I did this exact thing. I have holes in the bottom of mine, and due to the rainy weather lately, I'm glad I did. You want the consistency to be like a wet sponge. Too wet or too dry, and it doesn't work quite as fast, and can stink as well if too wet. Smaller holes will ensure you don't lose too much compost.

I really like this method, as it's small and contained. A bit of a pain to turn, but the more it's turned, the faster it will compost.

Kim

Kim - thank you for the advice! I have enough space to have a much larger system... but thought I'd start out on a smaller scale to see how I do at this.

The things that grow best at my place is dandelions, green onions and poison ivy... and I didn't want them to invade it; especially the poison ivy! I wasn't sure how that would work. But I can assure you that I don't want to be playing in compost that is poison ivy laced!

Have a great day and thanks again for the advice!

Definitely drill holes in the bottom. It not only helps with moisture but also lets the worms in!

Hi all!
Composting in trash can is a wonderful idea. It's portable, contained, and efficient. Turning may be an issue. Here is what I would suggest:
Start with 8-10 inches of harder to breakdown carbon material such as wood chips, whole leaf, twigs, sweet gum balls etc. Then start mixing 2-3 inches of shredded leaves and grass clipping, add a few sweet gum balls between layers of carbon and nitrogen mixture and 3-4 handfuls of used coffee ground or organic fertilizer. Compact this layers and repeat until you reach about 6 inches from the top, then cover with 6 inches of shredded leaves. Water well! Let the heap heats up for a couple of weeks, then start adding your kitchen scrap by scrapping the top leaf layers and bury the scrap within the carbon/nitrogen mixture. You'll have a continuous hot compost without the need to turn until you see soil like mixture and you bury your scrap. You could dump the whole thing and sort them out and start over.

Yes. Drill holes in the bottom (and through the sides). Your pile will need to breath and drain. Otherwise it will look like the gunk you pull out of your gutters.

I tried the "normal" trash can method and didn't have any luck because it's so darn hard to turn the pile (doesn't roll very well and becomes too heavy to lift). That trash can still gets used around my garden, but not as a composter.

Give it a try, but I'd really try to locate a barrel that was rounder and easier to roll (got mine from local car wash). Lots of good videos on youtube about how to make em.

Cornell Composting has a page on trash can composting.

And how to make a bio reactor in a two liter soda bottle, plus lot of other ideas.

If you build the pile the way I wrote in previous entry, you don't really need to turn it. I sure don't turn my compost unless it's absolutely necessary. My pile stays about 120 deg Fahrenheit. Give it a try!

Thank you for all the words of wisdom. So far things are going well.

Believe it or not, I have found it is easier to actually flip the trash can end-over-end (rather than rolling it on it's side) and this mixes the contents very well. Of course, this may become more difficult with time as the can becomes heavier.

I truly appreciate all of the advice!