Only a gardener would think this is beautiful, but I am proud of my morning's work. I had started open pile composting last year at my new house, but I was in search of a cheap system to allow me to pile higher and discourage dogs, raccoons, etc. then I found on Amazon a 25ft roll of vinyl-coated wire fencing, 24"high. $25. that allowed me to make 3 cylindars almost 3' in diameter.
so now I have, in this photo, my nearly finished mixed compost of kitchen and garden waste(on the right). should be perfect for top dressing the flower and veggie beds in late January. way in the back I have the fresh kitchen/mixed scrap pile. between them is plenty of space for very rough woody refuse I haven't yet taken time to chop up. In the center I have finally coraled the oak leaves, and tucked behind that and to the left is rich finished leaf mold I scraped together from underneath the decaying leaves I had raked together. that is my black gold. 
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I belong to a community garden where the best method i saw for open top composting was creating side by side bins, where you start making your layers in bin 1, the normal leaves/straw/grass layer, then food waste, a splash of dirt, then repeat until the bin is full. Then you move entire bin contents to bin 2, where u attempt to invert the pile as best you can, putting the top stuff on the bottom of bin 2. You keep doing this until you have finished compost, usually by the third time turning the stuff. the down side is it does attract vermin. If u want to avoid this, buy a two compartment compost bin that you can spin. this is the one i have and like, and i have some clients who use this successfully also. [hayneedle.com]
coolhandluke1956
Level 4
Nov 7, 2019
1
I have just been given one of those rotary composters...have always wanted one....but so far it's not getting hot and rotting....what mixture do you find works best ?
I have put part decomposed woodchip in,along with the contents of the food waste bin....have also just been given some woodshavings to try...
@hugkimchi i would hold off on wood chips. I would use alfalfa hay/straw leaves instead, like 3 parts "browns" to one part kitchen waste. Add some dirt to add soil bacteria like you would a spice. You need to keep it moist, like a damp sponge, for organisms to work efficiently. Also add some worms, either from your native soil or elsewhere. If you have a garden with now dead plants, chop them up and add sparsely.
In the summer I mulch my veggies with grass clippings. I now have it all cleaned out and will pile all my leaves in there if it ever dries enough to pick them up. They will mulch the plants all summer, too. I've done it that way for years and don't have to weed or water.
Lablady1946
Level 3
Nov 1, 2019
1
Yes, a beautiful thing, and great use of the vinyl-coated wire!
tinkercreek
Level 8
Oct 27, 2019
1
looking good. The oak will help your acid loving plants.
glennlab
Level 10
Oct 27, 2019
3
Especially helpful since my soil is on the alcaline side. I want my hydrangeas more lavender and less pink, lol.
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