No, Not me.
OK, it’s obvious to me that I was made for riding bikes and mechanicking things. I WAS NOT built for DIY or gardening!!
A little elucidation. Dawn has found her all time greatest hobby. Gardening. Since we have been at this bungalow she has really taken to looking after the garden and has had great success in planting flowers making the place look really pretty and also growing her own veg. She is really into it and I am so pleased as she has never been into any hobby for long. HOWEVER, after watching a few gardening programmes, she decided she wanted a compost bin/heap/thing! Muggins here said I’ll make it for you. “How hard can it be?” (oh those words will haunt me!) . After acquiring some wooden pallets from son in law, who works for a potato merchant, I set to with a will. First obstacle. The base had slats which needed filling in. No probs, rip apart one of the others and use those slats to fill in the gaps. NOT as easy as it sounds!. Few splinters and a lot of swear words after and the slats are now filled. RESULT. Phase 2, attach the side pallets to the base……er…yeah…right…. The pallets have sticky out bits and the side pallets won’t meet the base flush…..Ok, think….aahh attach bits to side pallets that will fit onto base. Half hour sawing and hammering , more swearing, and finally ‘bits’ attached …still can’t get enough leverage on the hammer! Buggerit.
And then I was interrupted by my liddle puddy tat, Bonnie, who insisted on knocking my hand off the nails to get some fuss! So in the end I have given in for today to sit and fink of another way around the problem. I think I have thought of one, but will keep my gob shut until I try it to see if it works!
Anyway, the weather is too nice and I should be out on the bike!!!
Hasta la vista, babies!
Hugz
RNBiker
your slang ::rolls eyes:: make sure the bottom slats can be removed so compost can be moved out the bottom where it changes first. i suppose the slats are nailed in right? but compost starts from the bottom up dearheart…just an fyi lolol
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LOL! This sounds like one of my many DIY disasters! The above-noter is right. It’s better if you just make a frame around the sides and leave the contents touching ground. It will rot faster that way because it gets organisms from the soil beneath.
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Third one to give the same advice: just make an enclosure to contain the compost, don’t worry about the bottom…you want ground organisms (earth worms and such) to get to it to begin and maintain the break down process. Also, you do know that compost needs to be turned, right? I mean, someone (*coughyoucough*) is going to have to go out with a shovel or a garden hoe and turn the compost every few
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days. I will mention, however, any kitchen organics such as the left overs of fruits and veggies, as well as the stuff you peel and cut off while prepping meals, works great for adding to the compost pile.
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As all said above were correct I will add my 2 pennies worth. My compost bin was sinply cinder blocks stacked from a wall. I had 3 bins so as the compost broke down I could move the more usable compost to the next bin, add more scraps to the first and second, and turn and water weekly. Easy, even for a girl to do. Ha. The keys are what you put in, heat, some water, and turning.
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You should probably hire someone who knows which end of the nails to hit and that kind of thing, and you go out on your bike.
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wooden pallets are never easy to tear apart…they are made from the hardest wood and secured with nailguns. I understand that frustration. How great Dawn is such an avid gardener now. There are easier ways to build a compost bin, just more costly probably. Good luck as you have another attempt some time. hugs and smiles P
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I can almost picture this dilemma, as Simon brought me some pallets from the rail depot with which he planned to construct raised beds. I still don’t have any raised beds…it’s probably best that you get the bike out, the sunshine ain’t gonna last! 😉
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Hehehehe, this is funny. Keep on trying, you make us laugh! And I agree with all the noters about the compost. I’m so proud of your wife!!!…..mmmm….and you too! :-))
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RYN: I was laughing hysterically over Dawn and daughter asking about our NZ Christmas….lol. I can’t think of a better response than that. I would expect it that level of ignorance about NZ from some other places but not people in UK…..Thanks for explaining to them. hugs and smiles P
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i took your note as a wisecrack and a grain of salt too i might add. np paul. we’re too close to be that thin-skinned about comments. got the compost bin built? bottom opened? congrats on the job. btw…….no coffee grounds or bagged tea. chemicals in the stuff. loose tea yes, oranges, eggshells, no meat nor fat. good luck. i’ve always wanted one, but if we did it, charlotte would knock it over to get at it thinking it was a free meal.
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you’re so funny. love your way of speaking but then I’m a die hard anglophile. you’ll get it built…just not as quickly as you thought. xox
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