Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

| By | | 292 Comments

Making A Compost Bin From Pallets

Ever since we started composting back in 2008 at our old house, we’ve enjoyed doing it (snaps for free fertilizer, reusing “trash,” and getting some subtle encouragement to eat more compost-able foods). But our composting adventures have been somewhat limited by the size of the DIY compost container that we made 3 years ago (we did eventually make a second bin, but it’s nothing like those bigger composting systems that we’ve seen at stores or in DIY magazines).

Compost Old Bin

Even back in 2008 when we created our little bin, I initially wanted to make a more “legit” system out of shipping pallets (like I read about here and here) but hunting down and transporting a bunch of bulky pallets was a bit more than I was ready to sign up for. So I figured starting off with a bin and later graduating to something more built-in might be the way to go. And now just three short (ok, loong) years later, thanks to our patio supplies having arrived on pallets, I finally had my excuse to upgrade our compost system. It just took us a few months to decide where we wanted our new bin to sit. We finally agreed on this corner:

Compost Area Before

In case you need a clearer reference point, here’s that little not-at-all-to-scale map of our yard (the house is way too big and the almost-an-acre yard is much too small) that  Sherry whipped up (marked with an arrow where we added our little “compost station”):

Compost Lot Sketch Label

We picked that spot because:

  • it was fairly hidden from view
  • it didn’t disrupt the landscape very much (i.e. it wasn’t in the middle of the grass or anything)
  • it was convenient enough to get to without being right against the house (we know compost isn’t supposed to smell – and our old bin never did – but we didn’t want to risk getting whiffs of nature’s miracle at work if this system was any different).
  • the only “landscaping” that we’d be sacrificing was some ivy and a few weeds (how will we ever live with ourselves?)

Compost Area Before Close

One perk to losing some of the ivy is that I uncovered some unexpected treasures in the process, like this ancient Hooters frisbee and a random plastic tire. Looks like this upgraded composting system is already paying off in major free-stuff dividends.

Compost Hooters Frisbee

After a bit more work with my shovel and rake, I was eventually left with this clearing. Some of the online instructions that I googled around for suggested putting an extra pallet down for your base, while I read others who complained that a pallet on the ground made turning the compost a big ol’ pain (picture pitchfork tongs or shovels getting stuck between the slats). Some others even suggested a slanted base to help collect the tea (the nutrient-rich “run off” from your compost pile), but I just opted to keep things simple and make my life easy – at least for now. So this flat square of dirt did the trick:

Compost Area Cleared

With my area cleared, I gathered my supplies:

  • Three shipping pallets (which I was thrilled to finally move out of our basement)
  • A few 2″ wood screws
  • Electric screwdriver
  • Work gloves
  • Shovel

Fortunately these were all things we already owned, so our project cost rang in at a big fat goose egg. Even better than a free project? The whole thing only took me about 20 minutes (not counting photo-snapping time). Which was a nice unexpected surprise. Remember, I go into all small projects expecting them to take forever and throw me ten curve balls so I don’t get my quick-project hopes dashed by an obstacle or two (which I’ve learned are par for the DIY course). So yeah, it was awesome that this quick and easy project really was quick and easy.

First I dug a small trench (about 4″ deep) at the back of the compost area so that my pallet had a little groove to stand in while I secured the other sides:

Compost First Pallet Trench

Then I put the second pallet next to it to create one side:

Compost Second Pallet Up

Notice how the side with the more closely-spaced slats faces in (otherwise we’d get lots of compost spilling through). But that doesn’t mean you should use a completely solid piece of wood (the slatted pallets help air circulate, which helps the decomposing process while also keeping odor down).

Compost Second Pallet Close

To secure the pallets together, I just drilled three screws (one in the top, middle, and bottom) to connect the two pallets. Some tutorials that I read called for zip ties instead, which I’m not surprised to hear (they, like duct tape, can accomplish almost anything). I just had screws on hand, and since that was another recommended method I went for it. I also enjoy projects a little more when I get to break out my power tools (I can almost feel Sherry rolling her eyes at this sentence). The funny thing is that the pallets were practically sturdy enough to stay together on their own so the screws kinda felt like a formality, but they were nice “insurance” so I’m glad I took a moment to add them (and say hi to my drill).

Compost Screw In

Then I rinsed and repeated the whole joining shebang with the third pallet on the other side.

Compost Third Pallet On

Then, um… ta-dah? That was pretty much it. Some of the instructions that I read included using a fourth pallet to create a hinged door in the front (I guess a fifth if you added an extra pallet on the bottom). I wasn’t inclined to do this because (1) that seemed more complicated than I wanted to get into – at least off the bat, and (2) I didn’t have any hinges on hand. Initially I was just going to leave my bin open-sided and not stress if my pile started to migrate a bit beyond its three borders…

Compost All Pallets

… but I realized it probably wasn’t the best idea in practice, especially since it was on a slight slope and one big rain could wash our pile-o-decomposition into the yard. Gross. So I improvised a bit and found a nearly-perfectly-sized piece of scrap wood that could act as a fourth wall (with the help of two leftover wood stakes). It stays in place just fine and can easily be picked up when it’s time to turn our pile (or grab a big heaping batch of nurtrient-rich soil when it’s ready).

Compost Front Board Close

As the pile grows, I’m thinking I could easily upgrade my system with a few more boards stacked up or a taller piece of wood with taller stakes or poles to hold them flush against the pallets. But this’ll do for now:

Compost Final With Board Fa

And to kick off the competition composition, I threw in a layer of nice brown leaves from the backyard. Ooooh. Ahhh.

Compost Starter Leaves

Now we’re the first to admit that we’re still kind of novices at this whole composting thing. Even after three years of doing it. I’ve thrown out references like “turn the pile” as if I know what we’re supposed to do (and how often and why) but I’m really just going off of tidbits that we’ve picked up online. When it came to our old system we just stirred things when we tossed in a pile o’ stuff (we had a lidded plastic container that we kept under the sink for compost scraps and emptied that into the bin twice a week or so). And we printed out a list of compostable stuff and taped that to the inside of our under-the-sink door near the compost container so we could consult that if we didn’t know if something could be added. So admittedly I’m not quite Captain Compost yet (so if anyone has any pointers or resources for us, we’re all ears). The good news about compost is that it seems to just do its own thing for the most part (you can read about a few of our experiences with it over the years here, here, here, and here). We’ve never had any issues with smell or anything, so it’s a pretty painless auto-pilot process.

Oh, and I should mention that if anyone is hesitant about using wood that might be chemically-treated (like pallets) for their bin, you can limit your use of the resulting compost to non-edible plants (i.e. use it in your flowerbeds, not in an herb or veggie garden). That’s definitely what we’ll be doing just in case. We’re a bit late in the season to have much usable compost this year anyway (darn, no accidental pumpkin growing for me this Halloween) but hopefully next year we’ll have more free fertilizer than we’ll know what to do with. And maybe some of that ivy will have grown around the pallets to help it “blend” in a bit more. You know, so we end up with a charming secret garden compost situation. Of course we could also stain or paint the palettes to help them blend in (dark green, brown, gray, etc). We’ll keep you posted.

Compost Area After

Do any of you have a pallet compost bin (or other composting system) going on at your place? How has it been working out? Anything you think we should know as we start this new chapter in our composting lives? Has anyone else accidentally grown a pumpkin? That’s my crowning composting achievement thus far.

Comments

  1. Kristen @ Popcorn on the Stove says

    Did you put the plastic bins back there or are you just going to throw the compost onto the pile of leaves you threw in there? I love that you guys are composting. I’d like to start but I’m not sure our landlord (or for that matter, neighbors in the building) would love it.

    Reply

  2. Carrie says

    After chucking out a forgotten rotten bunch of broccoli yesterday, I’ve been thinking about getting our compost on. So this post is perfect timing! With a set up like this, is there any worry about critters getting in, attracting rats??

