"dkhedmo" wrote in message
ink.net...
So we're in our first home, and we've got a nice sized piece of
property. I've got a nice big area at the end of the yard dedicated
to composting and general heaping of yard debris, with woods beyond
that.

I have the Smith and Hawken stackable compost bin, nothing in it so
far, but ready to start taking kitchen scraps out there. Questions:
- Egg shells - with the slimy goo inside? I won't contaminate the
yard with salmonella? I've put shells form hard boiled eggs in the
compost in the past, but the mister is convinced I'll kill us all
with the wet egg shells.
- Cereal with *soy* milk in the bin?
- I've read of shredding newspapers and putting dirty paper towels
in the kitchen compost bin?
- We've got critters of all the usual northeast sorts - will the bin
become a buffet the minute I start putting scraps in there? Should I
strap the lid shut, or put a rock on it?

I also have some heaps collecting. Among them: a few large heaps of
autumn leaves, sod clumps from the garden beds we dug, those hideous
pine bark chips/mulch, with more around the yard to be removed.
Should I mix these all into one heap? Do I want to layer any or all
of them with the kitchen scraps in the bin?

What kinds of stuff from the yard should I *not* be putting in? We
get monthly curbside pickup of yard debris, so I can put out a heap
or can of bits. (I'm thinking rose bush prunings, and such?)

I can run a hose out there to keep things damp, but the area is on
the shady woodland side, so what can I do to keep things
progressing? Compost accelerator products?

Forget the accelerators.

I have two large compost bins. They get filled mostly with lawn
clippings and other yard debris. The kitchen waste is very little
compared to the yard waste. I try to bury kitchen waste, otherwise,
animals go through it and spread it around. Eggshells are one thing I
do not put in it, as they end up all over the neighborhood if I do
unless they are well buried.

With two large bins, I just keep adding to one while I take out of the
other. When adding lawn clippings, I spread them out to form 3-4 inch
layers and sprinkle a little dirt on the layer to "innoculate" it with
the necessary bacteria. This seems to avoid getting areas in the
compost which don't compost right, ending up as black slimy mess or
just uncomposted grass. I don't turn my compost, I just let it go for
a year or two. If you turn it regularly, the dirt probably won't make
much difference.

When one bin is empty, and the other is full, I start adding only to
the other bin. When I need more compost, I fork the top of the full
bin into the other until I get to the good compost, then start using
the compost.

A really easy to build free compost bin is four pallets stood on edge
to form a cube and tied, wired, or nailed at the corners. The only
problem is they have to be replaced every several years, and the
rotted old ones have to be disposed.

Bob