Making Compost bins from Pallets

All explained by Garden Ninja, Manchesters Garden Designer and blogger Lee Burkhill. He's an RHS winning garden designer and expert panellist on BBC Radio Manchester's Saturday morning garden phone in.

There’s usually two main methods of composting garden waste.

Cold composting (small scale) & Hot composting (larger scale)

There’s the small black compost bin method which is known as ‘cold’ composting. You’ll recognise this from those plastic bins you can buy in garden centres and from online shops. It’s referred to as cold composting because the bin never really gets enough critical mass of decomposing matter to create too much heat. This method takes pretty much a full year or so to get to the good stuff.

Then there is hot composting where a compost heap that’s 1m square and above will start to generate some serious heat and thus break down the waste quicker. It means you can get really rich compost far sooner! You do need enough waste to get the critical mass of heat but I’m sure most gardeners who pack their gardens with plants could produce this in a season.

Either method will help you create the lifeforce of most successful gardens home made compost. Compost worked into any soil can help create nutrient rich free draining soil and has a number of garden uses.

WHAT TO PUT IN YOUR COMPOST BIN?
You can compost pretty much any green waste or organic matter. A good rule of thumb is that if it grew from the ground you can compost it! Vegetation, cut back plants, veg peelings, lawn clippings, small twigs, leaves, pond weed etc can all be composted. The smaller the items are the quicker they will compost. I usually mix in some shredded newspaper and cardboard as well to help prevent compost from getting too nitrogen rich and soggy.

Items that you must not compost:

Pet droppings
Meat, fish, eggs or animal products
Plastics
Hair (yuk!)
Liquids
The right mix of carbon and nitrogen-rich greens is essential!

The age old gardeners dilemma about the mix of nitrogen to carbon in your compost bin. Basically, you need to get the right mix of nitrogen (sometimes called greens) and carbon (sometimes called browns). To confuse things many plants contain both. Ie grass has both carbon and nitrogen in it (20:1).

The RHS recommend a ratio of 30:1. Which is 30 parts carbon to 1 part nitrogen. Grass, for example, has 20 parts carbon to every 1 part nitrogen. This ratio used to really confuse me and I’ve found an easier way to compost.
If you’re new to composting start by adding half greens to half browns. Ignore the ratio and go with your inner mother earth. Keep an eye on your compost heap, if it starts to smell, add more brown if it’s going soggy, more brown if it is dry and doing nothing add more green! Soon you will be the compost king or queen.

WHY IS MY COMPOST SMELLY AND SOGGY?
This is a common problem for new composters where their compost heap starts to smell and look worse for wear. 99% of the time it is because of an overload of moisture rich greens. The ammonia which breaks down the green waste super quickly gives off the smell of rotting eggs. Which is horrible. See the example below. This grass clipping pile had been left without aeration or enough browns.
By turning your heap, making sure it’s neither totally sodden or dry and having a mix of browns and greens you can’t go wrong. A well-balanced compost should smell of earth and nothing more. If it’s really wet and smelly then I recommend adding shredded newspaper and cardboard to help absorb the moisture and add some carbon quickly.
Many people use compost for pots and containers as its super nutrient rich, moisture retentive and helps feel these plants throughout the season. The options with compost are endless.
Home made compost is far better in my opinions than shop bought compost. It has a richer texture and you can use it as soon as it’s ready. Shop bought compost may have been in storage for some time and will have degraded by the time you get it. Sometimes you buy it and it’s really dry and crumbly and a grey-brown colour. This is usually when its past it’s best. it should be a dark rich colour and slightly moist.

[rachelrosen]

nice to see an energetic funky young person making clear well explained practical gardening videos - great role model to get young ones into doing this stuff.

[maleahlock]

I've wasted days of my life looking for a simple, well explained method for building some new compost bins since we moved. You, wonderful person, made the exact video I needed. Thank you!!!

