Heap to bin

Here in the burbs we had a compost heap.
It was a pit.
It got swampy.
It got twiggy.
It got every local root sucking the nutrition from it.
In other words, it did the job of getting rid of yard and kitchen biodegradables, but did not put out as much compost and nutrition as it could.
So I went to my local feed shop and got some of their pallets.
Five to be exact as that is how many fit in the back of my van without risk of breaking the rear window.
Then my girl and I started working.

We asked our new neighbors for a carpet scrap that they had on the curb for the garbage man.
They gave me a funny look and said it may need to be unrolled and left in the sun to dry.
I said that I was using it for the bottom of a compost bin in order to help retain some moisture and keep weeds out.
They laughed and said...oh so you don't need to do that after all...and the funny look went away.
The girl and I lugged, banged, and moved things around.
We weaved and tied.
We made a new double sided compost bin using only:
5 pallets
1 carpet scrap
lots of Rose of Sharon bushes
I know it sounds like it would never stand up...but it does.
We live on the top of a ridge and get extreme winds, but they haven't done a thing to the bins we built.
I built them in the shelter of bushes, the coop, and wove the boards into an old fence using the bushes.
Once we are sure that is exactly where we want it, we can use nails and screws, but for now it's on a test drive.
It is so much more convienient...I just drop the compost off on my way to the coop.
If there is something in the coop that needs to be removed, it's easy to transport it a few feet to the bins...
Things like eggs without shells and straw the girls kicked out the door.
It may not be pretty, but it seems to be getting the job done.

Linked to Simple Lives Thurday...The Morris Tribe...Homestead Revival