The Compost Bin is Ready!

YAY! We just came back inside from completing the compost bin. Man, it's a stinkin' hot day today, especially with it being "high noon," but that's when the LO was asleep, and we could both work on the bin together. Fortunately, we were working in the shade the whole time... I read that it's good to have a 3'x3'x3' bin because that amount of materials will generate enough heat to break everything down, and "sterilize" the contents in the bin. The finished bin size is ~4'x3.5'x2' tall. We didn't want the walls of the bin to be 3' high--that just seemed like it'd be more of an eyesore than a 2' high bin... Pictured below, Dear Husband (DH) is stapling the wire to the base. I chose a 2' wide wire aviary netting. I liked this better than chicken wire because it has a smaller gauge. My thinking is that less stuff can fall through this type of wire... Completed base with awaiting walls... It is complete! We used plastic zip ties (because we already had them) to hold the sections together. I don't know how they will hold up, but if they don't last very long, we'll switch over to wire. My biggest concern now is obtaining enough "greens" (ie grass clippings) to get a hot, steamy pile going. A part of our lease is having a lawn service, so I'll let the gentlemen know to dump the clippings in the bin for a while but since it's getting hot out, the grass will slow down it's growth. Also, I've been collecting news and white paper which I've been shredding, and these will be my "browns." Dead leaves are an ideal "brown," but there aren't any right now, and I want to get the compost pile going. I've been freezing food scraps (already have 2 gallon ziplocs + 1 of coffee grounds), but the wonderful people hanging out on the compost section of Garden Web said it's best to have a hot pile going before adding food scraps. I'm assuming it's because it helps keep smells down by decomposing the food faster, and it keeps the critters out. Oh, yes. The greatest things about the pallet bin and it's location are that it blends in with the wood fence, and the orange bush hides 90% of it. Well, for now anyway... If this bin goes well, I may add an extension bin moohahahahahaha! Garden addiction. ADDICTION I tell ya! No. Wait. NOT addiction. I'm just doing my part to help the planet. Yea... I'll keep telling myself that's the root of my gardening motivation... Yea...