I got some old wooden pallets at no cost - I am going to make a
wormery for composting food and lawn clippings etc. out of them.

BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

Thanks

Mr F.

Mr Fizzion wrote:

BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

Most pallets seem to be untreated softwood.

AJH

On Nov 5, 6:21*pm, andrew wrote:
Mr Fizzion wrote:
BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

Most pallets seem to be untreated softwood.

AJH

Pallets always seemed of little use to me. They're nailed too well to
separate the wood. What can one make with them, other than compost
cubes?


NT

wrote in message
...
On Nov 5, 6:21 pm, andrew wrote:
Mr Fizzion wrote:
BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

Most pallets seem to be untreated softwood.

AJH

Pallets always seemed of little use to me. They're nailed too well to
separate the wood. What can one make with them, other than compost
cubes?




I went round various industrial estates about 15 years ago and took loads of
broken pallets.
I separated the wood and made a fence with it. The wood was nailed well
together but hitting it with a chisel was enough to split the nails. the
fence turned out brilliant.

"Mr Fizzion" wrote in message
...
I got some old wooden pallets at no cost - I am going to make a
wormery for composting food and lawn clippings etc. out of them.

BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

Thanks

Mr F.

I've used wooden pallets as compost boxes for many a year with excellent
results.
Worms have always introduced themselves as the boxes are on open soil.
I presume you know the basics of composting? No meat or citrus etc Grass
cuttings thinly spread and layered.
OTOH this Q might be better answered in uk.rec.gardening.

Good luck.

In message , Nick
writes

"Mr Fizzion" wrote in message
.. .
I got some old wooden pallets at no cost - I am going to make a
wormery for composting food and lawn clippings etc. out of them.

BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

I've used wooden pallets as compost boxes for many a year with excellent
results.
Worms have always introduced themselves as the boxes are on open soil.

I assume the OP is really talking about compost bins rather than a
wormery - wormerys are generally an smaller enclosed container with
worms living at a high density, producing worm compost from the action
of the worms. Compost heaps work by rotting down the materials (though
worms move in later on )

I presume you know the basics of composting? No meat or citrus etc Grass
cuttings thinly spread and layered.

Oh there seems to be much rubbish spiuted about things not to put on
compost we put on Citrus, cooked food (no meat since veggie) etc. with
no ill effects.

OTOH this Q might be better answered in uk.rec.gardening.

indeed
--
Chris French

On Nov 5, 10:31*pm, "Steven Campbell" wrote:
wrote in message

...
On Nov 5, 6:21 pm, andrew wrote:

Mr Fizzion wrote:
BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

Most pallets seem to be untreated softwood.

AJH

Pallets always seemed of little use to me. They're nailed too well to
separate the wood. What can one make with them, other than compost
cubes?

I went round various industrial estates about 15 years ago and took loads of
broken pallets.
I separated the wood and made a fence with it. The wood was nailed well
together but hitting it with a chisel was enough to split the nails. the
fence turned out brilliant.

Interesting. Would you like to tell us more about it, or post a pic,
or summarise it for a wiki article? I'm having difficulty imagining
how the short wood would make a fence, or how you'd split the nails.


NT

Well, perhaps this will be half compost bin, half wormery. My current
compost bins are two cylindrical black plastic dustbins. I would guess
they have a hundred thousand worms each, since you can dig out a small
sample with a trowel and there are a couple of hundred worms or so in
it. Holes are drilled in the base for drainage.

These bins however are far too small, there is still a lot of waste I
have to put in the normal wheelie bin or in the council green waste
recycling bin. This is why I want a "compost cube" made of pallets.
Hopefully there will be some worms as this speeds up the process
dramatically.



On Thu, 6 Nov 2008 00:55:35 +0000, chris French
wrote:

In message , Nick
writes

"Mr Fizzion" wrote in message
. ..
I got some old wooden pallets at no cost - I am going to make a
wormery for composting food and lawn clippings etc. out of them.

BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

I've used wooden pallets as compost boxes for many a year with excellent
results.
Worms have always introduced themselves as the boxes are on open soil.

I assume the OP is really talking about compost bins rather than a
wormery - wormerys are generally an smaller enclosed container with
worms living at a high density, producing worm compost from the action
of the worms. Compost heaps work by rotting down the materials (though
worms move in later on )

I presume you know the basics of composting? No meat or citrus etc Grass
cuttings thinly spread and layered.

Oh there seems to be much rubbish spiuted about things not to put on
compost we put on Citrus, cooked food (no meat since veggie) etc. with
no ill effects.

OTOH this Q might be better answered in uk.rec.gardening.

indeed

In message , Mr Fizzion
writes
Well, perhaps this will be half compost bin, half wormery. My current
compost bins are two cylindrical black plastic dustbins. I would guess
they have a hundred thousand worms each, since you can dig out a small
sample with a trowel and there are a couple of hundred worms or so in
it. Holes are drilled in the base for drainage.

These bins however are far too small, there is still a lot of waste I
have to put in the normal wheelie bin or in the council green waste
recycling bin. This is why I want a "compost cube" made of pallets.
Hopefully there will be some worms as this speeds up the process
dramatically.

Indeed, it's a shame to be throwing stuff away when it can be used.

Worms will move in yes, that's normal in a compost bin. Though not in
the early stages when the temp is too high due to the aerobic
decomposition

Some useful composting advice on the Garden Organic site:

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organicgardening/compost_pf.php

Pallets are a bit open I think for composting - lets too much of the
heat out, some insulation would be good. I've stuffed straw into mine.

--
Chris French

Steven Campbell wrote:

I went round various industrial estates about 15 years ago and took
loads of broken pallets.
I separated the wood and made a fence with it. The wood was nailed
well together but hitting it with a chisel was enough to split the
nails. the fence turned out brilliant.

Yonks ago I made a complete set of picnic tables/benches from pallets. Bit
of a bugger to get apart due to the ring shank nails, but decent timber.



--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"chris French" wrote in message
...
In message , Nick
writes

"Mr Fizzion" wrote in message
. ..
I got some old wooden pallets at no cost - I am going to make a
wormery for composting food and lawn clippings etc. out of them.

BUT, is the wood treated with something that is likely to be toxic to
worms?

I've used wooden pallets as compost boxes for many a year with excellent
results.
Worms have always introduced themselves as the boxes are on open soil.

I assume the OP is really talking about compost bins rather than a
wormery - wormerys are generally an smaller enclosed container with worms
living at a high density, producing worm compost from the action of the
worms. Compost heaps work by rotting down the materials (though worms move
in later on )

I presume you know the basics of composting? No meat or citrus etc Grass
cuttings thinly spread and layered.

Oh there seems to be much rubbish spiuted about things not to put on
compost we put on Citrus, cooked food (no meat since veggie) etc. with no
ill effects.

OTOH this Q might be better answered in uk.rec.gardening.

indeed
--
Chris French

Sorry, I may have lost the plot.
I was thinking of a compost bin, not a wormery which I openly admit to not
knowing anything of.

We keep a couple of goats. Their used bedding provides ample insulation to
our numerous compost bins.
Grass cuttings, other soft cuttings, GP cleaning, vacuum bags, bits of dog
after grooming, bits of fruit & vegetable after goaties have had their fill.
General kitchen stuff. No meat or citrus. I don't put any alium in either.
Works for me.
Years ago our daughter had a pony. The waste from that creature produced
wonderful compost. I miss the compost.

Nick.

The Medway Handyman wrote:
Steven Campbell wrote:

I went round various industrial estates about 15 years ago and took
loads of broken pallets.
I separated the wood and made a fence with it. The wood was nailed
well together but hitting it with a chisel was enough to split the
nails. the fence turned out brilliant.

Yonks ago I made a complete set of picnic tables/benches from pallets. Bit
of a bugger to get apart due to the ring shank nails, but decent timber.


Happened to walk past a lorry laden with pallets yesterday. Noticed that
about 10% of the ones I could see had the spacers (i.e. the lumps at the
corners) formed out of chipboard. Not normal chip, but really thick
stuff probably made expressly for the purpose.

Decent timber! Pah! Things aren't what they were... :-)

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the
drugs began to take hold. I remember "The Medway Handyman"
saying something like:

Yonks ago I made a complete set of picnic tables/benches from pallets. Bit
of a bugger to get apart due to the ring shank nails, but decent timber.

They vary tremendously in quality - if possible, get the blue GKN
pallets or similar, many others are a bit ****, really.