I don't get the email newsletter and you didn't supply a link to the article, so I'm SOL.

As a rule Roger Cook follows the UMASS compost methods as does Kip at the Victory Garden. Not always really correct, but also not always totally erroneous.

Here's the link for the general This Old House website.

Here is a link that might be useful: This Old House

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,198180,00.html

I believe this is where you'll find the compost information from This Old House. Not all that bad ;-)

here's the quick link

Here is a link that might be useful: the link

I got this far:
"into frames hand-built of wire fencing and pressure-treated 2x4s."

And my eyes started to twitch....

OK, generally I love TOH, but when are coffee grounds considered a brown ;)

"Browns are materials high in carbon, including straw and dried leaves, dead plants, coffee grounds, "

Laura

I'm vaguely offended by his list of things not to add. I add several of these items on a regular basis.

"Never add weeds that have gone to seed, ashes (too alkaline), barbeque coals (high in toxins that kill organisms), dog or cat waste, large pieces of wood, or bones. Animal products can only go in a digester, a bin with a slotted basket buried underground from which nutrients pass to the surrounding earth."

Since I have to compost in trash cans, I'm fairly sure I've got at least some anaerobic microbes and I don't want to be told not to have them. Yes, it does stink for about a day when I dump the cans out on a tarp so I can shovel it around to where I want it to go. So what? I have had problems with animals wild, feral and domesticated getting into piles. A small animal decided to tunnel in and set up housekeeping a few winters back. Perfect den, warmth and food without ever getting out of bed. Once she exposed the delightful center where the decomposing food was, she invited all her friends over to party. It looked like a federal disaster area. This can't happen too often or I'd hear more about it but the animals made a huge mess. Then all the dogs in the area came over to have a quick scavenge and it just kept going downhill.

Commercial bins are too expensive, chicken wire holes are too big and I'm not the building type. This left trash cans. The lids can be tied down to the handles. I drilled some holes, but I know what goes on in there.

Wonder what they'd say if I told them I pour used cooking oil right on the grass ever since my brother dumped the deep fryer out there and nothing died?