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We never had any issues with that, I wonder if someone with this system could weigh in? I think in general you get lots of worms (our bins were full of them- haha) which break stuff down and keep the smell down (which probably keeps animals away?). Not sure though. We’ll definitely spill it if we have any animal issues though!

      xo,
      s

    • Amy says

      As long as you don’t put stuff like meat, bones and dairy (which you shouldn’t anyway) in, it’s OK. Animals are generally looking for stuff to eat, not actually eating compost. You can also make sure to bury “new” stuff in the existing compost.

    • Abbie P. says

      My dad has always had a compost up in Maine where he lives. He built something similar to this but, to keep the animals out, he attached another palet on top and another in the front which was basically hinged (to open and close easily). As far as I know it keeps the animals out. The only stuff they can get to is if some of it falls on the outside. I don’t know if it prevented them from showing up but at least they can’t get to it and you still have easy access! :)

    • Jennifer says

      I started with a simple wire cage around four metal posts in my back yard. I thought for sure I would have problems with smell or rats, but I never did (I have since moved on to a real-for really real composting bin, as I decided that two years of composting earned me something a little more eye-catching than my jankified wire cages).
      I did turn the piles around once or twice a week and I watered the pile pretty regularly. I also have a heavy duty shredder at home, so I shred any cardboard boxes we get, plain paper, etc. That goes a long way towards keeping the compost balance.
      The only visitor I got who was larger than a worm were the gophers, and I figured they were aerating the soil and not eating my vegetables. A win-win.

  3. Amy says

    I’m a composter myself, so I am always happy to see projects like this. But my all-important comment, that I *had* to give, is that those are the nicest pallets I have ever seen!!

    P.S. The ad above, as I type this, is for composting toilets. Ewwww. I don’t go that far. The only poop I ever added was from my rabbits.

    Reply

  4. Laura C in Indy says

    Love this idea. I think we’ll borrow this one from you too, if you don’t mind.
    I did accidentally grow a pumpkin one year. I had tossed my old pumpkin in the corner of the yard and next year was very surprised and excited when the vine started growing. I harvested 4 pumpkins off of that. I’ve tried to repeat that but it hasnt happened again :(

    Reply

    • Elizabeth says

      My mother was wonderful about composting when I was a kid (she considered it part of our homeschool science class) and we were always getting surprise fruits and veggies. Our favorites were teeny tiny watermelons.

  5. Julia @ Chris loves Julia says

    *Air five* for composting! The closest thing we have to a compost pile in our current house of 4 short months is the dog kennel the previous owners left in the back still filled with….ahem….fertilizer.

    The ad at the bottom of the post is for Composting Toilets…..innnterresstttinnngggg. Hahaha.

    Reply

  7. Kimberly says

    I don’t have a yard, so there’s not much need for a compost pile on my end. I am planning to use pallets to make a coffee table on caster wheels for my apt. I found the plans on Ana White’s site after you made the console table. What a great resource! Thanks and good luck with the new project.

    Reply

  8. Lindsey d. says

    Ha! My brother’s “decomposition” lesson with his kids using last year’s Jack o’Lanterns accidentally turned into a “growth cycle” lesson when the seeds took root. They’ve got three or four pumpkins going in the backyard now….

    My personal composting experiment isn’t going well… Thinking a more open set up like this would make it easier. Also, must remember not to put squash seeds in… Definitely made things a little too “grow-y” and not enough “decompose-y” in my compost bin last year.

    Reply

  9. jess! says

    My family’s been composting for years – my dad’s got a rather, ah… intense system, consisting of three different bins (one for dog poop, one for leaves, one for food scraps).
    The dog poop and food scrap bins are the black plastic kind, which are good because in the winter (in Canada), the head from the sun keeps the inside of the composter hot and thus it continues composting.
    One tip I’ve learned is that if it’s dry out, you should water the compost, since it keeps the creatures living in it alive, and speeds the breakdown process.

