Raised bed from a compost pile

I found an easy way of dealing with the full compost bin without carrying it around! I only have one, and all kinds of stuff goes there. I used to turn it every few months so it would decompose faster, but it was heavy work. I can't just wait until the whole pile decomposes, because there is only one bin. So last time I built a fence around the pile, putting some soil on top. Here it is after almost one year, with broccoli flowering now:



It's one third of the original size. I was adding twigs to the "fence" because the "walls" were drying and the outside parts were too exposed.
Today I removed the bin from the new pile and I trimmed a maple tree so I had these large branches. I hope they will not take root, because I really have enough of this maple (although it's pretty). If they do, I'll just cut the new stems and use them for something else (maybe horizontal parts of the fence).



I tied the big branches with linen cord (store bought, although I have a lot of surprise linen growing from mulch, but it's not ready yet to be turned into twine). Now I'll make the fence and I'll plant some last seedlings of this season. The grass on the right side of it was growing through the holes in the compost bin, but I just left it as is. It will be covered now so maybe it'll die out.

Done!

More done. Of course it's a snail paradise, so I won't be surprised if all seedlings disappeared overnight... The snails are impossible this year! I'm still not poisoning them. Apparently they don't mind being killed every (other) rainy day...

It grows! And it's surprisingly snail proof. I caught two before they got to the plants but no damage so far.

Flora,

I have to say, I love what you are doing there.  I kinda do the opposite--meaning I pile on compost IN my garden for the winter to let the compost and soil (wood chips) merge together.  But either way, you are getting great fertility in a timely manner.  I look forward to seeing how your compost bed works out.

BTW,  is your compost pie in a place where you can plant in the future?  The reason I ask is that a compost pile--just about ANY compost--makes the soil beneath magically fertile.

Nice job!

Eric

That is certainly the most awesome compost pile I’ve ever seen! I could see myself building one of those in the middle of my garden. Great job!

I like how you're using vines and twigs.  I haven't ever seen that for a compost bin before.

Flora, that's an awesome compost pile and your plants like it for sure!

Eric, I read about your peach tree story.  It was pretty amazing and kind of changed the way I do compost. I also noticed the increase in fertility of compost site even if I used the compost somewhere else. Now I am building piles on future garden site on purpose.

Thanks!

Eric Hanson wrote:BTW,  is your compost pie in a place where you can plant in the future?

Generally yes, but it also needs to be somewhere out of sight (not everyone believes that the compost bin is the most beautiful thing in the garden), away from the house (flies! It will attract flies!), not too close to neighbour's fence (what if they smell the smell?) and easily accessible (everyone else uses it just like any other garbage bin, only I magically turn it into soil). And there needs to be a hole for dog poop, separately. Like a composting toilet but for dogs. Not easy in a tiny garden but I managed somehow!

A walking raised bed! It collapsed a little so I supported it on that side with some sticks...