We still have leaves available (March), my favorite brown. Paper just clumps up too much for my taste.

I collect 200 -400 bags of fall leaves, and shred them with either the chipper/shredder or lawn mower. Since there are up to eight mesh bins, there is plenty of room to store shredded leaves.

Get a dog if you don't have one already. You'll get a better idea of what resources your neighborhood has to offer on daily walks. If he or she is big enough, they can drag a bag back for you each day. Hummmm, wonder how many bags a huskie could drag home?

We're in a huge new development area...meaning no trees (or rather, the leaves from the tiny trees we do have were used LONG ago for our compost. :)

I too find things like paper/cardboard and lint to clump up too bad to really be useful...which pretty much crosses off the majority of that listing above, I'm afraid.

I'm guessing we'll need to just go buy some straw or something of the sort...

where u @ shpigford--I have excess browns here

shpigford,
don't dispare. my first "real try" was also an all green distaster but turned out great.
listen to Dave he's right just add
news paper
junk mail
cereal boxes
twigs
ect
it really will be fine.
be glad you can't really see the grossness.
mine was in a pile (shudder)!!!
good luck. :)

I've been bringing newspaper home from work and shredding it while I watch television at night.

Try to locate the place where your, or a neighboring community dumps their leaf and lawn collections. You may be able to obtain partially broken down leaf mulch. I use a lot of it as the base material for my compost. - Bill Hill
-

{{gwi:271952}}

No Junk Mail? The primary brown component in my pile is shredded junk mail.

I too find things like paper/cardboard and lint to clump up too bad to really be useful...which pretty much crosses off the majority of that listing above, I'm afraid.

That's too bad as they are some of the best things to recycle this wa and great compost ingredients. I've never had any problem with them clumping unless the compost is way too wet to begin with but then I don't use tumblers either. Are you shredding them or at least tearing them up some before adding them?

Perhaps it's time for a trip out to the country where many more sources of ingredients are readily available.

Dave

I got a year's supply of browns when I called up a tree and stump removing service and asked them to dump a truckload full of wood chips on my driveway. It took a hell of a long time to put them away somewhere, but it was worth it.

I hand-shred all of the cardboard boxes that our family goes through - and it's alot! Boxes from: kleenex, cereal, grains, etc.

If I were in your shoes, I'd invest in a shredder - which investment would go a long way to make good use out of those boxes, junk mail & newspapers.

In my area, the county dump's leaf pile & the tree removal service are 2 great sources too!

Here is a link that might be useful: 201+ Compost ingredients

I think takadi has is right, pick up the phone and call around,
There are hundreds of tree services in my area (and I am sure your area as well) that would love to bring you a load of wood chips that you could use to balance out your brown to green ratio and you could also use the chips as mulch or give it to neighbors to use as mulch.
When I worked at the school they gave me the very worst spot to make compost in, it was a large low spot that was very swampy, the plus side was it was right next to a gravel road.
So I made lemonade.
I got in touch with a tree service company (or two) and had them dump their waste wood chips in this low area and after I smoothed it all out (well over 100 dump truck loads) this low spot became a large mound of chips'n'such to which I added at least 160 gallons of food waste every day (some days it was 200) and once the microbes and the worms discovered it, it was cookin and good lookin. The moisture in the ground wicked up so I never had to water my compost mountain and moisture loss is a problem with a lot of open air compost facilities (a dry compost pile is a preserved compost pile)
This country is always wasting waste and so many people would rather use their wallets than use their brains and their time to make compost.
By the way, if they try to charge you for dumping their waste chips, hang up and call somebody else.
IALBTC

There I go again-shoot first and (really) read the posts later!
When it comes to compost I like big bites (so to speak), so I'd have to agree with "robertz6" walk around and look, some body is always throwing usable browns out pretty much year round in the MD suburbs.
Be tenacious.
By the by, I have never used a tumbler and unless some one gave me one, I don't think I ever will.
Be that as it may, enjoy!
IALBTC

Shpigford said:

"We're in a huge new development area...meaning no trees (or rather, the leaves from the tiny trees we do have were used LONG ago for our compost. :)"

Since you live in a new development I am sure having some tree service dump a load of wood chips in front of your house is out of the question. It indeed may be the time to take a drive in the country or contact your county agency and see where they are dumping their rubbish. Another source may be your local zoo; they may have excess hay/straw that is fed to the animals that can be used in your compost. Another is a farm in your outlaying area; they may be willing to depart with some of their spoiled hay or animal bedding. Local park services may allow you to remove leaves that have accumulated within the parks.

Now is not the time to be shy, bold action and upfront conversation may lead you in the right direction. I learned a long time ago that asking for help, especially from those who tell me "no" can be a blessing in disguise. Also, check local want ads for people selling animals or pet shelters; anyone offering to cart off what they view as "garbage/trash" may just be their dream come true. Pet stores have to get rid of their clean up every day, you may be just what the vet called for. Put on that thinking cap and become the "wacko" we know you can beÂ

Blutranes