′ 3 – 2×4 at 3′ 1 – 2×6 at 3′ 3″ Lay out all three 2×4 boards so that they are evenly spaced across 3′ of space. I’m thankful our municipal government collects complete. For those of you who have the space, a large wooden compost bin is perfect for 3 stage compost … The National Gardening Association is the leading garden-based educational nonprofit organization in the United States. We cut 3 pieces of fence board to make a lid. Follow these steps to erect the bin: Level the ground where your bin will be. See more ideas about compost bin, compost, build compost bin. Here we provide you with 2 plans to make your own compost bin showing you the materials, dimensions needed for a 3 bay wooden compost bin. You can also remove the entire pallet to have wider access when adding or turning organic matter. This tutorial shows you how to cut and hinge a hatch door in the side, seal the barrel off at the top, and then build a wooden X-frame and mount the barrel inside for a composting solution that you can actually rotate to keep it evenly mixed inside. The two side walls should be flush with the width of the rear wall. There are quite a few compost bin designs available in manuals and on websites. Please Ask First. 15. Fill the first compost bin with compostables like fruit and veggie scraps, wood shavings, dry leaves, or old newspapers. For this basic compost bin, you'll want untreated wood. Gather your materials. The instructio… We have a compost bin for veggie and fruit scraps and 3 other large bins for leaves, twigs and other yard debris. Also make use of wood, round wooden discs, and hardware cloth or metal netting to make cool drum style compost bins that will fit in an additional wooden stand and can also spin around the horizontal axis! $8 angled compost bin I use paper bags or compostable for my bins, Wow! Great educational exercise for the kids to be involved in. These posts will serve as the four corners to your square compost bin. thick. Place an even mix of brown and green materials inside the can. But before people were making planters or murals from them, wood pallets were great garden building materials. It is great that you shared the plans. Make sure you have a nice level spot for the compost bin, then just start assembling. This is an easy project that will give you finished compost in about three months. You need three pallets for each additional bin. Follow these steps to erect the bin: Lash the pallets securely together at the corners with wire or rope ties. You can make your own compost bin using wooden pallets or corrugated iron. To build this compost bin we used leftover wood we had from older projects. This makes it harder for racoons to open the compost. Perfect to support our gardening efforts. We have compost bins that are collected weekly like our garbage. Overlap them at one end and use either foot long zip ties or baling twine to bind them together. We occasionally add water and use a long. Interlocking, 1-3/16 in. It’s so convenient. Set the pallets upright in a box shape. Be sure to leave a ¾-inch gap between each slat as well. Thanks for your post, this helps to make composting a lot less intimidating. It is best to work with wood that will handle the elements. Make the sides the same way. I figured this would be easier to do now, rather than when the compost bin is in place. Stand them up, lean them against each other then screw them together to hold them in place. The handle for the cover of this compost bin makes it easy to open and also stays secure, We decorated it with a few vegetable and fruit design we cut with our, The compost goes directly to the ground so the warmth of the earth, natural worms and other bugs can do their job to breakdown the vegetable and fruit peels, so we can eventually use this natural soil filled with minerals in the garden. All rights reserved on photographs and written content Createwithmom © 2010 - 2020. We use to put all our kitchen scraps into our compost but realised it attracted critters so now I just put the veggie scraps and garden waste, it makes wonderful compost for our veggie patch! You can build a compost bin from wood pallets in a few easy steps. If you don't have much space to compost or just want to start on a small scale, consider making a compost bin from a plastic storage container. Over the years, I've tried every type of composting system, from open piles to expensive, dual-bin, closed devices. Take a pallet and stand it on its long edge to form the back edge of the compost bin. As long as there is an equal proportion of greens and browns the compost would not emit any smell. Build a compost bin from shipping pallets. To make compost, a compost bin is ideal. Looks like a great compost bin! One person can assemble a shipping pallet compost bin, although it goes smoother with two: one to hold the pallets upright and