Composting

So I'm starting to get my yard, soil ready for next springs garden (we missed planting season this year). But I just started my own compost. Anyone have any advice? I started it in a plastic bin, because I want to get the science down before I make something big and smelly! But I know if it's done right it won't smell---right?

[Thirteen]

With composting - are you utilizing food scraps as well, or just grass/lawn trimmings?

We have two bins: one is a grass/lawn/leaves bin that took several months to "get hot." We supplement our fruit trees and lawn with that compost.
The second is a "worm bin" - that is, all our food scraps from prep (e.g. veggie pieces, coffee grinds, fruit skins and stems, etc) goes into this bin, and our worms chow down. We have a collection tray that holds the "worm tea" they excrete, and we thin that out into a solution for the lawn/plants. 1 part worm tea to 3 parts water is our ratio (per gallon).

Advice: do NOT throw in meat or dairy byproducts or citrus rinds, as these do not compost as easily and can draw wild animals to your bins. Rotting meat = stink!
Keep bins containing food scraps out of your pets's reach as well -- our dogs are "opportunivores" and will attempt to eat anything.

Happy 'posting!

[fluffhead]

Enjoy the compost! I just put 3 wheelbarrows full on my flowerbeds yesterday - its a great mulch and keeps the moisture in!
I've been composting for over 15 years and have never had an odor problem. Just keep turning it to get the air in, and smells will stay manageable.
When the heap goes anaerobic, the "bad" bacteria begin taking over, and produce sulfides and other nasty smelling gases.
I used to compost dryer lint, cat fur, and other non-food stuff, but stopped because I use the compost on edible crops, and don't want any chance of heavy metals in the soil.
re: citrus rinds and other hard-to-decay material, I'd throw it all in, and if it stays a bit longer, it will eventually decay wherever you use the product. But keep any greasy stuff out, since the oils tend to coat the particles and make it unavailable for bacteria. Eggshells are great too, but you'll see little white specks in the end product, which is OK.

[fluffhead]

Coffee grounds are great, too.

YES! And starbucks will give you a bag of coffee grounds if you ask for them! Great for boosting the nitrogen content of your leaf pile.

Great tip on Starbucks since we don't drink coffee in our house.

So far I've got some grass clippings, newspaper clippings and dried leaves. I was going to put stuff from the fridge in there tonight (old fruit) and then balance it out with some more dried leaves. Should it be an equal ratio? I want to get into the worming part, but since I'm trying to get the science down I might hold off.

What type of piles do you prefer? Do you have bins or just there's the compost wide open? I have dogs so I need to get a lid, especially since one of them eats anything. She's crazy (not to mention shes more of the DH's dog than mine!)

[fluffhead]

Regarding "balancing" - I use my leaves as needed. i.e. I layer my new kitchen scraps with compost and leaves, so that the stuff will be a bit aerated and not so matted down. So after turning, I dig out the center of my heap, put in some scraps, lay on some old compost from the outside, some leaves, more scraps, compost, leaves, then cover with compost from the outside, and lay leaves on the top. This may not give me the "perfect" ration of carbon to nitrogen, but it probably does OK, and gives me a moist, but not overly wet, pile.

Regarding the mechanics - I've only used open composting - that is either a heap or an open top enclosure. I don't have dogs, and I figure the squirrels and raccoons only help me with digesting the stuff, if they get in (and they usually don't because the new stuff is covered with the old stuff).

Happy composting!