Pallets can be found everywhere. Just look around and ask.

I like this design. With the floor, it's a stand alone bin that can be added to and taken away without interfering with the other bins. The floor keeps rats out and provided additional aeration,

These bins can easily be made from pallets at a very low cost.

Here is a link that might be useful: Building a compost bin

Well, I keep adding organic material. I keep turning it. I make sure it is damp. The pile keeps shrinking. Yet, no finished compost!

I think you'll need to stop adding materials if you want to let it finish. Also, I understand pressure treated wood should not be in contact with the ground generally, so I assume it's not a good choice for a compost bin.

I got pallets for free and wrapped the inside of the bin with chicken wire. If cinder blocks or straw bales or something else were free I'd have used those instead, would have saved the cost of the fencing.

We're building a house and many components arrived on pallets and they're now languishing on the work site. Try a construction site. I'd gladly give mine away. I've never composted in a structure and build free-form piles or windrows. A container is a matter of personal preference or a result of close neighbors, wildlife and the resultant concerns. My piles have always had ground contact and that facilitates the entry of worms from the surrounding soil. Although many people would use treated lumber, I would not since the treatment chemicals function by suppressing the very organisms that drive the composting process. The argument is made that those chemicals can leach into any material in close contact.

If your compost is damp it is too wet to be digested. The aerobic bacteria that digest the material and make it into compost do like a moist environment but they do not function well in a wet environment. Your compost only needs to be as wet as a well wrung out sponge, not dripping wet.

Uh, when did you start this bin full of materials? This spring? You won't have compost till this fall, or maybe late summer if you manage it just right. It takes time.

The mix of materials you compost is also important. Search this forum for info about browns and greens. Greens are things like table scraps and leafy plant waste. Browns are things like straw and dried leaves. Without enough browns your pile will become slimy and yucky.

toxcrusader - I started this bin in April 2008.

nygardener - The pile doesn't smell, it smells nice and 'earthy'. I am conscious of the mix and keep a stockpile of browns for throughout the seasons.

I have been able to get some pallets. Should I attach the hardware mesh on the inside (technically the bottom side of the pallets) to keep animals out and put a mesh, hinged lid on the top?

I have seen some real elaborate set-ups, but do not want to go entirely overboard right now.

This pallet/mesh bin set-up can also be free standing? Meaning I do not have to secure any 4'x4's into the ground? I think I would use the 4' green fence stakes in the corners to keep it somewhat in place.

Thanks any additional help!

Whatever problems you're having, I doubt that it's the fault of your Earth Machine. I have used Earth Machines for years and they have produced tons of good compost for me. I had some problems along the way, but they were mistakes that one can make in any composting system: too much water,ingredients that were too bulky too break down quickly, etc.

IMO pallets are the easiest way to make a compost. 3 pallets tied together work. You can nail them if you like. I've always composted on the ground as it's the easiest way but don't have rats to contend with. I have sometimes lined the pallets with cardboard from boxes but it's not necessary. I've never used wire mesh. Tried an all wire circular compost bin once but didn't like that system. Our last pallets were from a plumbing and heating company. They are free to just haul away. I've seen them behind stores in alleys, doesn't hurt to ask/phone around. If a business has to pay to have them hauled away they probably would be happy to have someone take them.

The simpler people make composting the more likely it is they will continue. Make it difficult and it's a chore many will not keep doing. Best to find what suits you and you will be successful.

Around here, Craigslist is a good place to find free pallets (and grass clippings and bags of leaves).

We built our compost bins out of pallets, free from places like Walmart or contruction sites, ask first. We just stand three pallets up to make a 3-sided "box" with the front open. You can nail them but we screwed them together with like a metal bracket. I definitely like to just use the ground as the bottom. We actually make 2 bins, connected, which requires 5 pallets, or you can have 3 bins if you have room which requires 7 pallets. I get as much material as possible and fill the first bin, it is about 3x3x3 which is a good size. I let that compost, turning when I can. Then I start the next bin, leaving the first one alone. When the first bin has finished composting(I use mine before it is truly all the way finished, no big deal), then I start to use it, and once it's all gone, I start a new pile, and then leave the second one alone to finish etc. My son gave me a plastic composter for Mother's Day, (I understand it cost about $50), I guess like an Earth Machine, and so now I have that as my third pile, i am planning to just fill it up and let it be, becoz I can't really turn it. Supposedly you lift the little doors at the bottom to get at the finished stuff at the bottom. Before the pallets we had a free form pile, but I like the pallets better, it holds the stuff in, and it just looks neater, and you can sit stuff on the pallets, like a cold drink, when you are working in that area.
laurie

I plan on buying my first compost bin. Going to buy the Big Bin Leaf Composter and some Super Hot Compost Starter from gardeners supply.

