Composting 101 Part 2
How to Build a Compost Pile

Where do I build a compost pile?

A compost pile should be in a place where it’s easy to fill from your kitchen as well as from your garden.

If you don't build a compost pile where it's convenient, you won’t fill it - and if you don’t fill it, you won’t have compost when you want it.

Mine is at the corner of the vegetable garden because that is where the most green compost material is generated. Thinning, clipping, weeding, and trimming make the compost pile grow quickly.

It’s a bit of a walk from the kitchen to the bin to empty the bowl of compost contributions that collect on the kitchen counter, but so what? It’s a walk I take every day anyway to check out the status of the garden, so carrying the bowl with me is not a big deal.

It would be much less convenient to have the compost nearer my kitchen because the bulk of what goes into the pile comes from the garden or the yard. Therefore, I chose to build a compost pile closer to the garden.

How should I contain my compost pile?

A compost pile does not have to be contained in order for compost to happen. Organic matter decays with or without a container, trust me.

Understanding that the compost does not require a container will help you decide if you need one and what kind you will have.

I have had compost piles with and without containers. Either way works.

The benefit of a container is that it keeps critters out, including your own pets! In some municipalities, a container may be mandatory.

The benefit of no container is that the pile is easy to turn and there is no worry that the container is too small for the growing pile.

If you decide to contain your compost, you can build a bin or purchase one at a hardware store or online.

The container I have now is homemade - a box made up of five shipping pallets standing on end – four for the sides and one to divide it into two bins. Our good friend, Joe, built this for me duplicating one he built for himself.

There is also a non-containerized pile of organic debris in a seldom seen corner of our property. This pile is made up of larger material – mostly tree branches that have not been chipped into a size that would work well in the bin.

Even though I expect the 'seldom seen' pile to take much longer to decay, it continues to compost down and eventually I will be able to incorporate some of it into the other bin or just use it as filler in a berm for another garden.

Composting 101
Composting 101 Part 2 - How to build a Compost Pile
Composting 101 Part 3 – How to maintain a Compost Pile
Composting 101 Part 4 - How to use Compost