Compost Out of Pallets

Just before winter I followed instructions I found online. They instructed me to purchase a plastic tote, which I did, then carve holes all around the cover and a few in the bottom, which I did, and then stick it outside and add food. Well as you can guess this didn't provide enough air flow or enough drainage AT ALL.

So all winter we added food and all winter nothing happened. I expected that because it was winter so it wouldn't do much with all the freezing. But when summer came, it did the same thing... nothing. It just rotted. So today I finally had the chance to change it for the better! Mavis built one out of wooden pallets and I wanted to do the same. Since I finally have wooden pallets (one of the downfalls of having a car instead of a truck... you have to rely on others to help and they are busy too), and a few hours where it wasn't either burning hot or absolutely swarmed with mosquitoes.

This was the starting point:
Getting the pallets:
I had some extra wire fence stakes, so I grabbed four along with my cordless drill, the long handled mallet, and plenty of screws. I used the stakes to hold the sides up while I pieced it together. The stakes have what I'll call wings on the bottom six or so inches up. I pounded the stakes into the ground so these wings would hold the bottom of the pallet down.

Here's the right side and the back:
Here's a slightly better view:
I did that for the three walls, then used long screws to screw the sides together. I only did that at the tops because I ran out of longer screws. I'll pick up more tomorrow and add more. With the screws in place, the stakes were pulled up (except one).

Here's three walls up:
Here's another view:
Next was the hinges. I had bought hinges forever ago when I thought this project would be done much earlier in the year. I bought four total, two of one kind, two of another. I chose a strap hinge, because it allowed the greater movement and stability overall. I secured them in at angles because my drill couldn't reach well (I didn't know I had a drill bit extender until I was done). I also chose the lightest pallet for the door because I wanted it to swing without a lot of strain on my part.

This is after I added what was in the blue tote and added in some saved leaves to dry it out a bit:
I re-used the stakes to support the front sides. Where the hinges are, there are two stakes. One on the outside and one on the inside. The third stake I pounded in on the outside of the non-hinge side. It stuck out too far so I screwed it in. The screws from the hinges also stuck out too far, so I used the mallet to pound them flat.

Done!
Some things you might want to do differently:

• Depending on where you locate it, you may want to raise the front a bit above the ground to allow the door to swing without resistance. Bear in mind that this may also require a latch to keep it shut.
• If you have very pesky wildlife, you may want to add a cover or chicken wire to keep them out.
• I kept all of my pallets the same way, but if you click Mavis' link above, she alternates hers. Whatever works for you should be what you use!