I would like to do some composting. However, I don't want some ugly, smelly, pile of in my backyard. I would like some kind of low maintenance cheap bin that would look okay sitting next to my metal shed. I don't want something that I'm going to need to go out and fool around with to get a good cook on. I basically want to set it and forget it.

The main ingredients I have will be leaves in the fall (and plenty of them). Oh, I have dog if that would help and not smell.

So, what do I need to know?

Because of my requirements, if its not worth doing, say so. Thanks.

 

 

^ Ha ha

Try reading this: How to Compost

 

I started out on the gardenweb soil and composting forum...

http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/soil/

Once I got the basics down, I googled for the rest...

I decided on a pallet bin, since pallets are cheap and readily available...

All I do is fill my bin with leaves in the fall, add my kitchen waste, and grass clippings in the summer, and I get a decent amount of compost each year... I could be more aggressive in my composting (getting coffee beans from starbucks, etc), but one batch a year is good enough for me.

Here's gardenwebs Composting FAQ: http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/soil/

From http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/s...647001285.html

I've got a two pallet bins now and I'll have to "fix" a couple of spots where the pallets have composted over the course of the last couple of years..

Pics of the first bin without the front done...



Tucked away, so it's out of sight... You can see the screen I use to sceen my compost on the wheelbarrow...



More pics here: http://john-perry.com/cgi-bin/mygall...Compost&page=1

I've got to take some more pics of my setup when I redo it in the spring to show how I got the front "doors" on the bins so that they are easily removeable...

I think I'm going to rearange mine this coming year, and get rid of the "bottoms" on the bins... I can use those to make a 3rd bin... I use one for active "cooking" (mixing browns and greens) and the other for finishing.... I'm going to use the 3rd one for storage as I find that I'm running out of browns 1/2 thru the summer...

Google for - composting - and - composting browns greens - should turn up the basics...

 

That pretty much covers the basics...

There is a fair amount of work required to get setup, but I generally just grab a pitchfork every once and awhile to bury my kitchen scraps (banana peels, potato skins, onions skins, coffee grinds, etc), and leave it alone for the most part.

Every month or so (in the summer), I'll get in there and turn over the whole pile to make sure everything gets a chance to cook... Especially if I've added alot of grass clippings to the top. Compost cooks from the middle, so I find it helps to mix it up every once and while to get things cooking.. Some people just pile it in and forget it, and that seems to work too...

 

That palet setup looks pretty cool. Does the pile need sun or just warmth?
I don't have anywhere to hide a palet setup

 

Pile just needs browns and greens... Putting it in sun will help, but I don't think that's required... Hotter is better, but I like to keep mine hidden.

Mine is pretty well shaded, but it still gets hot... Compost will create it's own heat... My "finishing" bin was frozen (the top 3 inches at least), but my cooking bin is warm even at below freezing tempertures...

If you're worried how it will look, there are more attactive solutions out there... (like in the picture on the page the Scribesoft posted)...

I went with the pallets 'cause they're free, and I had a place to "hide" them...

You could just pile it on the ground, but the taller the pile the better. 3x3 feet or 4x4 feet is the measurements I've seen for the best pile deminsions, but there are hundreds of ways to acheive that...

http://www.ns.ec.gc.ca/udo/paydirt.html has some design ideas: