bent wrote:

: If I don't get a solid idea of what I'm doing I may just end up
: starting with garbage cans. I was talking with a neighbor who
: said its taken him now two years and no dirt yet.

Another approach is to use earth worms. Earth worms will also convert
organic material (grass, leaves, wood, paper, kitchen scraps, etc)
into dirt, but they don't heat up the dirt and they don't smell. In
my experience, they don't convert teh material as fast as a good
compost bin, but they are pretty fool-proof. They will work in almost
any size container; some people keep a plastic bin under the sink for
kitchen scraps. The worms need air, water, shelter from the sun, and
they like a little calcium (egg shells or tums).

You can just use the worms you find around, or you can buy them.
Search for "vermiculture" on the web for detailed advice. Don't buy
any fancy equipment or bins unless you like buying things - it's easy
to make something. Most of the suggested designs for compost bins
will also work for worms (including the hole in the ground). As long
as the worms are happy they won't wander off.

Good luck,

--- Chip