Pam, I did not add any gravel to my compast hill... It does not use up much land at all. I is about 10 feet around, I usually wheel out my poop from the barn, that I can not get up on top of the pile... so when I have the tractor out, I just push it toward the center and pile it higher if I need too... my horses have played on the poop pile for years... I wanted to make another one, but Dan and I did not agree on where it should go for the winter, so we will start one next spring... they do sink down as they age... I just add more compost,
the other pile I have was a mistake that we made in to a good thing... they brought the wrong stuff, I wanted gravel for spreading in the dry lot, they brought me road bunk, it is a strange consistancy, not dirt, not rock, not just lime, more like a clay when wet, mixture of stuff.. anyway, instead of them taking it away, they asked me if I could use it, I said, I would get rid of it somehow, we just put it in a pile, well, the horses have LOVED it... They hang out on it.. I personally would not put a hill next to a fence, cause the horses play on it, run on it dance on it, so they need to be able to get off of it safely... so I have it a few feet away form the fence... I like to be able to drive a tractor between the fence and the base of the hill.. The reason I have the track and hills, is for the horses mental state.. and exercise... I feel that is as important as having food for them... Eventually grass grows on the hill too.. I need to get some new batteries for my camera, let me get a few more pictures of my compost hill It is not as tall as my other hill, it is only about 4 feet tall, the dirt does not hold as tight as the Road Bunk one does... I hope this info helps -- I and my horses love our track system, take a look~~~ http://picasaweb.google.com/dakota.charm/TrackForHorses
