I tried adding all of my kitchen greens and various things to the bin but trying to turn it became a nightmare.

My "middle" bin is the only one with a front. I was using it to "turn" my compost into. I would go from the left to the middle and the middle to the left. Then from the right to the middle and from the middle to the right. That was a good way of turning the pile.

It turns out that I am just lazy. Very lazy. But, trying to be green.

I have noticed that my pile compresses over time. I haven't turned it for a month or so but I keep adding to it.

I thought I would keep adding to one bin until it stays "full" and then start tossing my stuff in the next and the next until they are all full and according to composting "lore" the first bin should be "done" and the next bin should be well on it's way and I can start all over again.

Thoughts?

I put in greens from the kitchen, some guinea pig bedding, weeds.

We have chickens but I think I can compost the deep litter/shavings directly on the garden and fall leaves go directly into the garden.

I am lazy, but I am trying. Will this work? A few months (9 to 6'ish) to go from kitchen stuff to compost for the garden? With no turning, no temp reg, no watering... just the dumping of stuff.

Thoughts?

I would remove the front from bin 2. Or, you can use some old wire to attach it so you can easily untwist the wire on one side and open it like a door. Used to do that on my triple bins.

Have fun. A triple bin can make a LOT of compost if you have the stuff to feed it with.

I turn my pile twice a year.

tox gave you a good description of how the three bin set up is designed to work.

BUT I *do* water my heaps. It depends on your climate, but if I don't water my heaps, and ideally cover them with a plastic sheet to hold the moisture in, they dry out and just sit there doing nothing.

Although I do turn my piles on occasion, when I think it's finished, I'll turn it out of the bin and onto a pile and let that sit, sometimes for more than a year. That's when it actually finishes.

I just add to the pile, and it shrinks as it breaks down. I had one pile going for two years. It was mainly kitchen scraps, paper products, all the leaves fell close to the bin, and my chickens bedding if I didn't have anywhere else to put it (like a fallow garden bed) when I cleaned the coop.

A few months ago, I got to thinking that there should be some darn good compost under there. So I started a new pile somewhere else so there would not be gross scraps in the pile when I harvested it. What I did was I scraped off the top six inches, and underneath was the bestest compost ever! I got two wheelbarrow loads and spread it around my hosta beds. It was dark brown and black, and very crumbly and moist. I never once turned this pile.

So yes, you CAN be a lazy composter, it works for me.

I only compost to be a better world member too so this is going to be the way I go!

Thanks for all the advice.

Toilet paper tubes, paper towels, we even compost our shredded junkmail. Butter wrappers too, although there is controversy.

Where I live, I have to pay to have recycling and trash pick up, which I must haul down my 400 foot driveway to the curb, before I leave for work. This has caused me to re-examine closely what I throw away, because I seriously hate hauling stuff out to the curb before work. Can't do it the night before, raccoons will spread it over the highway.

But I make piles, and every once in a while, then I get a wild hair, I harvest some really nice compost.

I don't know what does and doesn't have soy ink as far as printed things go. Is that really important?

I just can't do it. I have to play in the compost. I admit it, I have a problem. (Actually, really I don't, every one else has the problem, I'm just fine thank you very much. Bwahahaha)

Lloyd

With only about 2 weeks of rain in over 2 months I have to water the bins or they dry out and quit heating. I've tried covering with plywood to hold moisture in but they still need extra water occasionally.

This forum is completely responsible for my newest hobby. Prior to reading here I only did cold composting and had a life. But never had enough compost. Who needs a life anyhow! JK LOL