You don't need a bin you can just pile things up. But depending on where you live and how much area you have kind of depends on how you do things. If you have no neighbors then pile away. Many people have neighbors that would flip seeing a pile of scaps. If you are planing on doing the different piles for different stages then you will need more area for piles then you would bins.

Second question leads me to believe you might want a bin with a lid and some what critter proof. If you don't cover up your kitchen waist it will just pull in critters and your stuff will get eaten and not composted. So if you are going to do a pile I would keep back some grass clippings or go and get some staw, hay, or even last falls leaves to cover up your stuff. You will still get some critters that are good smellers and can dig them out but it will be limited.

I've only been doing composting for just over a year so I'm by no means an expert but it's my understanding that composting isn't and exact science. Just mix natural stuff togeather keep it moist (not wet) by adding greens or water and you will get compost.

personally i like a freestanding pile, i can take a mattock, tear the pile down, mix it with the mattock some more, water if need, then pile it back up w/ a flat shovel, i feel like i get a more thorough turning using this method, i felt like i wasn't turn the leaves n stuff in the bottom corners of the pile that i once had in a bin, and i want it all to be done at as close to the same time as possible.

i saw a auger on tv, advertised for bulb planting, but it's long shank also let them advertise it as a great tool to turn the compost pile, could work i dunno.

I would suggest that you learn more before starting a compost pile, especially with the ingredients you mentioned.

It sounds like you are a prime candidate for a smelly pile with pests.

I suggest the exact opposite to Robert. Start now. A bin of some sort would keep it tidier and reduce the spreading of ingredients by animals but is not vital. If you can get pallets or wire netting that would help. But basically anything that ever lived that you pile up will rot down, whatever you do. You could start by raking together the mowings from the overgrown area where you are going to put your compost.

Excellent encouragement! Thank you so much guys.

I'm now convinced a bin is probably best for me. I like a neat and tidy area, and i don't want critters getting into my precious scraps.

And Robert, your point really is keen, and i'm not dismissing it. But i fear if i don't "strike while the iron's hot," i'll slip into another phase of procrastination. As is always the case, i'll just have to learn from my mistakes. :)

PS: So far, i've got a banana peel, an apple core, this morning's coffee grounds, and a paper towel i used to press the water out of my tofu set aside in a can under the sink. I'm determined to have those be my first compost ingredients!

PPS: I've got some fuzzy cherries in the fridge. Can i add them or would the pits be too ambitious for a spanking new pile to manage?

Oh, this is very exciting. It really is!

I'd add the fuzzy cherries.

If the pile starts to stink, you can always rip up some paper and throw that on top. All my financial papers either get filed or shredded and composted, including (especially?) those credit card offers and balance transfer checks.

Hello, everyone ...

After making several calls, it became clear the stores in my area (hardware stores, costco, grocery stores, garden centers, etc.) are less inclined to part with wooden pallets than i thought they'd be. So the hunt continues (i still plan to make a three bin system using pallets once i find a source for them).

Meanwhile, i had an empty garbage can i thought i could use just so i can get the process going. With a few holes for air flow, is there any reason this won't work as a short term solution?
{{gwi:298261}}
{{gwi:298263}}

PS: Fuzzy cherries are in! :)

PPS: I added some store purchased compost i hadn't set out yet just to get it going.

One more thing: I'm sure this answer is here somewhere, but i can't seem to get the search to work properly. For shredded junk mail and the like, is there anything to be concerned about as far as colored, shiny paper is concerned? Should i just leave those pages out of the process?

I use all junk mail, shiny, colored, whatever. I do take out the plastic address windows but it's not necessary; you can pick them out of the compost later. We also shred cereal boxes, kleenex boxes, etc., since our local recycling doesn't take it. I think you've got a great start, just add browns and keep going. You can't really screw it up - everything rots and as you continue the process, you'll learn lots of things you can do to improve it.

Pat

Dear Estreya,

Check with your local waste-management firm or city/county government. MANY companies and local governments across the US (and Canada) provide subsidized--low-price--compost bins as part of the almost universal effort to reduce waste going to landfills.

Your local government/waste-management firm may also offer classes in composting. Sometimes attendance at a class is required to qualify for a subsidized bin; it's all up to the local authorities.

There are TONS of Internet sites on how to make compost. Many of them have lists of "green" and "brown" ingredients (hint: do NOT go by color of the ingredient) suitable for compost.

Also: most of those same Internet sites will give conservative lists of ingredients. Many who post on these forums are more radical/free-wheeling with their compost ingredients. As a beginner, it might be good to start off conservatively and then, as you gain experience, make more radical choices.

I'm somewhere in between after 20+ years of making compost.

It becomes a lot of FUN once you get used to throwing stuff into the "pile" rather than the "garbage."

Welcome to the world of compost.

in el cerrito

If what you're primarily composting is food waste, I'd consider a worm bin. That's a more practical option for composting food scraps, and the vermicompost is high quality stuff.

Deanna

Thanks so much for your replies. I'm suddenly so excited about this whole process, and could just kick myself for not getting started sooner.

Cynthia_h, thank you for your suggestion to call my waste management firm. Unfortunately, although they have a few corporate clients, they haven't expanded to offer any services at all that relate to residential composting. She tells me it's on the horizon.

Meanwhile, i'm still pecking away, knowing i'll have to make a larger bin before long. For the nonce, i'm LOVING my humble little can. I just love it so! I can't wait to see what happens to it ...

estreya, by looking at your pics I can tell you your going to have problems with flys and possibley even mice or rats if you don't add some browns to your trash can. With that much moister it's really going to start stinking. I would make sure to get some paper or cardboard or something considered a "brown" in there sooner rather then later.

west9491, I have a auger (not the exact one on TV) but it's one that connects to my drill. I use to only turn my bin by digging from the bottom and dumping on top untill I found this auger. The first time I used it I couldn't believe how compact the center of my bin was. But now all is good and it works really well and after the first time it's not that hard unless you have a lot of long stemy thing in it then they tend to get hung up a little bit but still easier then what I did before.

In terms of a bin itself, I just used 10 feet of hardware cloth in a circle, fastened with zip ties :) It's working out swimmingly.

I use piles enclosed by fence . Take a piece of scavenged fence , make a circle with it , throw in compost ingredients .
To turn the pile - lift up fence wire , fluff up compost , replace fence around the pile .
Everything that contains an ingredient that was once living goes into the pile .
All paper goes in including used tissues , used paper towels , shredded mail , torn cardboard tubes , torn food boxes , waxed paper and especially paper with my personal info on it . I dare anyone to steal my identity from a document that has been shredded and composted into dirt !
Composting couldn't be easier !