Back yard composting is great.  Yeah, many Canadian cities have the green bin program going (which you still need to make use of even if you compost at home.. I'll get to that later) but that stuff gets picked up every week never to be seen again by you or your garden.  If you are an urban gardener, composting in your yard is quite simple and will save you  time and money in gardening costs.  Not to mention the money you'll save on the cost of fresh veggies in the summertime.  Here are the basics of composting. 

Setting it up:

• First, you'll need a composting bin.  They can be bought at various hardware stores and eco shops.  Or you can make your own by wraping chiken-wire around four wooden stakes.  Keep the bin between 3'x3'x3' and 5'x5'x5'. 
• Next, choose a location with good water drainage to place your bin on.  Preferably in a partially shaded area and 20cm away from fences, plants, shrubs or any walls.
• Before setting down your bin, loosen the soil and up-root any greenery so it sits in dirt.
• Once your bin is in place, put a 10cm layer of dead plants, small branches and twigs at the bottom.  And you're ready to start composting!

The Composting Formula: Food, Air & Water

• FOOD: when filling your compost bin, always alternate layers of Browns (carbon-based materials (See chart below)) and Greens (nitrogen-based Materials (see chart)) always ending with a top layer of Browns.  Some say you should always layer top soil (or finished compost) in as the third and top most layer.  This does speed up the composting process but it isn't necessary for the composting to work.
• Note: To avoid attracting animals, always dig your food scraps into the center of the pile and cover with the surrounding compost.
• AIR: Poke aeration holes into your compost pile every two to three weeks using a broom handle or stick and loosen the pile with a garden fork.  If your pile lacks air it will start to smell of ammonia.  You should turn your pile once every couple of weeks to make sure things are decomposing evenly.
• WATER: You want to keep your pile moist like a wrung out sponge.  The organisms digesting your food-scraps into soil need water to survive but you can also drown them with too much water.  Check your pile on hot or windy days and dampen it with a little water if dry. Often the moisture from your food-scraps and/or rain is enough and there is no need to add water.

Things You Can Compost:

GREENS:

• Small amounts of grass clippings (keep the rest for browns later on)
• Flowers, green plants or leaves
• Fruit & vegetable peelings  
• Coffee, Tea, Fruit & Vegetable juice
• Grain or pasta products without sauces or fats

BROWNS:

• Dried grass clippings & dried leaves
• Small amounts of wood-chips or saw dust (without chemicals or other treatments)
• Dryer lint (finally a good use for this stuff!)
• Small amounts of hardwood/fireplace ash (unless contaminated with chemical 'firelog' ash)
• Straw
• Peet moss

Things You Can't Compost:

Some of these things, though they don't decompose well in a back-yard composting system, can be thrown into your City Green Bin to join the municipal compost piles which are much bigger and therefore able to achieve higher temperatures and able to decompose more complex things.  If you aren't sure what you can throw in there, check your local municipal website for a list.  Here's some examples of things you should but in the municipal green-bin instead of your back-yard composter.

• Dairy products
• Peanut butter or oil-based products
• Fish, meats, bones, or fats
• Barbecue charcoal or coal ash
• Diseased or insect-infested plants
• Weeds with mature seeds
• Treated wood products
• Animal or human waste

When is the Compost Ready?:

If you're layering correctly, you should have finished compost in 2 to 3 months.  To speed up the process, you can chop up or shred the materials, aerate your composte pile more often or add a layer of soil or finished compost once in a while.  Your compost is ready when you can no longer see traces of your Greens or Browns and the mixture has a dark brown colour and an earthy smell.

You may want to screen your compost through a wire mesh before using it and return non-composted items to your bin.

Uses for your Compost: