Our landfills are filling up faster than new sites can be found. By the year 2000 the existing landfills will be full, and there will be a garbage crisis. Sadly, one of the greatest treasures is part of that crisis, and literally is going to waste. Tons of leaves, grass clippings, weeds, and food scraps are helping to expedite the landfill crisis when they should be put to work in our own gardens by being composted. Anyone, anywhere, can compost any organic material easily, effortlessly, without odor if they understand the composting process. Simply put, compost is the result of bacterial action that breaks down organic compounds into a rich humus. Compost is an excellent source of nitrogen in the garden, and also provides a little potassium and some trace minerals to the soil. It is the food source for billions of microorganisms that transform the compost into soluble compounds that can be absorbed by the roots of the plants. About half of the nutrients in the compost are used by the plant in the first year, half of the remainder in the second year, and so on. Compost mixed with your soil helps to increase the soil's ability to retain water, even during dry periods. Some of the fatty acids contained in compost are toxic to certain fungi and bacterial diseases which cause root rot and damping off.

A good compost pile contains four elements: carbon, or dry materials; nitrogen, or green materials; oxygen; and moisture. Properly combined they create a perfect environment for microorganisms to go to work. As they eat their way through the pile they give off heat - a great deal of heat. Up to 160 degrees can be achieved for days at a time. When the pile begins to cool, a quick turn of the pile injects oxygen into the process, and begins the heating cycle again. When the pile no longer heats up after turning you know you've got rich humus ready to be used in your garden. There are two methods to composting: active, which requires some manual labor, and passive, which requires only time. When using the active method, it's important to prepare your compost pile according to formula for the best and quickest results. The height of the pile directly influences the amount of heat generated. Four feet high has been proven to be the ideal height. A pile that is too high can become compressed from its own weight, and shut off the oxygen supply to the bacteria. Too short a pile will not allow enough heat to be generated to get the optimal bacterial action. When you are ready to begin a compost pile, it is a good idea to gather your materials together in separate piles to get a good mix, and get the process cooking. Layer your materials in alternating layers of dry materials such as straw, leaves, or dry grass, and green materials such as grass clippings, manure, green weeds, or food scraps. It is best to keep your compost in some sort of bin so that you can control the amount of air and water that gets to the pile. The easiest type of bin is one made from a 12 foot long by 4 foot high section of pig wire or chicken wire. If you use chicken wire, you should stake it into the ground to prevent it from toppling. Shape it into a circle securing the ends, line it with plastic (I have also lined it with rooting paper), and layer your materials. When the pile has reached its proper height, sprinkle it with water so that the water reaches the bottom of the pile, and cover it with plastic. After a couple of days, remove the plastic cover, and shove a board through the pile to the bottom to aerate the pile. Don't be surprised if you see steam come from the pile. Check the temperature. It should be at least 130 degrees to kill off harmful weed seeds. Any time you want to add kitchen scraps to your already cooking pile, dig a small hole in the middle, place in your scraps, and cover them. After a week, begin checking the temperature on a daily basis. When you notice the pile begin to cool, it is time to turn it. With this type of bin it is easy to just pull the wire off, and set it to the side to accept the pile as you turn it. Repeating this process will give you useable compost in four to six weeks.

If you are going to have a passive compost pile, it is still a good idea to get your materials together and begin by layering the dry and green materials. The passive compost pile is not turned, but can be added to continually. It is also necessary to keep the pile covered to prevent rain from leaching all the nutrients through the pile. During times when it is dry, the pile should be sprinkled about once a week to keep it moist.

The odor of a compost pile is due to too much green materials. If your pile begins to smell, just add some dry materials and mix them in a little. The smell should stop in a couple of days.

For more information you can search the web.  Use "compost .edu" without the quotes but be sure to put a space between compost and .edu.  This brings up several university sites across the country.  Here's one example from Colorado State University Cooperative Extension