New compost bays

Threw up a couple compost bays the other day, thinking of doing a few bays like this to keep the weeds down around the perimiter. As you can see on either side its pretty bad haha will be planting lupins around too to fill up space and cover ground.

 

Yes, lupins are good bulk producing plants to compost. Suggest you get some bocking 14 comfrey cuttings going to crop for the heap.Also, nettles cut before they set seed, amaranth, maize and oats cut before grains ripen and any non invasive native plant that others distain as weeds. Collect clean brown cardboard to soak and cut/tear into fragments to balance the carbon nitrogen ratio.There are many free sources of compost ingredient, if you have the time and inclination.

 

Yeah i do fairly well with compost, i used to use 3, 1.5m x 1.5m bays. Im building the new ones so theyre a more managible size and because im removing my old ones to allow access to my plot with a trailer.

I pretty much use whatever i have access to so:
Garden waste
Chicken, duck and goose manure/bedding (straw and woodshavings)
Horse manure and straw bedding
Woodchips (though i avoid mixing these in now)
Spent compost
Food waste
And the odd bit of card and paper

 

So far ive not actually used pallets (except the new bays) my old bays were built into the fence so werw made using old peices of fencing

Not the best image but i think you get the idea

 

Also the quarry i work at throws away perfectly good pallets everyday so i have a steady supply

 

I think you need to fill the holes that are in pallets, I've used some feather edge fencing, the heap will dry out too fast and not retain heat with all the gaps.

 

I line my pallet bays with cardboard and use some black plastic to keep the rain off the top. Seems to make nice enough compost

 

Pallet life can be extended by painting with used vegetable oil(ask at chippy) or linseed oil from horse feed store (no vat) Pallets from imports will have been treated with insecticide ( see brand mark). It is a 'crime' to repurpose blue or red pallets, they are stolen....( from Chep/PECO). A piece of disowned woven carpet is ideal to cover, protects from wind and weather. Wilton is good, or Axminster, in a complimentary colour. Avoid polyester or foam back

 

I may have to do the same with the plastic and rig up some guttering to collect the water