Compost Bin

The middle of September will make one year in our first house.  I got a little ambitious on a few projects and I stopped before they were complete.  Something "more important" or time sensitive always seems to come up and then I forget about prior projects.  

Remaining Spring Garden with Future Plot at Right

One project that has been ongoing since April is our small garden.  It's about a 15 x 8 plot near our back fence.  I got a little ambitious with that project also and planted squash, zucchini, chili peppers, jalapenos, okra, peas, lettuce, mescalin, watermelon, and cucumber.  I discovered that's a lot of plants in such a small space, although it didn't look like it when we planted it.  You would think that having grown up in the country I would have known not to do that but I guess ambition got the best of me.  The watermelon and the cucumber took over neighboring lawn real estate and the grass grew up through the vines.  Likewise, I failed to thin out the peas and we have vines the diameter of your thumb invading the yard too.  

When the intense heat of early August arrived the squash, zucchini, and watermelon gave up the ghost.  The watermelon was simply crowded out by the broad-leafed cucumber vine.  The cucumber was still producing but only in the yard.  All the plant in the bed had long since turned yellow.  So I pulled all of those plants up.  I also thinned out some of the peas that were shading the peppers.  What to do with all this vegetation?  We always threw it in a low spot in the back forty when I was growing up so tossing it in the garbage can somehow seemed a misuse of refuse facilities.  Ha... "misuse of refuse." 

Future Site of Composting Nirvana

So now I have a pile of decaying vines in the back corner of my yard along with the pile of sod I pulled up when I planted the garden and a separate french drain project.  The area was already littered with cucumbers and okra that I didn't pick in time.  What's more, it's one of those spots in the yard that grass doesn't seem to like.  I think there used to be a small storage shed there in the past.  So what better place for a compost bin?

Compost bin.  Hmmmm.  I have no drum, no barrel, no plywood I'm willing to part with.  How am I going to make this thing?  Well, Serendipity was smiling on me for no sooner than I wanted some scrap something or other for this project than a neighbor down the street tore down their old wooden privacy fence.  And when I say old, I mean this thing has Amish barns beat.  So I sheepishly drove up to the unsuspecting pile, jumped out in my deck shoes and an undershirt, praying that the owners didn't come out.  After having successfully imitated white trash (or was it an imitation?) for five minutes, I headed back to the driveway to begin assembly.  

Long Sides of Future Composting Nirvana

Thankfully, the fence was disassembled in sections so I figured I would use the best of these two or three foot sections to build the side of my compost bin.  The rotten ends needed some trimming off and some additional corner bracing added, but I've now got the two long sides together.  And then I got distract... bird!  

Now I'm yearning to get this project complete in time for our massive okra and pea plants to come down.  If it wasn't for the fact that I doubt our neighbors appreciate the sound of a Skill saw at 9:30 at night, I might have had it done already.  

Wood in the Truck Bed

You can see what I have done so far.  It's two sections about four feet long.  I'm not too worried about the gaps between the boards since I plan on piling everything in the middle and turning it periodically.  Given the minimal organic matter we will be producing (I think) a 4' x 3' x 3' box should suffice.  I plan on using the compost next season to amend a new bed I want to add next to our existing garden.  Here's the stock of fencing I snagged for the project.  I've got enough here for some flower bed projects and maybe a bird house or two.  

Sanford and Son's Garage

I just can't keep it in the truck forever.  That means I need to get my wood rack put back together instead of laying under my pile of scavenged lumber.  There's a wood rack in there somewhere. and reclaimed 3/8" drywall.  What was I thinking?  Then there's the pile of gravel in the corner to finish the french drain along the back patio.  So much to do, so little will power to follow through! Believe it or not, this used to look a lot worse, as it had a couch and wing-back chairs from the 70s in front of the drywall last week. 

By the way, given my level of expertise, the quality of materials I have to work with, and reverence with which I hold composting, I fully expect the project will look something like the following when complete.

Okra Akbar

Compost Nirvana Completion

After being sick for almost two weeks I finally got the the short sides finished and the whole thing assembled in the back yard. 

I think it turned out alright, even though I had to shimmy the front corner with rocks to compensate for grade change.  I figure I'm going to have to get a pitch fork to turn it when it comes time but there's not going to be a whole lot to turn.

I put the new compost bin to good use and put all my pulled-up pea plants in it.  They were still producing fairly well but they had taken over two-thirds of the garden and about several feet of the yard on each side.  Besides it's time to get my winter garden in the ground.  I'm going to try it all from seed this time.  Here's what it looks like, sans peas.