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I am very much in favor of getting a composting bin (like the one below). Before I do that, I want to get your thoughts on the following:
Any suggestions on the questions above and the bin shown below would be great
Composting requires a series of temperatures rises to grow the right type of bacteria in order for composting to occur in a timely fashion. Therefore most sites will tell you that you need a sufficient volume of plant material in order to generate and retain the heat, and this minimum volume is 1 cubic metre. Below this your pile will not sustain the mesophilic and thermophilic bacteria that do the work. So, the bin pictured, although sold in garden centres world wide, is not suitable.
As for mice etc, they are attracted to animal products such as meat, and dairy so keep these out, or compost then separately using a Kobashi bin.
And smell is caused by incorrect carbon to nitrogen ratios, that is mainly too much nitrogen, and not enough aeration causing an anaerobic pile. You need sufficient carbon to capture nitrogen and prevent it being released into the atmosphere. Most sites recommend a carbon to nitrogen ratio of 30:1 but I believe Ecology Action recommends 60-90:1.
For information on how to compost, ending up with a high carbon product, giving you high brix produce, look for the books from Ecology Action written by John Jeavons et al.
