In the end...were all compost

my compost bins

I have a compost bin, well two compost bins.  They are tucked into that same corner behind the garage as my very lovely, blue rain barrels.  My husband is not fond of their appearance, either, but is fine with their presence in our yard.  He built them for me by just a description of how I would like them to be.  I can change the front boards from side to side by just sliding them up from one and down into the other.  He is a genius when it comes to making things work for me.  In return, he gets to dump the yard clippings in from the grass cutting.  I don't do grass if I don't have to.

Compost tools

My compost tools are simple.  I have a good sized wheelbarrow, a garden fork and a screen with 1/2" size or so openings (they are actually rectangles which are about 1" long).  Size doesn't really matter unless you want your composted screened fine enough to put through a lawn spreader for your turf areas.  The screen should be framed out to hold it stiff over whatever you are sifting it into.  They even sell screens that fit over 5 gallon pails so you can tote the compost wherever you need it.  Making them is cheap enough.  Once again if you don't have the tools, you can always bake the cookies. (See roll out the rain barrels if you don't get what I'm saying.)

sifting the compost

The process is quite simple for sifting out the compost.  From the side that is mostly ready, scoop out a heaping helping onto the screen.  Gently move it back and forth with the garden fork to sift out the good stuff into the wheelbarrow.  The larger leaves, food bits, and a few worms will stay at the top.  

red wigglers

Do be gentle as you want to save the worms to either head to your garden bed or go into the unfinished bin to help you make compost.  Dividing worms does not make more worms even if they are broken where they can heal.  Only one part will live so...be good to your worms.  I have a few larger crawlers in my pile but the bulk of my worm population is red wigglers.  You can buy worms but I found mine and added them to the heap years ago where they have been forming a happy community since they were introduced.

unfinished bits

Once you have all the finer, composted bits  sifted out, dump the unscreened materials into your unfinished compost.  If you only have one compost bin, just set it off to the side to put back into the bin when you are done.  A small tarp or piece of plastic will work as then you can just pick it up to dump it in when you are finished.  
Keep repeating the process until you empty your bin or you have as much compost as you need for the day's work.  The beauty of two bins is that I can do a little compost each time I need it.  My husband will add clippings into my unfinished side and I dump our kitchen scraps bucket in there as it fills.  The bucket we use is just a repurposed plastic pail with no cover.  We dump coffee and filters right in along with egg shells, vegetable and fruit scraps and all other kinds of rotten stuff.  Avoid meat and fat as it may attract rats which neighbor's will frown upon as well as the city.  (Yes, there is an ordinance against this in our fair city.)  But I digress...

finished compost

With a little bit of work, you soon have a whole wheelbarrow full of lovely, nutritious dirt and worms for your garden beds.  I am not a very dedicated fertilizer applicator.  Compost is my main fertilizer in my gardens.  They really don't need a whole lot more.  A soil test could prove me wrong, but who wants to pay to be told they're wrong.  Actually, I have normal plant growth and coloring so I don't see the need.  Now if I was trying to grow blueberries in our alkaline soils, I might be more inclined to analyze this deeper.  I am not dedicated enough to home grown blueberries for that...yet.
There are all kinds of "recipes" for the best compost.  I don't buy anything to try and make sure my bin has the right balance of brown and green.  The green comes in summer, the brown with autumn leaves and plant material.  I will add in the pea vines as they wither in the summer heat and the compost pail is emptied in at least once or twice a week. I will dump my pots into it in the fall as well as any plant clippings I take off during my greenhouse operations.  
I do mix it up very occasionally to oxygenate the pile, but I am not dedicated enough to be a religious compost pile turner.  If the weather is dry, I will add some water from the nearby rain barrels to keep the worms happy and digesting my potato peels.  Avoid too wet as worms will not like that either.  My bin has very little wood on the sides.  It is lined with 1" chicken wire to keep the stuff in, consequently it doesn't hold a lot of moisture.  I have covered it with plastic sheeting during extremely wet weather to keep it from getting totally soaked.  Purchased bins often come with a cover.  It is quick and easy but not cheap.  I priced one out several years ago at over $100.  That was not in the budget.
With a little bit of work and waste, you can start your own compost pile.  The benefits of having really good soil are worth it.