Higgs Boson wrote:

Sounds like you live in a really kewl rural area - woods! Wow!

As I said earlier, gardener had been putting grass clippings in the
composter until I stopped him doing it every week, but by then, it was
bulging.

If the bin bulges, it's too weak. Most of the compost I get is because of lawn
clippings, so I'd hate to lose them.

My first bins were made with 4 4x4 foot pallets, stood on edge to form a cube,
and tied or nailed together at the top corners, with the "top" surfaces to the
indside. They work fine for several years, and then have to be replaced. I
finally built 2 bins with treated 2x4's, sort of like a house wall frame
structure, then lined them with 1/2" galvanised steel or plastic hardware cloth
(1 each). Those have lasted for years and seem to have many more ahead.

My bins are about 4x6 feet and 4-5 feet deep, with removeable or hinged fronts,
which take me a couple years to fill up since I use the mulching mower during
the slower growth times of the year. I don't "turn" them. I just keep filling
one till it's full, then start filling the other. When the first bin is needed,
I fork the uncomposted top off the bin into the other, they use the compost.

I do fill the bins in layers. Add a couple inches of grass clippings, spread it
evenly, then sprinkle a tiny bit of dirt over the layer to "innoculate" it with
the needed bacteria. This seems to help avoid pockets of uncompostd material I
used to find. Larger material such as garden waste I will grind up with my
snapper mower by running over small piles repeatedly, before throwing them in
the bin.

This works for me with the minimum of extra work.