Today I decided to check on a forgotten "compost bin". Two summers ago I tried to start my very first compost bin. I used a large rubber garbage can with lots of holes drilled into it. I filled it with wood pellets, grass, kitchen scraps and whatever else I could find. I was new, impatient and hadn't read alot on the subject at this point and when the contents didn't heat up I quickly abandoned it. Fast forward to today. Something told me to check on the bin. I thought I emptied it last summer. To my suprise was a crumbly dark brown (not black as I was expecting) material. The smell reminded me of potatoes. So I think I made compost but I am not sure.