Chuck Banshee writes:

On Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:05:07 -0500, Dan Espen wrote:

chocolate, bones, bacon aren't good.
No meat products and I'm not sure about chocolate

I wonder why.

Seems to me everything biodegrades to the basic chemicals of life.

So why wouldn't chocolate be just as good (or better) as leaves. Both
degrade to carbohydrates, for example.

Fats take longer to break down and will attract pests.
They stink when they break down.

A good portion of the pile breaks down from fall to
mid-summer.

So a year would seem perfect if a 'good portion' breaks down in 3/4 of a
year. Right?

It's an ongoing process.
At the bottom you will find soil after 6 months or so.
After you have the soil you need to figure out what you're
going to do with it.

For me, I compost a lot of leaves.
I don't turn it, way too much work.
By August, I rake off the leaves on top and
there's about a foot of compost.

I usually sift it all and then spread it on the lawn.

--
Dan Espen