At the bottom of the page in the link are types of composters you can make with some good info on each one.

Here is a link that might be useful: Composting Made Easy

The 3'x3'x3' size is NOT the optimal size for heat retention.

It is often quoted, probably because it is easy to remember.

It is the Minimum size for good heat retention.

I use a round mesh bin resting on the ground, 4' in diameter and either 24" or 30" high.

Materials may also determine the best width (or depth and width if you have a square bin). If you use a lot of sawdust, then 3' or (3'x3') might be best. If your primary brown is shredded leaves, then 4' (or 4'x4') might be best. If your main brown is large-ish wood chips, then 5' (or 5'x54').

The height does not have to match the other dimensions. The dirt under the pile acts as heat storage. I do think the min height would be about 24". Keep in mind that the pile shrinks a lot.

I do not have a lot of space to have anything bigger than 3' x 3'x 3' bin.

I also would like a lid on it to keep the tree rats and other critters from stealing the good stuff. You know what I mean?

Also, if I do put a lid on it, I do not want to locate it in a conspicuos place. Maybe lattice around it will help with that?

I have a steel garage/shed where the current composter is now. Would it be safe to locate a pallet made bin next to the garage/shed? I do not want any critters or bugs (i.e. termites)taking up residence in there as I do have wood inside the garage/shed.

I finished (ok, DH & I finished) our pallet bin this weekend, and hopefully I'll be starting it up tomorrow.

robertz6~ You said, "The dirt under the pile acts as heat storage." I have a pallet on the bottom because I thought it would help with aeration. Would it be better if I remove the pallet? This is my first attempt at composting, so any ways to make it easier... ya' know?

One thing to keep in mind is the comfort of your back.

So my bin --a 4' diameter mesh bin either 24" or 30" high bin sitting on the ground is easier to turn.

To get the same heat retention in your bin --- add 6" air space +36" to 42" high = 42" to 48". Would you rather turn a 30" pile or a 42 to 48" high pile?

Forget to say that my way makes it easier for the worms to move into the pile; something they do towards the end of the composting cycle.

We have a 3-pallet (sides + back, no floor or door) bin in our backyard - fortunately no rats to worry about (the occasional chipmunk seems to be it), and the backyard is fenced in so that nothing larger than a rabbit can make it inside anyway.

I was able to get a bunch free where I work - the loading dock area accumulates them, and if people didn't take them, I'm not sure what happens. I've seen them at almost any type of manufacturing facility too.

Our pile is staying quite warm in the middle - I don't have a thermometer to use, but I know that it's uncomfortable to leave my hand in there for a long period of time. We are always on the lookout for more "browns" - we have trees in the backyard, but way more lawn (3/4 acre) that generates clippings than we have dry leaves to keep up. So I have some "side piles" of just grass clippings that we're using for mulch in the garden (the piles are turned frequently to speed the drying process and reduce the stink) as well as waiting to add into the compost pile.

My daughter just started horse riding lessons a month or so ago, and the stable said that we can have all the old (i.e. pre-composted) manure we want! So each week I fill 2 trash cans while she's riding, to help add organics (I've got a clay+manure pile going separately from the compost - we plan to use that stuff around the yard in flower beds etc initially as we have bad clay problem almost everywhere, then sprinkle w/compost as needed)

Those sound like my bins! They are just old pallets (I'm totally against paying for ANYTHING if I don't have to!) screwed together. They are open to the ground. I put chicken wire around the inside. I also have adjustable "doors" made out of old fencing. I can just slide in a piece as the pile grows. I don't have lids on them, so I have to check often for moisture. I'll cover them for the winter.

Here is a link that might be useful: compost bin