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More Reusing

May 2nd, 2016

I’ve been needing a new compost area since we moved here, a big compost area. I’ve made a few make shift piles here and there, but this past week I finally started knocking something together with pallets. These are kiln dried pallets, so no worries about chemicals, I know the products that came on these, where it came from and where they’ve been.
pallet compost pile
Normally, I’m not a fan of pallet items, but I quite like the look of this composter. I added two pallets across the back and one on each side. I still have to add some bracing, but after that it will be in business. There’s so much garden waste produced around here that I might have to build another one next month. I’ll share more photos when I have it completed.

Do you compost? What does your composter look like?

10 Comments to “More Reusing”
  1. Sara on May 2, 2016 at 7:47 am

    That looks great! Our composters are similar in design but I used cedar fence boards for the sides. They seem to hold up a long time. Ours are the same width as our raised beds so we can rotate them around when we turn them, it’s worked out really well.

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  2. bonnie knox on May 2, 2016 at 8:33 am

    I use an open pile. I have a pile for my vegetable garden and a separate pile for ornamentals. The open pile method works well for my purposes and situation.

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  3. Misti on May 2, 2016 at 9:59 am

    Our compost bin is made out of pieces of magnolia and sweetgum logs but they are three years old now and are starting to fall apart. I think next winter’s project will be rebuilding the compost bin!

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  4. Eric on May 2, 2016 at 10:30 am

    We use a three-bin pallet composting system. First bin is for mostly finished compost. Middle for almost done/working and outside bin for fresh material. Works quite well. Took under 2 hours to build it and it used Seven pallets (4 for walls, 3 for backs of bins).

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  5. PennyAshevilleNC on May 2, 2016 at 10:58 am

    I was gifted a barrel composter that is really easy to use. It replaced my dilapidated pallet compost pile. I wish I had room to do the 3 bin system, that would be so nice!

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  6. Ilene on May 2, 2016 at 12:30 pm

    You are becoming quite the builder! Great job.

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  7. Emily on May 2, 2016 at 12:32 pm

    Yes, we compost. I have an envirocycle (barrel style) composter and another barrel style that was my husband’s grandmother’s. She never liked it and neither do I! It is difficult to maintain an optimal composting environment in it. Always too dry. But I love the envirocycle.

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  8. Caroline Andrus on May 2, 2016 at 1:03 pm

    I love this!

    Is there anything you do to ensure the compost doesn’t start eating away at the wood frame? Or is the wood treated in some way? Where would you even get a pallet like this? (I’m so naive!)

    I never in a million years would have thought to build one like this. I love it.

    Reply to Caroline Andrus's comment

    • Susy on May 3, 2016 at 6:01 pm

      It will take quite a while for the wood to break down. You could add some kind of wood treatment, but preferably something organic so it doesn’t add chemicals to the compost or the soil around the pile.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  9. Javi on May 2, 2016 at 6:09 pm

    I just did something similar. I didn’t know what to do with all the yard waste from the Spring cleanup. I always used an open pile for the compost. Let’s see how I do. It seems easy…

    Reply to Javi's comment

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This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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