Compost shouldn't have a bad smell. If you go to the composting forum, you will find tons of detailed information on starting and maintaining good compost. And good on you for wanting to compost! cora

Leah,

Cora is right. It takes little to keep compost smelling good and earthy. I like the way my compost smells. I actually have two tumblers that twirl (they were Christmas presents years ago and kinda expensive- in range of $150 each), and also, just piles that I hide behind bushes. The tumblers I use for kitchen scraps and shredded paper because they are enclosed and nothing other than bugs can get in. The piles I use for yard waste (doesn't really attract critters). Right now I have two very large piles in my yard. They are lazy piles. I never even turn them. I do pile stuff on regularly. They are both behind bushes and no one else knows they are there. Once they are too big, I just leave them alone and start another pile behind other bushes. Months later, when I remember, I check on them and find some compost there. Usually, the surrounding bushes take off big time. Here is one of my compost piles:

Actually, it is behind these bushes. This was before the cold weather, now it doesn't look quite so pretty.

The tumblers I turn every time I put scraps in- about two or three times weekly, as I keep a compost bucket under my kitchen sink and take it to the tumbler when full. I get a small amount of compost from each of these tumblers about every 3 months. I also use it for compost tea. I don't sift my compost, so it is usually chunky and rough, but it is good stuff.

Try to tinker around a bit with it and you will find some easy ways to make it. If you want tumblers, there are many that make their own. Also Craigslist or freecycle may have some? I second Cora's suggestion to hang out a little at the compost forum and read the FAQ's. You will learn a lot fast and see what others are doing. Yes, and congrats on getting started! It's fun.

Anna

Thanks for the advice. I read some posts on the compost forum and found a method I think will work well for me. We'll see how it goes!

I also have two of the expensive tumblers and I'm a bit embarassed at how much I spent on them ($130 each for "envirocycles") but I love them. I compost kitchen scraps and mail and paper towels and turn both tumblers each time I empty the crock, like cora. But I keep a fairly small crock and empty it almost every day. I thought about getting a larger one and realized I would turn the tumblers less and probably wouldn't get compost as quickly. And I give it several good turns each night. I can spread compost about every six weeks in the summer and every two to three months in the winter. It cooks quick in the tumblers if you turn them regularly and vigorously. I put some yard clippings in them too and even newspaper in the summer (when they need dry stuff.) The key for me was to have two of them. Once one is full, I start filling the other one, but continue turning both of them. Though most folks wouldn't recommend this, I've even put stone crab shells in them. That smelled for a few days, but not very long and only a few feet away (ok, when I opened the tumbler the first couple days, the smell was a little overwhelming, I admit.) But since the critters couldn't get at it, I figured it was like adding fish meal, seaweed or other ocean stuff to my dirt, without having to chase the puppy around to get it out of his mouth.

That said, I also pile yard clippings behind bushes and just let it do its stuff. It makes good stuff eventually, but my compost from the tumblers is much richer with all the coffee we drink and eggs I eat.

Good luck, it's fun, and a great way to get rid of mail you would otherwise put in the shredder. I used to empty the shredder into it. Then I threw out the shredder because there was no need for that extra step. Paper breaks down really quickly.

Susannah

leah
I can't tell what county you're in (or even what city) but can suggest checking with your local county extension office. At mine (Charlotte Co.) my DH bought me a sit on the ground composter for $28 or $32 (can't remember exact). It's 4' tall and 4' wide and makes your compost look respectable.There is no odor (don't use meat or dairy-that makes odor).I also put shredded apapers from the office.

Also, before I had this I composted directly in the ground. I have a bucket to gather kitchen scraps (like anna and susannah) and when full I go to the garden, dig a hole, dump the bucket, fill over top and water. The plants next to the hole are really happy. I did have to put bricks on top after an animal discovered the scraps (prob. racoon).

Composting makes me happy because we have cut down on our garbage quantity and it's good for my soil.

Good luck and good composting.

Denise

Composting has to be the very best way to keep your identity from being stolen .
I am a lazy composter .
I have several piles that are considered cold piles .
I rarely turn them .
I reap beautiful dark compost from the bottom - eventually .
I used old field fence this time and it works pretty well .
I had concrete block with partitions and that worked better .
Trial and error .
If you are thrifty like me - use whatever you already own or can find for free .
If you don't mind spending the money , the tumblers are the way to go .
Easy and fast !

