If you are new to composting, you usually hear a lot about the "rules" of composting. Forget them all. Any organic item will eventually break down all by itself, without our help. That being said, there are things to consider such as space, wild animals, etc. This blog is being written with the idea that you have ample space for at least one 3'x3'x3' compost bin (3 of them would be preferable). The bin(s) can be made of any material that will contain what you put in it. I simply drove stakes into the ground and staples plastic mesh to them. Not the prettiest thing to look at, but it gets the job done. 

  I compost three ways: hot composting, bokashi composting, and vermicomposting. As this blog progresses, I will get into greater detail of these. I use these methods to compost every bit of organic waste that would otherwise get thrown out. Any food that can get fed to the worms goes in my freezer until needed. Any food that I don't but in my worm bins goes in the bokashi bucket. Cardboard and paper get shredded and turned into live bedding for the worms. During the fall I run over fallen leaves with my mower and put them in an empty compost bin. They sit all winter. When spring rolls around, and I have gathered up a bunch of grass clippings, I combine the leaves, grass, bokashi (which has been fermenting for several months), and whatever else compostable items I have and start a new pile. I use the Berkeley Method of hot composting (although it usually takes about a month or so). When all is said and done I have roughly 1 cubic yard of compost which I screen through half inch mesh and then quarter inch mesh. All unscreened material goes into a new pile.

  The main thing to remember is you need 4 things: browns (carbon), greens (nitrogen), air, and water. I go about 2:1 carbon to nitrogen. I water thoroughly, and turn frequently. My last pile maintained 140 degrees for a few weeks. I do have bears in my area and have never had a problem getting into my piles. Once in a while, raccoons or something will dig around in it. The point of this whole thing is that composting is great, but can seem daunting when starting out. I remember being quite confused by the C:N ratio. Don't let it stop you. You will be rewarded. Trust me.