steady while the other ties them together. Looks sturdy and decorative for the garden. Composting is such a wonderful way to start being greener. Add second and third bins to your first shipping-pallet bin using common side walls. A compost bin can be the simplest of constructions. Green materials include fruit and vegetable scraps, grass clippings, coffee grounds, and eggshells. Most places pay to have them hauled away and are happy to oblige. You'll need: Four pieces of 2 x 2s or 4 x9s lumber, cut to 3' lengths. Start by building the sides of the bin. Continue doing this for the other side of the bin. Explain to the head honcho you’d like to recycle some to make a compost bin. Love how you creatively created this compost bin. We also did not want to buy a big expensive readymade compost bin. You will find reviews of products we like, and giveaways for you to win. When horticulturists at the University of California Cooperative Extension set out to design the perfect compost bin, they wanted one that was simple to build, easy to use, and efficient at making compost. The whole process is described here, but first take a look at the pros and cons of using pallets to make your bins: Advantages: They’re free and the perfect size! You can often buy a compost bin cheaply from your local council but you can also build your own compost bin for next to nothing – except a little bit of your time. We have been wanting to have a compost bin in the garden for many years now, but never got to it. How to Make a Compost Bin . How to build a compost bin is determined in part by the materials you have available. You’ll need a total (12) 40” boards, which means you’ll take (4) 2×6’s in total. I love this DIY compost, I have never thought of making one of my own, but what a great idea. Compost is the engine that keeps our gardens and allotments productive. The top most frame is about 2 inches from the opening, so the lid can rest on it. You can use 1×2 stakes to lock the side walls of the compost bin … If you can collect three to nine pallets, and make sure they are the right type, you can build an easy and long-lasting compost system. We first built a frame with 2x2's to make the compost bin stronger. This DIY compost bin is for indoors and before you get leery of having a compost bin inside your home, this one makes it odor free so there are no worries of smells wafting throughout the house. Since we are just starting, we made a compost bin that is just right for our needs which can be placed in a corner of the garden that is pleasing to the eye and serves our purpose. Disadvantages: Depending on size and type of wood, a single pallet can weigh 20 to 50 pounds (9 to 23 kilograms). The bin shown here meets those criteria. Nov 29, 2017 - Free plans for building compost bins. If that did happen it would be easy to add a large brick to the lid with the way you designed it. I applied a coat of redwood deck stain to all the pieces to help extend the life of the wood. Pallets aren’t as easy to reposition around the yard as some choices, but they’re still faster to move and set up than concrete blocks or straw bales. It blends into your garden nicely. We also attached two pieces of wood to make a handle. Cedar is a great option. Being able to compost food scraps is a great way to incorporate sustainability in our lives. Dig also the garden grounds and make X-shaped compost bins in no time, dig the space in X-shape and then fit the wooden slats inside! But I like the look of yours, plus the effort to make one. It is nice knowing our food scraps go into making compost for city parks and leftover compost can be picked up by residents. I like the details on your compost bin. I like how you could use old pallets for the wood and save a little money. We built our original compost bin from used wood pallets. People who might live in an apartment where they can't have a compost bin could use up some of their scraps on balcony planters. I read an article that said if you add egg shells to your potted plants outside it not only gives them nutrition but it also keeps some pests from eating the plants. For the back of the bin, lay two legs on the flat and attach six slats across them with 1 1/8-inch screws, placing the ends of the slats ¾ inch from the outside edges of the legs. In North America, pallets commonly measure 40 x 48 inches, which creates a bin size that is ideal for composting. At 120” long, you can cut each 2×6 into (3) 40” pieces of wood. Here is all you need to gather for this project: Four same-sized pallets per bin. We only use uncooked food scraps and a balance of green and brown material and turn it once a week so thankfully there is no smell either. She is a certified Master Gardener, Master Composter, and Master Entomologist. That is why this DIY compost bin originates at 40” – it allows you to make the best use of your scrap wood. The front pallet acts as a hinged door, allowing you to access your compost by undoing the ties on one side and swinging it open. Notches cut to this depth leave about a 3/4-in. deep notches hold the compost bin together. Although the circumstances for all us staying indoors isn't nice, we think many. This would be a great learning exercise for children. Pallets with narrow spaces between slats hold back organic materials better than those with wide spaces. We have so many critters around though (raccoons, mice etc) I'm not sure my neighbours would appreciate this! That's a great idea. Measure and Mark Wood. Wood shipping pallets are a great option for creating highly effective composting systems, especially when you have a lot of organic matter to process. Some gardeners take four wood pallets, often available free from shipping companies, and stand them on edge to form a square. Enclosing the sides will retain heat, speeding up the rotting process. Making a compost pit allows you to keep your garden tidy. Make the Slide-in Panels But other options work, as long as they provide you with a 3- to 6-foot (1- to 2-meter) square shape. Great job! I have heard raccoons are pretty sneaky about getting into places they should not be. We had this same concern but with this type of fitting lid we have been able to avoid this problem. There is satisfaction in building a compost bin from scrap or recycled materials, so check what materials are available before you settle on a construction style. I used long screws to join the three sides together. Untreated wood will last for a plenty long time, and the treatment won't interfere with the composting process or overwhelm helpful fauna. We used leftover fence boards, which was perfect for this project. stick to turn the materials which helps the material decay faster. This 3-foot-square unit consists of five sections. You’ve probably seen pallets piled at construction sites or stacked at loading docks behind businesses and warehouses, awaiting recycling or disposal. How to Build a Compost Bin from Wood Pallets, Mix in Brown and Green Compost Ingredients, Benefits of Adding Compost to Your Garden, By Cathy Cromell, The National Gardening Association. space between each pair of boards when interlocked. These strips attach to the fronts and extend toward the inside of the bin. We have been putting a lot of vegetable and fruit peels, egg shells, tea bags, brown paper, and some garden scraps like grass. Look pallets over to make sure they’re in decent shape before carting them home. Composting is a great way to start living more sustainably. It is best to work with wood that will handle the elements. Most people who build a fence or deck would have enough leftover pieces to make this. We decided to go with a 24"x24" compost bin, which fits well in the corner of our yard. The handmade cut outs of the fruits and vegetables is so creative too. Drill holes through the sides and bottom of a trash can to create ventilation. Composting is such a great thing to do for the environment. Great way to teach the little ones to be involved ð. We didn't want to use the simple solution of digging a hole in the ground, as we did not want to attract critters. A compost bin in the garden is a fantastic idea; I love the look of yours. Push a stake through the two layers of the pallet at either end, using a sledgehammer to drive them firmly into the ground – about 20-30cm deep. While these may all vary in small ways, the plans tend to share similar features — a wooden frame with wood slats, chicken wire or hardware cloth. Dig four 2-foot-deep holes for four 6-foot 2x4s so they form a square 36 inches on each side. How To Build A DIY Compost Bin Sides of the bin. The ideal minimum size is 1m x 1m and, ideally, make more than one – it makes the compost easier to turn. (Use a 1x4 turned on its edge as a spacer.) I live in a rural area and a compost bin is something I've had for many years, Composting is such a great way to help the environment. Oh Dianne! If you’re on a flat surface, stand two pallets up so that their longer side is their width, rather than their height. 3. This would def keep the unwanted visitors as well!!! Constructed compost bins can make an attractive addition to the garden while containing composting operations. Set the posts in place with concrete or tightly pack soil around each post. As you can easily notice in my free plans, the wood compost bin is large enough for the needs of a small family. The exact width of the notches depends on the thickness of the lumber, but remember, 5/4 lumber is actually only about 1-in. To build this compost bin we used leftover wood we had from older projects. Putting your Wooden Compost Bin together It really is as easy as pie to make a pallet compost bin. 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