Compost Bins from Pallets

Compost bins are essential in the garden. They take the waste materials from the yard, garden, kitchen, or farm and turn it into usable soil. Good compost is worth its weight in gold to gardeners which is exactly why it is nicknamed “gardener’s gold.”

One of the easiest ways to make a lot of compost is to set up a compost system to process a large amount of those excess materials. Old pallets are great for use as a simple and effective compost bin. We had several pallets leftover from the construction of our house and I put together a 4 bin compost system. We saved them in order to use for garden projects just like these compost bins.

Building the Compost Bins

The wooden pallets are easy to screw together and form into bins. There was one that was around 12 feet long that I used as the back of the bins. I think it was used to bring long pieces of siding to our site. The other pallets were screwed into the back and separate the bin sections.

Normally you hear about a 3 bin compost system. Since the back piece was long it divided better into 4 sections which means that we ended up with 1 extra bin, and I have a plan for that one!

How the Compost Bin System Works

To get the bins started we put down cardboard on the bottom then a mixture of leaves and wood chips. Both of those are brown materials, materials with carbon, and need mixed with a green material (nitrogen). See below for a table on some suggestions for compost materials.

The first bin is the starter bin where everything begins. Kitchen scraps, leaves, wood chips, manure or anything else compostable starts in bin 1.

The second bin is the where the partially composted material from the first bin goes after it has had some time to decompose. We just flip the 1st bin into the 2nd bin.

Then it finally drops into the 3rd bin where it finishes composting. It may not be completely finished but we can strain out the good stuff and toss the bigger pieces of unfinished material back into the bins to break down more.

The 4th compost bin I intend to use for branches and larger bulk materials to break down until I can toss it in the other bins. Sticks and branches may take a while to break down and this gives them a home to do that. Sticks and branches can be put into the 1st bin as well from time to time. Having air gaps in the bin is helpful to allow the microbes to get plenty of oxygen.

Good Compost Materials

When putting materials in the bin it’s a good idea to seek a balance between green and brown materials to help them compost more efficiently. Below is a table that has green (nitrogen) and brown (carbon) materials listed. It is not a complete list but should be enough to get you started in composting your own bins.

Green Materials	Brown Materials
Grass clippings	Dried leaves
Vegetable scraps	Straw or hay
Fruit peels and cores	Shredded newspaper
Coffee grounds	Cardboard
Tea bags	Sawdust (untreated)
Fresh plant trimmings	Wood chips
Eggshells**	Pine needles
Manure (chicken, cow, etc.)	Paper towels and napkins
Algae or seaweed	Cornstalks
Hair and fur	Twigs and small branches

** Eggshells take a very long time to break down. I recommend smashing them into tiny bits prior to putting them in the compost bin.

The bin system is a very good way to manage your compost but it isn’t the only method. If space is a concern you may want to consider vermicomposting (worms) bokashi, or just getting a smaller compost bin (aff.) that will fit in your space.