    My brother grew a whole pumpkin patch once, and sold pumpkins to all the neighborhood kids for Hallowe’en. We also got a giant zuchinni once, and a watermelon. Awesome.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip Jess! We used the other side of that tip (add leaves if it gets any odor) and it definitely works! So we’ll be sure to water it if it dries out!

      xo,
      s

    • heather says

      Be careful on dog droppings (same with cat droppings or any non-100% plant based animal dropping). They can carry organisms that should never be ingested or used for fertilizing food you will ingest.

  10. jess! says

    Oh, also – In southern Ontario, homeowners were all issued with ‘green bins’, which are compost-holders that you put out at the curb every week and the city collects (they compost it at their own sites). It’s a great way for people to compost without having to set up a heap in their yard.
    In FACT – if the garbagemen catch you throwing compostables or recyclables out in your regular garbage, they won’t even collect it. It’s a good system!

    Reply

  11. Blair says

    I haven’t started composting but Martha Stewart had a great episode about it on her TV show this past spring. You should try to find it because she gave some great tips and made her guest squirm because he didn’t know as much as her!
    ~Blair

    Reply

  12. Wom-mom Ethne says

    I envision you or Clara eating the banana to throw the peel into the bin for dramatic composting re-enactment. Thanks for the morning chuckle. Looks great. My mom gets lots of spiders who like her closed plastic composting bin. Don’t know if that’s the same with your open one but just FYI. Hers is in a woodsy spot like yours. She doesn’t mind the spiders, but we just throw in the compost and run so we don’t have to see them. PS – this post is getting pinned to my Pinterest board so I remember it. :) Tell Sherry.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Haha, I’ll have to keep an eye out for spiders! Attracting some of those might be a good thing (even though they’re creepy) because don’t they take care of bad bugs? They’re like the Robin Hood of bugs. Haha.

      xo,
      s

  13. Naomi says

    Y’all might want to give some thought to a removable lid and gate…if you guys have any neighborhood cats wandering around, they might discover your compost pile and ruin your hard work (especially if you plan on using the compost for veggies and/or herbs).

    Reply

  14. heather says

    We’ve been composting at our home since we moved in, and each of us growing up always had some form of one. They’re awesome. We started growing an oak tree in ours at one point (damn squirrels) but overall it’s been fine. I love that you can throw the occasional paper towel in too (unless it was used with meat/grease/chemicals). We keep a stainless steel compost bin fit with a charcoal filter in our kitchen, and when it gets full dump it in the big bin on our tree line. We use it every year for the garden cut with manure.

    Reply

  15. Lisa says

    I started a pallete compost about 16 yrs ago. The pallets are now long gone. My neighbor helped me, he advised a layer of rocks/pebbles for airation and he gave me some starter from his compost. The only need I knew of for the starter was the earthworms. Don’t forget the earthworms!! They accelerate decomposition.

    Reply

  16. bridget b. says

    how often will you guys be taking trash out to the new compost bin? will you have a smaller bin in the house still?

    Reply

  17. annabelvita says

    I went on a composting workshop a couple of weeks ago, and for one they had this amazing rotating compost thing – it was insulated and the rotating helped get enough air into it that it turned waste into compost in THREE WEEKS! Amazing. A bit beyond the need of the average gardener though…

    The best thing I learnt that actually applies to the average composter is that the stuff you empty out of your vacuum cleaner is REALLY good for compost! Which is such a win-win as it’s so much easier to empty the hoover out in the garden anyway.

    Reply

  18. Carol N. says

    We tried to amend our soil in the back yard by digging holes and putting our compostable food in it before putting the soil back on top. Unfortunately, we have a huge number of racoons in the area and they would dig up whatever we buried – but they were not nice enough to put the soil back. So after about a week of that frustration, we just throw the scraps into the big leaf pile and if the racoons want it, they can dig in and get it.

