On one of the rare occasion's that I have watched a gardening
programme, I had notice a compost bin made from pieces of
timber with the ends notched so the pieces fitted together, I
thought that seems to be a good idea so I tried to find one in
the garden centres.

Have you ever tried to find something in a garden centre which
has been shown on gardening programmes, a total waste of time?

I did find some small ones, but the prices were designed for
those people who if you had to ask you couldn't afford it!

So being a practical person, oh yes I am, I decided to build it
myself, I was looking to produce a pair of bins about six feet by
three feet and about three feet high, I seem to generate a large
quantity of garden and kitchen waste.

Went off to Wickes and bought a quantity of what they call
'Gravel boards' six feet long and six inches wide, cut some of
them in half for the short ends, got out the fretsaw and started to
cut the notches in the ends of each piece, started to assemble
them and got to about the third level, when I wondered how the
devil was I going to get a loaded wheelbarrow up three feet to
empty the stuff into the bin, so back to the drawing board!

Sat down, as is my normal position, can't stand or indulge in
anything energetic for long, and thought about the whole thing,
decided to leave one end open to allow access for the
wheelbarrow, but as the pieces of timber are just standing upon
each other with no support ,other than the notched ends, of
which there are now only one, I thought it might help if I drove
some pieces of metal tubing into the ground so support the
free ends, having done this and sat back to admire my
masterpiece, I realised I could have saved myself a lot of
work with the fretsaw if I had just nailed the pieces of timber
to stakes in each corner!

Ah well, such is the value of hindsight!

Alan
--
Reply to alan(at)windsor-berks(dot)freeserve(dot)co(dot)uk

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 15:03:37 +0100, "Alan Holmes"
wrote:


On one of the rare occasion's that I have watched a gardening
programme, I had notice a compost bin made from pieces of
timber with the ends notched so the pieces fitted together, I
thought that seems to be a good idea so I tried to find one in
the garden centres.

Have you ever tried to find something in a garden centre which
has been shown on gardening programmes, a total waste of time?

I did find some small ones, but the prices were designed for
those people who if you had to ask you couldn't afford it!

So being a practical person, oh yes I am, I decided to build it
myself, I was looking to produce a pair of bins about six feet by
three feet and about three feet high, I seem to generate a large
quantity of garden and kitchen waste.

Went off to Wickes and bought a quantity of what they call
'Gravel boards' six feet long and six inches wide, cut some of
them in half for the short ends, got out the fretsaw and started to
cut the notches in the ends of each piece, started to assemble
them and got to about the third level, when I wondered how the
devil was I going to get a loaded wheelbarrow up three feet to
empty the stuff into the bin, so back to the drawing board!

snip DIY stuff

Ah well, such is the value of hindsight!

Isn't the standard solution 4 pallets lashed together?

"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

On one of the rare occasion's that I have watched a gardening
programme, I had notice a compost bin made from pieces of
timber with the ends notched so the pieces fitted together, I
thought that seems to be a good idea so I tried to find one in
the garden centres.

I once made myself one like that. Too late I realised the fundamental
design flaw in the concept: The top stuff is always the newly added
stuff, and the good compost has to be taken from the bottom, and the
system has neither door not gate.

Franz

On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 14:17:44 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

On one of the rare occasion's that I have watched a gardening
programme, I had notice a compost bin made from pieces of
timber with the ends notched so the pieces fitted together, I
thought that seems to be a good idea so I tried to find one in
the garden centres.

I once made myself one like that. Too late I realised the fundamental
design flaw in the concept: The top stuff is always the newly added
stuff, and the good compost has to be taken from the bottom, and the
system has neither door not gate.

and hence the need for tunneling moles?

On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 16:38:28 +0200, martin wrote:

On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 14:17:44 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

On one of the rare occasion's that I have watched a gardening
programme, I had notice a compost bin made from pieces of
timber with the ends notched so the pieces fitted together, I
thought that seems to be a good idea so I tried to find one in
the garden centres.

I once made myself one like that. Too late I realised the fundamental
design flaw in the concept: The top stuff is always the newly added
stuff, and the good compost has to be taken from the bottom, and the
system has neither door not gate.

Alternative designs
http://www.tmac.clara.co.uk/garden/layout/heap.htm

http://www.essexwt.org.uk/Leaflets/compost.htm

http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetr...ple:composting

"martin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 14:17:44 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

On one of the rare occasion's that I have watched a gardening
programme, I had notice a compost bin made from pieces of
timber with the ends notched so the pieces fitted together, I
thought that seems to be a good idea so I tried to find one in
the garden centres.

I once made myself one like that. Too late I realised the
fundamental
design flaw in the concept: The top stuff is always the newly
added
stuff, and the good compost has to be taken from the bottom, and
the
system has neither door not gate.

and hence the need for tunneling moles?

{:-))

Franz

"martin" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 12 Jun 2004 14:17:44 +0000 (UTC), "Franz Heymann"
wrote:


"Alan Holmes" wrote in message
...

On one of the rare occasion's that I have watched a gardening
programme, I had notice a compost bin made from pieces of
timber with the ends notched so the pieces fitted together, I
thought that seems to be a good idea so I tried to find one in
the garden centres.

I once made myself one like that. Too late I realised the fundamental
design flaw in the concept: The top stuff is always the newly added
stuff, and the good compost has to be taken from the bottom, and the
system has neither door not gate.

and hence the need for tunneling moles?

North Lincs council were subsidising these at £12 delivered, cracking deal!!
http://www.recycleworks.co.uk/cgi-bi...logno=CB1-CWCB