Show Me Your Pallet Projects!

[gtaus]

Additional Thoughts on Stackable Compost Bin

I had some extra pallet wood sitting in the garage today that needed to be moved, so I decided to build yet another stackable compost bin tier for my stackable bins. Might as well make something out of pallet wood and move it at the same time. Yeah, it was only one tier, but they add up fast...

That was the stock photo from the .pdf DIY Stackable Compost Bins instructional from Wildflower Yard that I modified for using pallet wood.

With that picture in mind, if you use standard sized store-bought lumber, they had a diagram that looks like this using outside dimensions...

Of course, you can make the tiers any size you want. The idea in the end is that they stack into one another.

The problem with using pallet wood is that you are dealing with lumber of different thicknesses. That can throw off your dimensions from tier to tier, making them impossible to stack. In order to overcome the problem with using pallet wood planks of different thicknesses, I had to redesign my tiers, so the inside dimensions were exactly 36X36 inches. Then, the difference in the thicknesses of the pallet wood planks is on the outside of the bin and will not affect the ability to stack the bins - because all the pallet wood tiers are 36X36 inches on the inside.

When working with free pallet wood, you sometimes have to rethink a project to account for using non-standard lumber without the same dimensions and thickness. In this case, I had to use inside measurements instead of outside measurements to account for the differences in thicknesses of the pallet wood planks.

I also made a slight change in the legs. I have the top gap at 1-1/2 inches instead of 1 inch. The gives me a little more room to stack the legs. Also, I taper the legs on the bottom, so it fits into the tier below just a little bit easier. I think that helps. That gives me a 1-inch gap between the tiers, which is fine with me, compared to the 1/2-inch gap between the tiers in the instructional.

Getting back to the start of this post, that each tier I make really adds up fast... How fast? Well, I calculated today that each tier I make can hold 4.5 cubic feet of material. That's the equivalent to 6 bags of topsoil (0.75 cubic feet per bag) from Menards per tier!

Well, that's one of the things I was thinking about today when I built another tier. You can really hold a lot of material in each stackable tier. 6 bags of topsoil per tier, for example, is a lot of topsoil if you have to buy it and load it up in your vehicle.

Of course, I always am happy that I use free pallet wood instead of buying store bought lumber for these compost bin projects. Here is a cost estimate for a 4-tier stackable bin using store lumber with 2018 prices...

I don't know what the current prices in 2025 are for that lumber, but the pallet wood is still free for me. I guess I have built about $200 worth, or more, of stackable bins over the past 2 years using free pallet wood.

I am perfectly happy with the looks of pallet wood for a compost bin, just rough cuts with no sanding or staining the wood. But if you wanted to spend the money, you could really build a nice-looking stackable compost bin with that DIY instructional and put it out on display in your yard. My compost bins are hidden in and amongst some trees, out of sight, for the most part. It's the concept and ease of portability that I really like about these stackable tiers.

Here is a picture of a pallet wood stackable compost bin filled up with leaves for the chicken run last winter...

After every snowfall, I would just toss out some dry leaves on top of the snow in the chicken run and my hens would come outside and walk on the leaves. They will not come outside and walk on the white snow...

 

[Smokerbill]

Here's a simple pallet project. I tossed some pallets on the ground around the outside of my pallet chicken run compost bin. The deer pruned back a few squash and tomato vines that were growing on the outer side of the bin so I decided to try setting up a "deer guard", same principle as a cattle guard that runs across a road. Hooved animals are very protective of their feet and legs and don't take chances stepping into holes. I'm hoping the pallets will keep the deer at bay.

And the squash and tomatoes growing in the chicken run compost pile are doing great! I had to open up a third side today to allow vines to run out over the sides to the ground. The plants are getting a lot bigger than I anticipated.

 

[gtaus]

Here's a simple pallet project. I tossed some pallets on the ground around the outside of my pallet chicken run compost bin. The deer pruned back a few squash and tomato vines that were growing on the outer side of the bin so I decided to try setting up a "deer guard", same principle as a cattle guard that runs across a road. Hooved animals are very protective of their feet and legs and don't take chances stepping into holes. I'm hoping the pallets will keep the deer at bay.

I never heard of hooved animals don't take chances stepping into holes. Let us know if the pallets were a good deterent for the deer.

And the squash and tomatoes growing in the chicken run compost pile are doing great!

They sure look great! Good for you.

I planted some squash into a ~6 tall mound of branches, making a pocket hole for some compost. The plants are growing, slowly, but I don't expect much from them. They are in heavy shade almost all day.

The squash I planted out in full sun are doing well. So, I am happy for that.

 

[Smokerbill]

I never heard of hooved animals don't take chances stepping into holes. Let us know if the pallets were a good deterent for the deer.



They sure look great! Good for you.

I planted some squash into a ~6 tall mound of branches, making a pocket hole for some compost. The plants are growing, slowly, but I don't expect much from them. They are in heavy shade almost all day.

The squash I planted out in full sun are doing well. So, I am happy for that.

I have read that deer won't jump over a fence if there are obstructions inside that they could potentially hurt their legs on, and cattle won't cross a guard going across a road, so I'm guessing deer will act the same as cattle when confronted with a difficult, dangerous path. I'll let you know if it works.

I've also read that deer won't cross over chicken wire spread out onto the ground. Maybe not directly on it, but raised a few inches above. Not really sure.


Childhood memory from maybe 60 years ago, my grandma had butternut squash growing on a pile of limbs and branches in the back of her yard under some trees. I think they made squash but I'm not sure. But they were probably growing from the ground below the branches, not on top of the pile.