    Reply

  19. Hannah says

    Very cool looking, but just a warning that if you have any wildlife at all in your neighborhood, you will likely need to enclose the compost lest they spread it all over your yard. It does decompose, but not fast enough to completely disguise the smell from hungry animals. We have the black plastic kind and ended up surrounding the base with rocks to keep the chipmunks from tunneling into it and dragging eggshells all over the yard. Raccoons love it too.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the tip Hannah! We’re definitely planning to add more of a door. We’ve also heard from others that meat scraps tend to attract animals most (and we eat/compost mostly veg and fruit stuff, so hopefully that’ll help). We’ll keep you guys posted!

      xo,
      s

    • heather s. says

      My ex only composted fruits/veggies and yet the rats in his neighborhood gnawed through his compost bin to get to the goods inside. Just a word of warning! :)

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Thanks for the warning! You know we tell it to you straight, so if we end up with a rat party back there you know we’ll share the deets. Haha. Here’s hoping we don’t though. Ew.

      xo,
      s

    • Molly P-H says

      I’m pretty sure you can’t compost meat or dairy. We’ve been composting for a handful of years and that’s what most of the books said. Hope you continue to enjoy it! We love it!

  20. Meghan says

    Nice! I’m now setting a timer for how long before that sucker gets stained dark brown… I mean, you guys painted your exterior water heater, so I feel like a camouflaged compost bin can’t be too far off :)

    Reply

  21. kristinrose24 says

    We’ve been composting for a few years, and love it. In our new house, just this past weekend, we started building our three bin compost system. We have all the posts in the ground, and the wire almost all the way up. I like your “door” idea though. I was trying to figure out what to do to hold the compost in. I’ll have to use your idea and come up with something similar. :)

    Reply

  22. CJ says

    My husband and I were both raised in composting families, so we’re huge composters ourselves. We love it!

    Our neighbors aren’t in the least bit intersted/inclined to compost, and they were mystified when we moved in and installed our bin. We had people asking us if it was everything from a place to stash pool toys (we don’t have a pool)to a dog-washing station for our two large dogs. :)

    I ended up planting some tall flowers (coneflowers, heliopsis) around the bin so it’s no longer visible, and it has actually improved the neighbors’ view of our yard.

    Reply

  23. Amber Wallace says

    What a great compost idea. I would love to make one. When I was little my dad made a HUGE one out of metal that opened at the bottom for us to get the best stuff out of as needed. It was pretty sweet looking back. I just remember shucking corn into it all summer.

    Reply

  25. John says

    Wow, that is a hard-core compost setup. You definitely doubled down on capacity! You may be better off hanging some ivy off it or something than painting or staining it. Either way, looks good!

    Reply

  26. Vanessa says

    We have been composting for about 2 years and finally have worms in there. Should anyone get excited about worms doing their business? Well, I am.

    How are you guys with winter composting? I feel that is when we kind of slack off because we are in New England and climbing a snow bank to throw in some apple cores is a bit much.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We keep throwing things in and trying to stir our frozen pile. It doesn’t seem to break down much, but it doesn’t smell so we keep tossing stuff in and it picks up where it left off again when spring rolls around!

      xo,
      s

  27. Kristina Strain says

    Nice work! Unlike you, I didn’t have pallets on hand when I constructed my compost bin this spring, so I had to use old fencing. It worked ok, though.

    As for “technique,” I have two compost bins side by side, and I do what’s called “Static pile.” I throw all my food scraps and yard waste into one side of the bin for one season, then turn it over into the empty bin in the spring. After another season of just sitting and mellowing and decomposing, it’ll be ready to use. In the meantime, I pile up my fresh stuff in the bin I just emptied out. Does that make any kind of sense? I’m no pro, but this system has worked great for going on five years.

    Reply

  28. sarita says

    Now that your composite is outside you will want to think about wild animals getting in there. Raccoons love hunting through open piles for scraps and can make a big mess. Good Luck!

    Reply

  29. Mike at The Big Stick says

    I’ve been composting for years. I use 4 t-posts and some chicken wire for containment and stir it once per month. A trick I learned early on is to add a few containers of red worms every year (late summer is the best time). They will help break down the materials and their ‘castings’ add nutrients to the soil.

