Originally posted 02.10.08

Has anyone heard of a compost fence? I don’t remember where I read it, or maybe I saw it on a home improvement television show, but I do know that I want one. It is a fence that holds yard refuse and grass clippings which eventually composts to exit the bottom of the fence. We do not currently have a fence, but that is one of the promised hard-scaped items for this spring/summer.
My compost fence will be made from hog panels and 4 x 4 fence posts. That will give us an approximate 4 inches in width and reach a height of approximately 8 feet. On our side of the fence, the panel will be about 6 inches above the ground, whereas the opposite side will go completely to the ground. I have a climbing ground cover on the alley side of where this fence is to be located, so it will be allowed to climb the back side as a means to disguise the hog panels from the neighbors’ views. I figure we will start with one set of panels, until the unit is full and then add the second as there becomes a need for more room. The only difficulty with this design is the dilemma of how we will be able to replenish the clippings as the height of the fence raises. I am certain that DH will come up with a solution to the problem, or is that a problem to the solution?

Originally posted 2.09.08

Off and on throughout my life, I have had many compost piles….some more successful than others. I have lived in my current location for three years now and I still don’t have an “official” compost pile. Our focus has been on making our 100 year old house livable, so little time has been spent on the yard. This in itself presents the greatest challenge in making our backyard sustainable, but that is a topic all its own…meaning I feel a lengthy blog entry coming on…ha ha!
I have asked DH to build a super-duper compost pile, but it never materialized. He has promised one to be built in March. In the meantime, I have been saving my kitchen scraps in a large planting pot outdoors. I have been layering shredded newspaper between each layer of scraps. I know that it will not be compost when spring is here, but at least I will have a start on my new-fangled official compost pile in the spring.
I haven’t decided the location of my compost pile yet. I don’t want it too close to the house, but I want it to be easily accessible. Right now, the scraps stay in a bowl on my counter for a few days before I make a trip to the compost pot, but I am not liking that arrangement much….especially when there are onion scraps. I have thought about taking a huge butter tub and placing it in the freezer, so that I can add my small portion of compost to it every day. Once the tub gets full I can go dump the compost ice cube into my pile. Has anyone else done this before or have a great suggestion? I am open to ideas here. During the summer, scraps left on the counter can lead to those nasty fruit flies.

We finally did it…..we have a compost bin. It is not the perfect bin, but I am so happy…it doesn’t matter the appearance. With our new motto of Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, we refused to go out and purchase any new items to build my bin. Last year, our neighbor gave us chain link fencing that he had been storing for years. We had thought about building a dog pen with the fence, but could not agree on how or where it should be, so it sat in rolls in the back yard (part of OUR junk pile…lol). We had some landscape timbers that were originally used in a temporary gate built a few years ago, so with a few pulls of the hammer claw…the timbers were ready to cut down to size. Technically, this was built without spending any money, but to be realistic, the wood did…at one time…cost us money. Best I can figure…about $15, then add a dollar or so for the nails and I still have a compost bin for less than $18.
We will eventually add a divider in the middle of the bin, but for now, this works great!
A few photos of our new “cobbled” composte bin..

You can see a portion of the yukky old chicken house beside the bin….BUT…I NOW HAVE  COMPOST PILE! Can you tell I am excited?

Posted by anaj at 3/17/2008 10:21 AM | Add Comment