Building a durable compost bin

Back in later 2005, after having been composting a little more intensely than the average for several years, and after doing some reading about Jean Pain,
I took a notion one day and starting digging a trench on the east side of my house.



Never short on imagination and usually fairly well-endowed with resources, I dug deep enough to accommodate an entire semi flatbed floor, cut in three sections, to use as my form and still have 4 feet and six inches of wall above ground.



I peeled the siding off down to the tarpaper outer on the house and laid in another sheet of plastic before pouring. I was pretty happy with the initial pour and my daughter emphatically declares, to this day, that she was helping me in the following pics and not merely observing interestedly.
I don't remember, but I do know she's pretty good company, so I'm sure she was helping, somehow.
I dug the laterals just as deep and sandwiched two sections of semi trailer floor for the forms, leaving space enough to pour the walls 12 inches thick.





The laterals poured up even better than the initial main wall, due to the fact that I could tie the forms together a lot better and make for a more uniform pour. Holding a dead wall eight feet and six inches high for a concrete pour is best accomplished through a feat of engineering overkill. I barely made the grade. We had some pops and cracks going on as we poured that wall against the house. By the time we did pour, I had a LOT more reinforcement laid up against those forms..... including a bulldozer blade and backhoe loader bucket.....both still firmly attached to the machines.

The finished product looks nice on a summer day.



The finished compost looks nice in the form of produce.
I know that putting the pic of young Matthew holding the fruits of our labors is a bit unfair to the more sentimental ladies, but I like to throw in something for everyone.

Hmmm, now I'm wondering where I can get an entire semi flatbed floor. It looks great though. What could those of us who can't get a semi flatbed use instead? BTW, great looking veggies and you have a nice looking family.

The old-timers just framed up their own forms with heavier two by dimension lumber. Of course, one could always rent standard concrete forms.