Originally Posted by dkhedmo

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?

Thanks for guidance.

Karen