Let It Rot! by Stu Campbell

Author:Stu Campbell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Story Publishing
Published: 1998-09-11T04:00:00+00:00

Drive the uprights into the ground to a depth of 3 inches. The sides, six boards to a side, should be bolted to the uprights around three sides (see illustration on page 73). Leave a ½-inch gap between each of the side boards to allow air into the pile.

The box has no top and no bottom and removable front boards; the 1′′ × 6′′ boards are not fastened by bolts, but can be slid in and out as needed to permit access to the pile. The dimensions of the base are 4 feet by 4 feet. It is 3 feet high and allows air circulation from all four sides. To keep the sides of the box from bulging out, Sir Albert recommended a crossbar with blocks on either side, which rests, unfastened, on top of the container.

There is actually no reason to take all of Howard’s very exacting instructions to heart. You should consider the New Zealand box as a frame of reference from which you can design your own container. The dimensions of 4 feet by 4 feet are good ones for any home composting system, but a pile that is higher than 3 feet might be more desirable for heat retention. Wood is a perfectly satisfactory building material. Redwood, cedar, and cypress resist decay and will make a long-lasting box.

Sir Albert recognized that wood is biodegradable and saw a need for some sort of wood preservative. He also realized that creosote and tar would have a damaging effect on some of the organic matter in the pile and would be toxic to many microorganisms, insects, and earthworms. He recommended using motor oil as a preservative, but this is also toxic and should be avoided. I have been told that Cuprinol, a well-known commercial wood preserver, is all right to paint on a wooden compost frame. But the smell puts me off, and I have never dared try it on anything that was going to be touching plants. Water-based latex paint and linseed oil would be safe, and silicone-based preservatives are nontoxic.

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