One mistake too many composters make is the compost pile is too small. 3 cubed just isn't enough. 4 cubed works MUCH better.
Another problem is not mixing green and brown materials. I know they say 4" layers work well. They don't. Those people are making much larger piles.
Unless you see steam coming off the piles sometimes, it isn't working.
Which leads to moisture... You want a pile that is damp but not soaked. Grab a chunk and it should be like a damp sponge. But who has sponges anymore? OK like a mostly squeezed wet towel.
Then toss it into a 2nd bin. You want a 2nd bin. the turned stuff has to go somewhere. OK, so you don't have a 2nd bin. Put it on the ground.
Put the bottom stuff back in first and the older stuff on the top. That will even things out for more composting..
Now you see why 2 bins are good. No moving the stuff out and back in. One simple trade from one bin to the next, top to bottom does 2 steps.
A few months of THAT and all your yard stuff will be beautiful compost.
But what about new material while the older stuff is breaking down?
Well, THAT's why you want a 3 bin system! After Bin 1 is filled, you dump it all into Bin 2. That mixes it pretty good. Then after a few months, when Bin 1 is full again, you dump Bin 2 into Bin3 and Bin 1 into Bin 2.
And start filling Bin 1 again.
Easy Peasy. And actually it is. Sound like a lot of trouble, but it isn't.
Bin 3 is always finished compost and you use it. Just keep moving the contents along to next bin...
