As added interest - another site that has a lot of information, especially for the beginner is www.mastercomposter.com and I hope it helps you. I don't usually use kitchen scraps in my compost pile, but I use my compost piles in both a vegetable garden and a flower garden. In addition, some kitchen scraps can give off an offensive odor when they break down if your compost pile has to be near your house or a neighbors. There are bins that you can buy specifically for this purpose at most farm and garden centers. Tea leaves and coffee grounds, however, can be added directly to both vegetable and flower gardens and help keep the moisture in the ground as well as provide valuable nutrients.

Joyce Sullivan
"Carl e Roberts" wrote in message ...
thanx Mark/Joyce?.. I turned the piles yesterday and did notice the white fungus was starting to grow. Also added in some layers of fresh green grass clippings and shredded newspaper. I was interested to see from your links that only carbon/nitrogen were needed in a compost pile-no soil. I'll report back (in time) to let all know how this compost progresses.. looking forward to top-dressing my (mostly clay-and hardpacked) garden.
joyce ryan wrote:

Carl,
Here's a resource I turn to frequently: http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/
For specifics on composting I've had great luck following the advice given
in:
http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/mercha...tid=110&step=4
which is also available in the catalog above.
Happy Composting,
Mark

"Carl e Roberts" wrote in message
...
I'm sure this is not the first time this subject has been discussed but
since I am new to this newsgroup I'll post it for my benefit and other
newbies...

I have two compost piles "working". I am using two plastic "rings" about
3' in diameter and about 3' high. I built the piles yesterday using
grass clippings,kitchen scraps, dirt and a few leaves. About every 10"
or so I added 34-0-0 and watered it in. I did what I knew to do but I
would like to know more about composting and the "how to's". How often
should I turn these piles and any advice,FAQ's, or URL's would be
appreciated. BTW I see alot of grass clippings bagged up in my
neighborhood-should I be collecting these for future use? thanx for your
input..