[Fleur]

I know that you have to layer things in order to get it to work, but what do you put down first? I have some old leaves from last year and of course every week we have lawn clippings. I've saved orange peels and coffee grounds for this also. Is there a certain order I have to do in order to get good compost?

[Just_Jessie]

I only know a few things about it, when I lived upstate we had one.

I know that 3 feet long, by 3 feet wide, by about 3 feet high is pretty common. I also just looked it up really quickly and confirmed that's the minimum size for a decent one, because as the compost starts to break down, it heats up and those dimensions help it happen. I also know that it's best if you mix the pile a couple of times a week, and making sure it stays moist. I'm not sure about the exact humidity requirements, but on really hot and dry days, I was sent out to it with a watering can, to make sure it stayed damp.

And the last thing I know, is not to compost anything that's been chemically treated.

I hope that gives you some ideas, best of luck!

[EllaEnchanted]

Fleur, I found one made of pallets, which are usually destroyed and not recycled, on the Instructables website. Here's the link: Pallet Compost Bin I've got mine made and am starting up with some of the leftovers that have been sitting in our fridge. You can use any type of vegetable matter that hasn't had chemicals on it or hasn't been cooked with meat or oil. I had some strawberries that had molded so those went in the bin as well as some egg shells and coffee grounds. You should layer your items to start with and it doesn't matter which way it goes. Like this:

1. green stuff -grass clippings, pinched off spent flowers
2. brown stuff- shredded, raked up leaves, hay or straw
and so on.

I'm sure there's a list somewhere on the internet of what you can and can't put in a compost bin but I just haven't searched for it.

You do have to turn it a couple of times a week and keep it moist so things can decompose. Oh, and you can also put manure (cow, horse, sheep, chicken) in it also. It does stink so make sure you put the bin away from your house somewhere.

[Mel]

It's easy to make a compost heap. Just get a good size barrel to add all your 'ingredients'. Add in vegetable scraps, a 10 kg bag of potting soil, garden scraps like small branches, leaves and grass clipings. Add a couple of hand fulls of fertilizer and mix well. Leave for a month, then start composting.