Building the Compost Bins – 12th December 2017

With the Compost Wall finished, we set about building our new large Compost bins.  The fun part was always going to be the  digging the 8 post hole needed to make the bin.

The ground here is like rock!

We got it done, but had to modify our design slightly.  The original plan was for 2 compost bins, 1 bin for mulch and a storage area(with possibly a roof).  But we simply could not do the last two posts as the ‘ground’ was solid and no tool we had could break through the ‘rock’ with any sort of efficiency.

We did get 6 posts in, so we will have two clear bins and two ‘storage areas’

The back of each bin has a plastic pallet at the rear to keep the compost off the wall and to minimise damage to the wall over time.  We covered each of these pallets with thick plastic as well to stop moisture seeping back into the wall.

With some treated pine railings in place we had one functional bin, and this allowed us to consolidate our compost from the various small bins we already were using.

The storage areas also allowed to to collect and consolidate the resources and tools we have on the lower level.  This meant that the tank level plot area was now clear of “junk” and we could now concentrate on getting the grass back on that level.

You can see the difference in the pics below.

We still have some tidy-up work to do with the timber structures, but none are urgent and things may change – as they often do.

On the to-do list:

• Finish the second bin
• Add a roof/protection
• Mulch or Gravel the base and are in front of the bins
• Tidy up and build a garden around the Bananas

This almost brings to an end the South/West side wall.  Now we have to move to the North wall and get it finished. But our timing couldn’t be worse as Summer is now in full swing!