I live in an apartment, so I don't have a yard to work with; all I have is a patio. I planted a few things this year, but I started them a little too late and they didn't quite work out. My plan is to plant some root veggies this Fall,(planting season is in early August for my region). My question is this: would it be ok for me to start working on a compost bin now, even though I won't use the compost until August? It's a hot Texas Summer, so I worry that bad things might happen to my compost if it's just sitting there.

I've never tried my hand at compost before but I'd love to be able to do it, even in my limited space. I've read that you can get compost pails with filters in them to use for kitchen scraps, then transfer them to the compost bin outside. My other concern is that since I'm in an apartment that is well maintained, I don't really have a bunch of dead leaves or anyting laying around to add to the compost. Will it be ok if I use mostly cardboard? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm so new at this and I really want it to work out! Thanks!