    I also just recentlylearned we could add the cardboard tubes from paper towels and toilet paper so those have been getting shredded and then going in to the pile.

    Reply

  30. Tammy L says

    We actually just finished installing our pallet compost this past weekend. We also installed a great door to keep our dogs out of the compost as well. We have a great stainless steel pail that we keep in our kitchen and we found biodegradable bags at World Market, making it even easier. We recently started a FB page all about renewing our 1947 home. “New Life in This Old House”. Thanks for all your inspirations.

    Reply

  31. Sara says

    We just use our garden as a giant compost pile. We haven’t planted for the past 3 years so we’ve thrown everything out there. We always have good intentions in the spring and rake it all out and it’s beautiful – and then we just let it go and it turns into a giant compost heap again. This year we let our neighbor’s chickens roam our yard. They scratched up the pile and made it even better! Maybe next year we’ll actually use it for planting. Either way – it’s been awesome. We live in a semi-rural area and have never had any problems with animals (or smell).

    Reply

  32. Newness says

    I’ve been composting since last fall. I used your tutorial. After a few hiccups in the beginning (I threw cooked food in there and the squirrels chewed a hole in my bin) things look great this year. I plan to use the compost in my flower beds, not for my herb garden. I have been thinking of making something larger since I plan on expanding my gardens next year. The pallets may be the way to go. I’m also willing to build a would compost bin from scratch if that’s what it takes.

    Reply

  33. Giulia says

    We have a green bin pick-up service here in town. In the summer they pick up weekly and in the winter every two weeks. We dump all our food scraps as well as paper napkins, kitty litter etc. It has really reduced our garbage bag consumption – we are down to one bag a week including diapers! Yayyy!

    Reply

  34. Lindsey@ClassicIvory says

    We’ve been composting for about three years now, and we have a bin we made from old chicken wire and left-over, non-treated wood scraps from various other projects. It’s a large rectangle with two sections, so that we can easily turn from one side to the other, plus it has a lid since we live in the city with lots of possible critters.

    It’s grown cherry tomatoes plus something that I can only describe as a honeydew-cucumber. It’s not a pumpkin…but it’s my very own organic-hybrid fruit!

    Reply

  35. Emily says

    My dad is a hobbyist woodworker and built a compost bin for me. It’s like a lower-profile cousin of a pallet bin. He made 3 sides of slatted walls (like short pallets) and– this is the part I think you might find useful– made grooves along the front, open edges so that you can slide a series of boards into the grooves for a quickly-removable, adjustable-height front side. To space those boards apart (so that you can have air flow from the front side), he put a couple of 3″ nails into the edge of each board, to act as spacers. You can use white cedar lumber, which is rot-resistant.

    Also, FWIW, the only time I’ve had animals interested in my compost was when I put eggshells in. So, no more eggshells… my compost is vegan. ;)

    Reply

  36. Jennifer Darling says

    We actually did have a surprise pumpkin last year. Not from composting, mind you, but from a bored teenager taking a crow bar to the rotting Halloween decorations. When my husband found it behind our garage, he became obsessed, going online to check on how to care for it and checking on it everyday after work, (and I do mean EVERY day). We only got one pumpkin from the mystery vine, but it was quite large and was one less we had to buy for my fall decorating. If I was smart, I would have had my boys go at it again to see what might spring up!
    Jennifer

    Reply

  37. Lindsey says

    Awesome! My fiancé is not down with any sort of composting currently:( I’m working on him, and your’s looks nice enough he just might bite:) Thanks!

    Reply

  38. Rachel says

    Okay maybe this is a dumb question but what happens in winter? Doesn’t the pile just get completely buried in snow/ice? Do you just not compost during the winter with this type of system? (Or just use your bins and add it in the spring?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It sort of goes dormant in the winter. It doesn’t break down as much, but we still add stuff and since it’s cold nothing seems to smell or have any issues. It just picks up again in the spring.

      xo,
      s

  39. threadbndr says

    I’m using the black “R2D2” plastic compster that the city provided several years ago. I really like the fact that the compost is helped along by solar heat as Jess said above. It’s stationed inside my fence, so I don’t have issues with raiding strays or wildlife.

