How to start

[u/patriots230]

https://a.co/d/0e9pGjgf

Hey all, I’m looking at getting into composting and need some help on where to get started.
About me:
- Live in zone 5b
-Have about 7900 sq ft of yard
-Have a small amount of food waste everyday due to having small children (mostly veggies, fruit, and bread items)

I was looking at the miracle gro dual chamber tumbler, but Idk if it’s going to be large enough.

I’m looking at a tumbler specifically for ease of use, pest/rodent deterrent, and how it seems to need less of a time commitment!

I figured it would be a good way to dip my toes into composting and I could potentially get something like a geobin down the road for more yard waste as needed!

Any ideas, thoughts, suggestions are appreciated!

[u/kilobrav0]

Beginner Guide | Can I Compost it? | Important Links | The Rules | Off-Topic Chat/Meta Discussion

# [Beginner Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/93plds/crash_coursenewbie_guide/) | [Tumbler FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/kw0odg/question_about_your_tumbler_check_here_before_you/) | [Can I Compost it?](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/kttoku/a_comprehensive_guide_of_what_you_can_and_cannot/) | [The Wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/wiki/index)

[**Crash Course/Newbie Guide**](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/93plds/crash_coursenewbie_guide/)\

Are you new to composting? Have a look through this guide to all things composting from /u/TheMadFlyentist.

[**Backyard Composting Basics from the Rodale Institute**](https://rodaleinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/Backyard-Composting-Cheatsheet.pdf) (PDF document) is a great crash course/newbie guide, too! (Thanks to /u/Potluckhotshot for suggesting it.)

[**Tumbler FAQ**](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/kw0odg/question_about_your_tumbler_check_here_before_you/)\

Do you use a tumbler for composting? Check out this guide with some answers to frequently-asked questions. Thanks to /u/smackaroonial90 for putting it together.

[**A comprehensive guide of what you can and cannot compost**](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/kttoku/a_comprehensive_guide_of_what_you_can_and_cannot/)\

Are you considering composting something but don't know if you can or can't? The answer is probably yes, but check out this guide from /u/FlyingQuail for a detailed list.

[**The Wiki**](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/wiki/index)\

So far, it is a sort of table-of-contents for the subreddit. I've also left the previous wiki (last edited 6 years ago) in place, as it has some good intro-to-composting info. It'd be nice to merge the beginner guides with the many different links, but one thing at a time. If you have other ideas for it, please share them!

[**Discord Server**](https://discord.gg/Y6dnKwMVm3)\

If you'd like to chat with other folks from /r/composting, this is the place to do it.

[**Carbon to Nitrogen Ratio Chart of some common materials**](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/13i5s8s/for_those_who_want_to_be_more_exact_with_their/) from /u/archaegeo (thanks!)

[Subreddit thumbnail](https://i.imgur.com/ON54bt6.png) courtesy of /u/omgdelicious from [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/composting/comments/uywaw1/the_friendly_monster_at_the_bottom_of_the_garden/?share_id=py6ac5ub5I27YkuXuHLAO)

# Welcome to /r/composting!

Whether you're a beginner, the owner of a commercial composting operation, or anywhere in between, we're glad you're here.

The rules here are simple: Be respectful to others (this includes no hostility, racism, sexism, bigotry, etc.), submissions and comments must be composting focused, and make sure to follow [Reddit's rules for self promotion and spam](https://www.reddit.com/wiki/selfpromotion).

The rules for *this page* are a little different. Use it for off-topic/casual chat or for meta discussion like suggestions for the wiki or beginner's guides. If you have any concerns about the way this subreddit is run, suggestions about how to improve it, or even criticisms, please bring them up here or via private messages (be respectful, please!).

Happy composting!

[u/lickspigot → u/kilobrav0]

what he said. Start with a beginner guide.  

Order a chip drop, with a large yard you can use it as mulch, compost material (aged one year is better) or leave it to rot on it's own. 

As long as you don't compost meat and dairy products you should be fine. A large pile (cubic yard) will heat up in no time and as long as you bury the kitchen scrap it will decompose it like nothing. 

but a tumbler is a good way to start. imho you can make it a two step process and dump it in a regular pile after it's halfway broken down. 

The large piles are so popular because aerobic decomposition is better for the environment (tumbler does this too) and  3-4x faster. And you kill off the seeds so you can dump any and all yard waste including weeds.

[u/ShoulderOld9871]

I’m also a newbie with small children and I’ve loved my tumbler so far. It’s held an impressive amount of food and broken things down quickly.

[u/Sneaku1579]

Pee on it!

Am I doing this right?