Hay there, I'm what many might call a composting whacko!

Composting can be as simple or as complex as you wish to make it.

The two simplest rules are if it smells bad or looks bad, add more cover material like dry leaves.

If you want hotter or quicker compost then you can look for more complex suggestions. My suggestion for hot compost is to send the boys out to pee on it. As for quick compost, good compost is not quick so I don't go there.

As for what sort of bin, in our Florida climate, I don't like trying to compost in a plastic bin of any sort. It can be done, I have done it, but it is far more difficult to keep the right amount of moisture and aeration in any sort of plastic bin even with holes in it.

for a simple cheap containment, get some hardware cloth (wire mesh) and make a circle with it, use a little wire to hold the ends together. Put a layer of leaves in the bottom. Keep a bin of leaves next to it. Whenever you add kitchen scraps or smelly stuff, add more leaves over top. You want it about as moist as a wrung out sponge. During spring you might want to dump some dish water or the water from cleaning out the kitchen compost bucket into it to keep it wet. Once the wet season begins, put some cardboard or something over the top to help it shed some water if it gets too wet.

Some tips about how to keep a kitchen compost bucket from smelling. Sawdust works well. We actually use a 5 gallon bucket for kitchen scraps and if we notice any smell, we put a layer of sawdust over the scraps. This lets us keep the compost bucket right out in the open next to the trash can with no odor problems. (Since we have really good hot compost bins, we feel comfortable composting most all the normal compost no-nos like dairy, meat, bones etc so our trash can almost never smells and we only take the trash out every couple weeks.) I am not suggesting that some one new to composting should try composting meat since that could cause a smell or critters digging in your compost but once one becomes practiced at hot composting, it can be done.

Just about anything can be turned into a compost bin. Some posts and nice fence boards can make a fancy containment for compost where a pile on the ground doesn't suit. I've even dressed up pallets to make some small compost bins.

Here is a link that might be useful: TCLynx, Compost

I'm new to above ground composting and it is positively one of the most exciting things to do. Your instinct will tell you once you start a pile or score a barrel.

If you look at your most beautiful troublefree plants and trees, you'll see that they have lots of leaf litter. They feed themselves.

If you aren't hooked yet, check out thrift stores or library sales for the "Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening". Be prepared to be blown away. It all makes sense. Sir Albert Howard earned his Knighthood because of his genius methods with composting, and his theories are super simple to follow.

Good luck...have fun. There are no failures with composting that I can think of.

Still on the compost idea -
While cleaning gutters , my DH found 5 HUGE dead Cuban tree frogs .
They had frozen , thawed and rotted - really rotted .
You have never smelled anything so horrendous !
The decaying frogs went right into the compost pile .
Dug a hole in the middle and dumped them right in .
Guess what ? The smell disappeared !
That is a really good reason to have an on the ground pile .

I agree that "on the ground" piles or bins for compost are great!!!!!
They provide access to curing compost for worms and other good compost and soil critters.
Not turning the compost means that you are less likely to bring smelly unsightly stuff to the surface. Tumblers have to be carefully managed since you can't keep stinky stuff from tumbling to the outside.
Plastic bins can make managing air and moisture trickier which means you have to be more careful what you put in and how moist it is because too wet can cause something of an Anaerobic stink to the compost.

If you don't intend on ever putting stinky stuff in the compost, then you can easily do piles of leaves, grass clippings and coffee grounds under and behind bushes without worrying too much about critters digging in it. If you wish a contained compost bin, I still recommend something right on the ground with some form of wire or wood fencing to contain it and keep dogs/raccoons out.

Remember that a costly plastic tumbler or compost bin will not keep your compost from smelling if you goof and put too much stinky stuff in at one time or let it get too wet. With an on the ground type pile/bin, you can always dump more cover material on if you notice an odor. Cover material can be shredded paper/cardboard, sawdust, leaves, straw, just about anything that was once living but is now dead and not likely to stink. If all else fails you can always add some dirt over it to help eliminate odor but I try to avoid that when I can.

tclynx ~ Do you add some high nitrogen granular fertilizer to the pile? The reasoning is that it helps to break the organic material down faster. What's your opinion on this?

No I never spend money on things to "speed up" the compost pile!!!!
I have plenty of my own high nitrogen stuff to put into the compost pile to keep it hot.

I know some people will probably think this is gross but Urine is a really good compost activator and most people are actually spending good money and wasting good drinking water to flush it "away"!!!!!!! Reminder people, there really is no away, everything flushed eventually makes it back into the world water supply either through the leach field or where the sewer plant dumps it back into the water ways "supposedly purified" but usually not so well and with added toxins like chlorine.

Thanks for posting this .
You all inspired me to get out and turn my compost piles .
Don't know where the stinky froggies went but no smell !
The large full vacuum cleaner bag is almost gone after just a week .
I just bury it whole each time I change the bag .
tclynx - I agree with you on all your points in the the above post .
Best way to speed up a pile is turn , turn , turn .

tclynx ~ Will you be more specific about what other high nitrogen stuff you have to keep the compost pile hot?

I'm not grossed out by the mention of urine as a fertilizer. I read in 'Organic Magazine' a few months ago that urine can be used as a fertilizer at a 1:10 ratio. Besides, I can see a great difference in the lawn where my dog "fertilized" the lawn.

Also, is it worth the extra work and expense to do vermiculture?

Christine

We Humanure compost but the primary high nitrogen input is Urine. Because we have such hot compost we can add most other compost "no-nos" without any problems. Meat, bones, dairy, dead critters can go in our 150 degree compost pile with no worries that live critters will be attracted to dig it up. I've found that I can bury those things in the compost no problem but If I dig a hole in the ground and bury stuff like fish heads/guts, neighborhood critters will dig it up.

Depending on the plants and the situation, urine can be used in a 50/50 mix with water to fertilize really hungry hearty plants but you are right that the 10% mixture is pretty safe for even tender plants.

Vermiculture doesn't have to cost much and doesn't require much work, they are really some of the easiest creatures to keep. I built my worm bins out of plywood and 2x4, used some old paint and there ya go. I like shredded cardboard for my worm bedding so my biggest expense was a paper shredder that wouldn't be broken by shredding corrugated cardboard. If you can't find enough worms and need to buy then, they can cost a little bit (people who sell worms have to put in a lot of labor to sort them out.) A worm bin can be just about anything, an old storage tote, a large planting pot. A wood box. Whatever. There really isn't much added work in saving up some peelings and other scraps and putting them in the bin every so often and checking that the bin has some moisture. About the only really tedious part I've found is sifting through the castings for the worms that haven't moved on to the next part of the bin but it all depends on how hard you work to keep your worms for your bin and how many you allow to stay in the castings to become residents of your garden. It is really great stuff for seedling mixes or use some in transplant holes to give the seedling some extra help through the trauma of transplant.
Only strong recommendation I have about worm bins here in florida...... Make sure they have legs or can be placed on a stand/table with legs that you can place in containers of mineral oil to keep the ants from having easy access up into your worm bin. Nothing worse that sinking you hand into the beautiful worm castings only to be bit up by ants!!!!

Here is a link that might be useful: Humanure Handbook

Just wanted to share our new compost tumbler. This is by far my fave way of composting. I've included a link to my blog with composting entries gathered. This wasn't expensive and it is really taking the back breaking work out of this chore. I love it and I love my husband for making it for me!

We can't afford to buy a $250 compost tumbler - so making our own was the only way I'd get one. It's like Christmas in April in our garden today!

Here is a link that might be useful: $48 Mobile Compost Tumbler

Where did you find a 55 gallon drum for free??

I use hardware cloth too but I wrap it around about three pieces of rebar (also very cheap) which I drive in the ground in a "circle." It helps keep the composter the size you want and stabilizes it. The hardware cloth rolls up naturally because that's the way it's stored and sometimes it rolls up too tight. So far the raccoons haven't found it, they keep breaking into the screen porch to steal cat food.

ruths footsteps - thank you for posting the link to your blog with excellent pictures .

Now to just find a handy hubby someone will loan out ......