    My only issue is that the capacity isn’t really large. I end up sometimes with garden waste that goes into the trash because there’s no room in the composter.

    Reply

    • Paula says

      This is what we have right now too!

      But, I am so stealing the pallet idea. We can get pallets from work and have a somewhat out of sight place behind our shed to put it. After reading other replies, I think over the winter we’ll still use the “trash can” compost, bring it closer to the house and just add it the “pallet” compost in the spring.

      Such great tips and ideas I gleaned off this post!! Thanks!

  41. Hilary @Thistle Confections says

    I wish our city allowed open air composting! Composting is encouraged, but we have to have approved containers. We have a large bin that rotates, we got it at a local eco goods store. It definitely wasn’t as cheap as pallets, but not much we could do about it unless we just wanted to throw food waste away.

    Reply

  42. Kevin says

    We’ve been composting for a couple years now. I built a dual-box bin so we can rotate sides to let the process happen while we fill the other side up. It works good, but I wish I would have used pallets instead of spending $ on the wood. I had to move the boxes this spring and my son was going crazy seeing how many worms were in the dirt – I guess it’s working.

    Reply

  44. Jessica says

    Great post! My husband and I are starting what I like to call lazy man’s composting–we’re totally trenching it. But someday, once we get a hang of all this business, I would love to start a bin like this. I +1’d it on Google so I’d be able to go back and show my husband how it’s done!

    Reply

  46. Amy L. says

    Do you get flies? Flies in the backyard freak me out. The minute a fly lands on food, I have the OCD reaction to throw it out. (FLIES LAND ON EVERYTHING=YUCK!) We have less than a 1/4 of an acre, so there isn’t tons of room, but the no smell you’re talking about peaks my interest again.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We didn’t have any issues with the last one and so far don’t have any issues with this one. We have heard if you get flies just add more leaves (apparently it’s something about the nitrogen – and leaves help or something?).

      xo,
      s

  47. Alicia says

    We too, have been composting for three years. I like your set-up and I second that those are the nicest pallets I’ve ever seen. My step-dad works for a garage door company and routinely saves pallets for firewood while camping. I bet he could save some for us. Our current bin is much to small and has a bottom, but I’d rather have everything touching the ground. In the winter I used an 18 gal and a 5 gal bucket in our garage. I had a surprise tomato plant last year that out-preformed the eight heirlooms plants in my raised beds put together. This year we got tons of tomato seedlings, a few of which I kept (and they are again doing better than the heirlooms). We also got a surprise cantaloupe.
    And btw, I also have the composting toilet add, but I have wanted one for 11yrs or so lol.
    Thanks for this lovely post.

    Reply

  48. Jaime says

    We bought a compost bin when we bought our house almost 3 years ago, and love it. It’s amazing how much trash we don’t have now that most of our food scraps can go back into the ground. When I plant our garden, we have one box (it’s a box garden for now) that uses the compost dirt, and those vegetables are often the biggest. Last year, we managed to accidentally grow a cantaloupe. Best fruit ever. :)

    Reply

  49. Lauren says

    i love all your eco-friendly tips like the compost pile and the rain barrel! can’t wait to move out of an apartment and into a house with a yard so we can start doing this too! thanks :)

    Reply

  50. Nora says

    My dad is a hardcore composter. He has a giant pile in our woods that my family composts almost everything in (except for meat, dairy, etc). He doesn’t turn it that often (which helps it break down quickly) and it takes a lot longer because it’s frozen half the year but he usually “strains” the pile yearly in his custom made compost sieve to get out larger pieces of yard waste (branches, leaves) that haven’t broken down fully and uses the rest in our gardens. I live in a more residential area now with lots of animals so I think I’m going to try to make your bin composter!

    Reply

Stuff We Love

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *