If your retail compost bin can’t keep up with your composting requirements, watch this video which shows you how to build a compost bin with shipping pallets.
I have outgrown every compost bin I’ve made at home or purchased. As my vegetable gardens and perennial gardens grew, so did my need to feed them, and I frequently ran short of compost.
Two years ago I created a homemade compost bin from a basic black plastic garbage can which I aerated. I also outgrew that very quickly, so last year I used bales of straw to create a container and filled it with horse manure and kitchen scraps.
The 3-foot-square straw container worked really well. The straw created a nice heat sink around the compost and was great for adding carbon to the compost pile.
Unfortunately, when the straw was used up, and the compost pile was surrounded by only a short plastic fence, every creature in the neighborhood, including my dog, helped themselves to the kitchen scraps and pulled them into the yard. The dog got sick a few times, and I had to keep picking up banana peels, eggshells, rotten fruit, and lots of other kitchen scraps from the yard. Sure, I could have bought more hay bales, but I was after something more permanent.
Then, I read about using shipping pallets to build a compost bin. Perfect, I thought, since they’re not only free for the taking, but they’ll promote excellent air circulation and are the perfect size for holding lots of compost-each is around 48″ square. I have yet to run out of compost, so I’m really happy with the results! Enjoy the video.
