My first husband used chicken wire, I think. He stapled it to a frame (say
4'x 6') just to keep the the material confined. He turned it occasionally
as it "cooked". We only added organic matter (grass clippings, garden
waste, things like that). It NEVER had an odor.

I don't think a totally enclosed vessel is the way to go...can't get any
air.


"Jan Flora" wrote in message
...
In article , "Thomas
Neumayr" wrote:

Hi all,
I'm fairly new to gardening and wondered how all of you keep roaches,
ants
and rodents out of your compost heaps? My compost bin is very
low-tech...just a large bucket. Should I keep it sealed at all times?
Thanks for any and all comments,
Cindi

Jeeze, where do you live???

Rats, roaches and ants won't bother a cooking compost heap. The bucket is
just
for your kitchen, to save stuff that you dump into the pile out in your
yard.
Don't throw meat, bones or fish in the compost -- just veggies, weeds,
paper,
hair cuttings (great N source, dog hair counts), coffee grounds, egg
shells and
stuff like that. The web has a wealth in info on composting on it.

Jan