composting?

[A&A'smommy]

Tell me more???

I have another friend who does it but I want to know all I can about it before I throw myself into it!!

what can I compost??

[PrairieMom]

You can compost anything that isn't metal, plastic, Meat or dairy.

There are a few different ways to go about it, there are under the counter composters, out door composters, you can build a compost bed, or you can vermicompost ( composting using red wiggler worms.

The most important thing to remember when composting is that you have to keep an equal balance of Green and brown matter to keep the compost from smelling. Brown matter is basically anything dry, like shredded paper, ( school papers, junk mail, news paper) dry leaves, brown grass, basically anything that is dead brown and crunchy.
Green matter is anything that is moist, like green grass clippings, and table scraps.
If you keep the mix right, I swear it doesn't stink. If it gets stinky, then add more brown matter, it probably means your mix is to wet.

I compost in 2 ways, the #1 way I do is in an open compost pile outdoors. Basically its a 4x4 wooden frame that I put chicken wire in to hold everything in one place. I just dump what ever I have in there. I collect my kitchen scraps all day in a large bowl on my counter and empty it at the end of the night. it is basically shredded up school paper and junk mail, bread crusts, apple cores, veggi scraps from making dinner, and then I scrape our dinner plates into it after dinner. anything that isn't meat cheese or milk goes in.
Every once in a while I will collect my grass clippings and add some to the mix too.
Once a week I will use a pitch fork and mix it around a bit, and add some water to it if it gets to dry. It takes an entire season for the compost to break down so you can use it. In the fall I empty the contents into my garden. I have the nicest dirt!.

I also vermicompost using a worm bin that I keep in my garage. I put kitchen scraps and shredded newspaper in there too. The worms speed up the process a LOT. I can get useable compost from them in 3-6 months. I love my worms. They also don't stink if you keep the green / brown mix right, and they aren't gross, you don't have to play with them or pet them or anything, I just open the lid and toss my scraps in.

This is the worm composter i use. you have to use RED WIGGLER worms, not regular earthworms. you can buy them on line, I hear that bait shops have them too.
http://www.compostbins.com/general/cascade...rce=gaffiliates

compost tumblers are another way to go, but you really need to have 2 since it takes 6 months for the last scraps you add to be ready to use, so you need the 2nd one to fill while the 1st one sits and cooks. http://www.google.com/products?q=compost+t...ved=0CDkQrQQwAg

This is an indoor odorless type, but I haven't heard really good things about them. People say they still stink. http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/b...st-without.html

Here is a really good link of all the different kinds.
http://extension.missouri.edu/publications...ub.aspx?p=g6957

[ZandersMama]

where i live you have to compost by law. if you don't your garbage simply wont be picked up. beginning this fall all trash bags have to be clear and if there is food scraps, cardboard, ect. in the bags they wont be picked up. i have an under-the-sink bin, and a large outdoor bin that i empty into. it's emptied by the town once every 2 weeks.