The problems with this system were that it was unattractive, it didn't contain the pile well enough, and the pile merged with the ground to become a muddy mess. Compost guidelines state that a pile should be at least 3 feet deep and 3 feet in diameter to create a critical mass of material to for the bacteria to efficiently decompose, but in the pallets the pile was too wide and too short. In addition, it rained a lot last fall and this spring, and water ran down the hill into the pile and kept it saturated. When turning the pile, it was hard to tell where the pile ended and the ground began.
So I found a different method. In a publication from the Brazos Valley Compost Corps, I found the design for a cylindrical pile that used hardware cloth, which is like finer chicken wire, or sturdier window screen. I used about 10 feet of 3-foot wide, 1/2-inch spaced hardware cloth, rolled into a cylinder and secured with zip ties. To get past the problem of a pile saturated from below with water, I laid 9 12" square concrete patio blocks on the ground, and placed my hardware cloth frame on top of it. I bought two T-posts to support the frame, and made spaces between stones to pound the posts into the ground. I zip-tied the posts to the frame. My setup was ready to use, so I put the compost from my old pile into the new pile. Here's a photo:
It is a little more difficult to turn the compost with this system, because the wire is in the way, but that is the only drawback, and it is minor. From what I can tell, compost items break down much faster than they did under the pallet system. There are hardly any undigested items below the top layer of material.
Near the end of the life of my old pile, some plant started growing out of it. I decided to follow my yard motto, which is "If you don't know, let it grow." At first I thought it was a bean plant, but then it came to resemble squash, both items that I have placed in the pile. But now I think it is watermelon. Or cantaloupe. Either way, I may just make this spot my new melon patch.
I appreciate this compost post. We have tried to compost but haven't been very consistent with it. For instance, we bought a barrel and built a catchment similar to yours with fencing and posts. We certainly didn't think to lay down pavers underneath the pile, and we don't hardly ever remember to go out and stir/spin it (it just kind of sits there). The thought was that we could put excess clippings/scraps in the big pile while the batch in the barrel was cooking. I need to add that to the list of things to improve upon. We do still add to the pile with fresh food scraps/coffee grounds--I think at least the rodents get to enjoy our laziness with it! :)
ReplyDeleteI had seen the pallet design and planned to try it at our next house, but now I will reconsider and work on improving the method we currently have. Thanks!
My plan is to, at some point, create a second pile like this one. The second pile would be for well-decomposed, almost-ready-to-use compost, while the first one would be for fresh food scraps. I haven't had the need for that yet, though, because my current pile keeps contracting. I think that, as it decomposes, all the empty air space between items is disappearing, so my pile does not grow over time.
ReplyDeleteGlad you found this useful. Definitely get out there and turn your pile often. I have a garden fork (like a pitchfork with thick tines) that I use for the task.
I just put a garden fork (well, pitchfork) on my Home Depot wish list! Hopefully they make an all-weather variety that I can leave out there so it's easily accessible whenever we go to dump fresh scraps.
ReplyDelete