Compost is the source of nutrients in your own garden. Old wooden pallets are ideal for making your own compost. There are some aspects you should consider before construction and during subsequent filling.
How to make a compost from pallets?
To build a compost from pallets, use EU pallets (“EUR” and “HT”) marked, lay bricks as a foundation and place the pallets upright on them. Secure the pallets with additional boards and fill the compost alternately with dry and moist organic waste.
What you should pay attention to
Use pallets from the EU, as these may only be treated and processed in an environmentally friendly manner. You can see where the palette comes from by looking at the label. “EUR” means that the palette comes from Europe. They have the abbreviation “HT”, which stands for Heat Treatment. The abbreviation means that the wood was treated under heat.
Pallets from other non-EU countries are often treated with environmentally harmful substances. If the pallet has the abbreviation “MB”, then the wood has been treated with methyl bromide or bromomethane. This substance is harmful to both the environment and he alth. Do not use these pallets for your own compost heap. The substances can be washed out by rainwater and accumulate in the compost substrate.
The Construction
To prevent the wooden pallets from sinking into the wet ground and starting to rot, you should use bricks as a foundation. Two stones are placed next to each other at the corners of the future compost frame. For a rectangular construction, place additional bricks in the middle of the long sides.
Place the pallets upright on the stones. The top of the pallets faces outwards. The construction is given stability by additional boards. Place the wooden planks on the corners of the perpendicular pallets so that they form a triangle with the pallet edges. Fasten the boards into the pallets with nails.
Square structures should be completely enclosed by pallets. With a rectangular model, you can leave one side open so that you can easily drive in the wheelbarrow.
These are the advantages of homemade compost:
- high capacity
- ideal ventilation
- old pallets are reused
How to fill the compost
Start with a layer of dry material. This is followed by a layer of fresh compost to feed the new batch with microorganisms. Make sure that you alternately fill the compost with moist and dry organic waste. In autumn and spring you can rearrange all of the compost.