Pallet compost area help

[Containergardener]

Yep I dont have a compost heap
...one of those "meant to do" things. There are bins at mums I can have but cant go to at the moment, no garden waste collection .
Was going to heap it up or should I make a pallet area.
Dont want any rats (yes I know they are everywhere but I don't want to bring them in myself).
Any thoughts

[Small pumpkin]

Personally I’d go with a pallet bin.

[Containergardener]

I shall get OH on to it .

Thanks SP

[ameno]

If you can, staple some plastic sheeting (cut open compost bags, for example) to the inside of the pallets. Pallets are actually a bit drafty for an ideal compost bin (although still better than an open heap), and the stuff near the gaps will dry out and not rot.

[Logunner]

If you can, staple some plastic sheeting (cut open compost bags, for example) to the inside of the pallets. Pallets are actually a bit drafty for an ideal compost bin (although still better than an open heap), and the stuff near the gaps will dry out and not rot.

Catch 22 though.... the gaps also allow airflow to speed up the composting process, ime the gaps reduce the number of times it needs turning.

[Snadger]

Compost making isn't rocket science really, methinks?

One year I just chucked all vegetable waste in a pile, including weeds, and the following year I had plenty of organic matter to spread around. If it gets hot enough everything is sterilised.
What I would say is most people site a compost heap hidden somewhere in the shade. I found a sunny spot was better and allowed the compost to heat up quicker.

[Spazturtle]

For most people there is no need to worry about perfect ratios and hot composting, at it's most basic you can just throw every time in a pile and wait, no bin or container needed at all. Anything else is just about speeding up the process. A pallet area allows you to pile up the compost higher without it spreading out over a large area like it does in a pile and allows composting to start with less material. Putting the area in the sun will mean the composting happens much quicker during summer.

If you are composting meat and bones then hot composting in a sealed and insulated container is best and safest but it can still be done in a cold compost pile as long as you keep foxes out and leave the pile for 2-3 years before using it, more strict rules apply for people who compost their own.. er 'human manure'.

[Containergardener]

Ok shall look at positioning , as its my garden my garden though not an allotment dont want it in my face
There will be no food in it as with 2 labradors theyll dig it out somehow and eat it. Hav enough bother with them and that anyway.

[rary]

If you were supplied with wheely bin for your garden waste use that for making compost, I have never put out any garden waste or vegetative kitchen waste that's could be composted, as for weeds use a trowel to dig them up and then bury them upside down, at times I think there is too much on tv and garden mags. telling us to remove weeds they don't need to be removed they just need buried

[rary]

Should have added any perennial weeds like dandelion, couch grass etc. let them dry out n the Sun or put them into a tub of water to rot and give you a liquid feed before burying them

[Containergardener]

My wheelie gets full of ground elder

[Stan79]

Make one pallet bin. Securely screw the back and the two sides together but just tie the front section in. Then when it comes to turning it or digging it out, you can just untie the front panel and it makes access much easier. Your back will thank you for it.

When it comes to needing a second bin, you only need three pallets, not four as you use the side of the original pallet bin as one of the sides of the second bin...

[Containergardener]

So I've got a couple of areas but ground elder and nettles are a bvgger (not that I mind nettles). Thinking if I put some mesh membrane down to keep any elder growing up ? I have very wormy ground so surely theyl find their way .

[ameno]

So I've got a couple of areas but ground elder and nettles are a bugger (not that I mind nettles). Thinking if I put some mesh membrane down to keep any elder growing up ? I have very wormy ground so surely theyl find their way .

I'd use something thicker, if I were you. Ground elder might push through a woven membrane.
You don't need to worry to much about worms. I have a compost bin on a sheet of plastic on concrete, and every time I come to empty it it's always full of worms. They find their way in somehow, without fail.
If you're worried, maybe add a couple shovels of wormy compost from another compost bin to "inoculate" your new heap. This should also help to add bacteria, fungi and other organisms which help rot the material.

[bikermike]

The advantages of a bin of any sort I think are
1) tidiness
2) has a smaller surface area

I have bins becuase of the above (and becuase I inherited them with the plot). AIUI, the main thing to keep rodents away is the no food thing (which it sounds like you'll have to do anyway).

Also, they look good on facebook...

The main thing is just to start composting.