Our illustration indicates the number and placement of
hinges, fasteners, hooks, and other hardware. The 4 X 4
posts should be sunk 2' into the ground if possible,
leaving 5' exposed at the front and 4' at the rear. All
posts are centered about 54" apart. The wall panels are 2 X
4s notched at the ends to make bolted-together half-lap
joints; they're secured to the posts with 40d spikes driven
into the wood and bent to form slip-out hook-and-eye
fasteners. Cut sections of dog pen wire are stapled to the
frames.
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The tarp covers are framed in 2 X 2s, which are half-lap
jointed like the wall panels. Each lid has two support ribs
that are lapped and bolted in place. Wooden struts fastened
to the cover frames hold them up or support them when
they're flipped back, but normally they're just tied to
looped spikes fastened to the center-posts.
If you take the time to build either version now, you
should have a ready supply of valuable organic material
come next spring.
Kosher and Nonkosher Materials
So many types of organic matter can be composted that it's
almost easier to list what shouldn't be put in a
compost pile. Here's a partial list of what not to use:
Cat feces. While almost every other kind of animal
manure makes an excellent compost ingredient, cat feces can
contain a parasite ( Toxoplasmagondii )
or roundworm ( Toxocaracatty ). Either
of these organisms can spread serious disease to pregnant
women, unborn babies, and children.
Grease and fat . OK in small amounts, but too much
will clog up the composting process.
Coal, coal ashes, and barbecue briquettes. These
have overly high amounts of iron and sulfur (and who knows
what else in the briquettes).
Diseased plant matter. Actually, you can place
diseased plants in the center of a compost pile that will
be prepared in the hot method — where temperatures
reach a pathogen-killing 140°F. Otherwise, burn them
before composting.
Polyester, plastics, and other synthetics. They
just don't rot.
Urban floor sweepings. In high-traffic areas,
these can contain as much as 500 parts per million of lead.
Food preserved with BHT. Recent research has shown
that even very small amounts of this antioxidant can alter
plant growth profoundly.
Overly bulky or hard material. Cornstalks,
sunflower stalks, nutshells, sticks thicker than a pencil,
large bones, and oyster and clam shells should be shredded
or pulverized before composting. If you can't do that, put
them in a long-range pile of their own or burn what you can
and add the ashes.
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