Composition

• Aim for a carbon-to-nitrogen ration of about 30 to 1. Carbon sources include dry plant material such as dry tree leaves or straw. The nitrogen in your pile can come from green or wet material -- including fruit and vegetable scraps -- as well as manure, cottonseed meal or nitrogen fertilizer.
  
  

Maintenance

• Mix the pile about once a month, spring through fall, to incorporate air and to move the contents from the outer part of the pile inward, where the pile heats, thereby speeding up the composting process. Maintain the moisture level of the pile so you can squeeze just one or two drops of water from a handful of compost. Water the pile when it's too dry; add more brown material when too wet.
  
  

Considerations

• Your pile will probably freeze in the Minnesota winter, but you can still continue layering browns and greens if you wish. Cut kitchen scraps finely to encourage quicker decomposition. Turn the pile when it thaws in spring, mixing in more dry material to return it to the proper moisture level.