I like the pile method myself, but if you do not have room, you could try worm composting. When I lived in an apartment, I got a book called "Worms Eat my Garbage." I had a worm bin for years. Worked great. You can make your own bin or buy a kit,some of which are basic, some are fancy.

dianazone5 said "I am new to gardening and want to start composting, but I am clueless as to where to start."

You are here which is an excellent place to start :-) Just start reading posts that you are interested in.

I second the worm composting method I keep them in my basement if that interests you there is vermicomposting forum here

Other wise there are soo many different containers and bins you can build I have never tried one but you can search for instructions to make a garbage can bin

Happy composting

Check out the garden soil area. Just type in composting in the dialoge box at the top. There is a whole separate area for composting. You can get all the info you need, like ingredients, ways to set it up, how often to turn it, how moist, where to get materials, ratio of greens to browns, and so on.

Tom

My bad, I am in the soil area - LOL. Here I thought I was in the growing tomatoes forum. Never mind.

Tom

Which kind of composting are you thinking of doing? The conventional type involving piling up various types of organic matter or mixing that same material in a small bin quite moist and have worms digest it, vermicomposting?
Conventional composting, whether in a "pile" or a commercial composter of some type, only requires a foot print of about 4 feet x 4 feet, maximum.
You might want to visit the web site below to learn more about composting.

Here is a link that might be useful: Compost tutorial

I just started myself and posted a thread here on how I did my wire bins. Maybe the steps and pics will help you too. :)

I have done a lot of reading on this forum the last few days. It has been a huge help. I have really wanted to get this started because my husband, 3 teenage boys and myself generate a lot of stuff that we are not recycling. My youngest has been working very hard to turn the whole family green. It sounds now like building something could be a great family project, and much more feasible than I originally imagined. This fall, I will have plenty of leaves, and after I pull the plants from the garden, that will help too. Thanks for the tips!

I'm pleased to hear about your youngest son. Every family has someone who starts the family composting. Your son sounds like a smart boy. And, if you want to start composting on a large scale (and who doesn't?), enlist help from the male gender. Three teenage boys and a husband? Pretty soon you'll have some 75 horse-powered, garbage disposal-sifting, washing machine-turning, three acre, 48 bin compost facility taking place in your backyard. Keep an eye on your appliances and don't say I didn't warn you.