Maybe your squash would have done better if they were planted in the soil at the perimeter of the brush pile instead of on top of it, then allowed to vine up across the top of the pile. Just a thought.

 

[Sally PB]

I have read that deer won't jump over a fence if there are obstructions inside that they could potentially hurt their legs on

I've heard that deer won't jump over something if they can't see what's beyond it. My neighbor has burning bush planted around her garden, and deer don't jump in because they can't see through it.

I've also heard that they won't jump into a place not big enough for them to land and to be able to jump out of. This works for my blueberry bed, which is about 10-12ish feet square. Yes, that's big enough for them to jump into, but they have limited landing spots with the blueberry bushes in there.

Now, if I could just keep the birds out, I might get some blueberries!

To the topic at hand, I think the pallets on the ground around the perimeter might work very well! I'm waiting to hear if it does.

 

[Smokerbill]

I've heard that deer won't jump over something if they can't see what's beyond it. My neighbor has burning bush planted around her garden, and deer don't jump in because they can't see through it.

I've also heard that they won't jump into a place not big enough for them to land and to be able to jump out of. This works for my blueberry bed, which is about 10-12ish feet square. Yes, that's big enough for them to jump into, but they have limited landing spots with the blueberry bushes in there.

Now, if I could just keep the birds out, I might get some blueberries!

To the topic at hand, I think the pallets on the ground around the perimeter might work very well! I'm waiting to hear if it does.

I hope it does. It's another "ugly but if it works who cares" kind of thing. LOL

 

[gtaus]

Maybe your squash would have done better if they were planted in the soil at the perimeter of the brush pile instead of on top of it, then allowed to vine up across the top of the pile. Just a thought.

That's a good suggestion. However, where this pile is located, the only chance for any sun was on top of the pile. I'm not too disappointed, I planted the extra squash as an experiment not expecting much success due to the heavy shade in that area.

I have some smaller 2X4-foot pallet wood raised beds on the backside of my chicken run fencing. Last year, almost no results. This year, the same. Again, heavy shade in that spot and the plants just don't want to grow. I will have to find some heavy shade loving plants (veggies) or just move those raised beds somewhere else.

I appreciate the suggestions just the same. I really have not been gardening very long and still am learning. And, sometimes I think I know the answers, and then something happens to show me I really know nothing at all. Last year I had pepper galore - until the deer ate them. This year, the plants are not producing nearly as much. I think it's the cooler nights this summer compared to last year. But I'm not sure.

I am pretty happy with my 4X4 foot chicken wire protective cages that I put on top of my pallet wood raised beds to keep the rabbits and deer out. So far, they are working pretty good...

I have found that I can still reach into the 2- and 3-foot-tall protective cages with no wire on top. But the ones I built with 4-foot tall chicken wire are too tall for me to reach inside. Instead of making a connected 4-sided cage, I think I will make separate panels for the 4-foot tall chicken wire. Then use rope, zip ties, or bungee cords to hold them together enough so that I can easily remove a panel to access the garden bed. Still thinking about my options there.

 

[Smokerbill]

I think I will make separate panels for the 4-foot tall chicken wire. Then use rope, zip ties, or bungee cords to hold them together enough so that I can easily remove a panel to access the garden bed. Still thinking about my options there.

When I had the screened panels around my beds I had a screw in the middle of each side that I used to attach it to the permanent upright 2x4s mounted on the bed. It only took a few seconds to back the two screws out enough to pull off the panels.

 

[Sally PB]

I have some smaller 2X4-foot pallet wood raised beds on the backside of my chicken run fencing. Last year, almost no results. This year, the same. Again, heavy shade in that spot and the plants just don't want to grow. I will have to find some heavy shade loving plants (veggies) or just move those raised beds somewhere else.

You can amend soil, you can add water, but without enough light, plants don't grow/thrive. I don't know of any veggies that will grow in heavy shade, but some ornamentals will. Just googling "plants for shade" got me this:
https://www.gardencrossings.com/exp...zmOW1b1EQ5zPaRy2s_cT2kPxoz94cN8jce4bUvij6V9Zp
You can filter for your zone and even deer and rabbit resistance. It might give you some ideas.

 

[fuzzi]

That's a good suggestion. However, where this pile is located, the only chance for any sun was on top of the pile. I'm not too disappointed, I planted the extra squash as an experiment not expecting much success due to the heavy shade in that area.

I have some smaller 2X4-foot pallet wood raised beds on the backside of my chicken run fencing. Last year, almost no results. This year, the same. Again, heavy shade in that spot and the plants just don't want to grow. I will have to find some heavy shade loving plants (veggies) or just move those raised beds somewhere else.

I appreciate the suggestions just the same. I really have not been gardening very long and still am learning. And, sometimes I think I know the answers, and then something happens to show me I really know nothing at all. Last year I had pepper galore - until the deer ate them. This year, the plants are not producing nearly as much. I think it's the cooler nights this summer compared to last year. But I'm not sure.

I am pretty happy with my 4X4 foot chicken wire protective cages that I put on top of my pallet wood raised beds to keep the rabbits and deer out. So far, they are working pretty good...

View attachment 4196788

I have found that I can still reach into the 2- and 3-foot-tall protective cages with no wire on top. But the ones I built with 4-foot tall chicken wire are too tall for me to reach inside. Instead of making a connected 4-sided cage, I think I will make separate panels for the 4-foot tall chicken wire. Then use rope, zip ties, or bungee cords to hold them together enough so that I can easily remove a panel to access the garden bed. Still thinking about my options there.

Put "eyes" on the sides of each panel, then run a metal rod through them to attach the panels.