[learntocrochet]

I think it's great that you showed the details of building this style compost bin. You didn't assume everyone could just figure it out. Some folks are great gardeners but have no experience building and you recognized that.

[Akinolashes]

I've spent 3 days researching methods of construction for bins and this by far is the best and most complete it's not at all complicated great design and cost effective. Thankyou Sir

[kristinabambina]

I like that you use a hand saw! And that advice about the corner screw is very much going to help me out so thank you!!!!

[carriejensen]

I'm so glad I found your video today. I got my pallets and am going to do exactly as you did. I didn't think about the chicken wire inside! Brilliant!!

[peterwehmeier]

I built this yesterday and not only do I have a two door compost bin, I have a sense of pride that I created something that should be standing there for years to come. Thank you for the easy-to-follow guide, I highly recommend this video. Now for the hard part... making usable compost.

[donzimmer]

Must be nice to have “new” pallets all exactly the same size. Good for you! Nice video.

[veteranvlogger_swarnajit]

Now a days compost are very important for the presentation of lands for gardening or farming. So, we are to take all necessary measures to do.
Thanks for your video that you have posted. I liked your video and want to be connected for your future videos.
Wish You Happy New Year.

[kirkwelch]

Great video. My wife and I put together a two bin setup yesterday. Need to find a couple more pallets for the doors and will need to do a bit of leveling work before attaching the doors. I only went 1/2 way up with the chicken wire but after watching this vid may rethink that and finish off the top. We live in a rural area in a township and have opossums, a few raccoons and plenty of field mice but I don't expect much trouble from them. Thanks for taking the time to post ths vid. Best one by far,

[jondaniel]

Thanks so much. That was very informative.

[shazzam]

Thanks for the tutorial. I am going to make this on Saturday. I hope it looks as good as yours !

[spiritualhumanist]

Use U-post and secure first and last side palettes compost get heavy when is wet.Also you need a metal roof so you can control the moisture of compost. Great build, great channel 👍

[SuperPenguin]

honestly good video. I feel the amount of effort put into it and you're a small channel also. Keep up the good work and thanks for the door tip. It's going to make using the wheelbarrow much easier

[bollockchops]

Brilliant. Thank you, Ninja. I have just taken on an overgrown allotment plot. Your advice will prove invaluable. And oh, you are so cute!

[pansepot]

I appreciate that the compost heap must be in contact with the soil but I have found that pallets decay rather quickly when left on wet ground. I think I'll put a row of bricks on the perimeter under the pallets to keep them raised from the ground and hopefully more dry. A part from that, very helpful tips. Only I'll have to find smaller pallets because I don't have all that space in my garden.

[jessicanan]

Excellent video thanks! I watched a few, and like how you go into detail of the different steps of the building process without taking too much time. One thing I'm wondering about: why would I want to create a door? I saw this in your video and a few others so it must really have an advantage over just a (short) wall on the front. The way I see it, a fourth wall is easier, cheaper and creates a more rigid construction. The compost doesn't fall out when you open the door, and as long as the front is not too high it's pretty easy to throw or shovel in the material and shovel out the compost. What am I missing?

[mattblack]

I enjoyed your vid and so I started building a twin compost bin on my allotment and noticed that 4 pallets for the first and 3 for the second works, as you have one over to cut in half for the door.
But for every next double bin you still need 4+3 pallets otherwise you don't have enough for the doors.
At the join between bays you need two pallets otherwise the width of the bay does not match the length of the pallet for the doors.
Also, if you require a higher door you would need 4 pallets for every Bay.
I think this is correct as I have been scratching my head trying to work it out!

[wildlifegardener-tracey]

Really helpful I have two dalek bins I find them so difficulty turn etc so my hubby and I plan to make a pallet compost and use daleks to store finished compost in. Really helpful video. Thanks.

[gerrypickledunnion]

Might i suggest using a drill for the screws to save huge amounts of time and effort, but good simple ideas though.