"For the life of me, I don't understand why composting has become such a science project for so many." "however you do it... it all decomposes in the end." Right. For decades I never knew the terms "greens" and "browns" but still dumped all our kitchen scraps in a pile and called it composting. Never added anything and never turned it. Once a year there would be some very nice dark soil-like material under the recent additions. I'd put that around the plants and never used any fertilizer in the flower garden and everything did well. Since reading on this forum and elsewhere I now know I can get more of this wonderful "black gold" by doing things differently but if anyone doesn't want more work they can do it the easy way as I did for decades. To answer the original poster, just dump the scraps on a pile or some sort of simple fenced bin, add "browns" if you can get them, and mix it up a bit if you are inclined. Stick around this forum and you may start doing things differently from time to time as I am. Anyway you do it (within reason) is good for the earth. It's really a simple thing unless you like to complicate it.

You seem to have a slop emergency! Dig a hole or two where you plan to make beds, take a deep breath so you won't have to inhale, and pour it in there. Then put the soil back in the holes. I did this last week with about 20 pounds of shriveling winter squash! With your next bucket, place it at the bottom of a bed and go from there. As long as it's covered by 5 inches or so of soil or organic matter, it will be just fine. Good luck! A few months from now, when your bin is warm and active, you'll be amazed at how much you've learned about rot. Here is a link that might be useful: my website

Here are the main reasons my traditional pile died: With out thinking I would constantly add to the top and would turn the pile at least every two weeks. With this I would have nearly finished compost mixed with new waste. I also would end up with way too much water in it. The only location I have for the pile is next to my garage under a side with no gutter. The rain from the roof would land directly on the pile. This both got the pile really wet and cooled it right down. I had the ratios fine and would often have plumes of steam when turning the pile. My traditional bin is 3'x3'x3' and made of staggered 2x4s with 4x4 corner posts. I can slide the 2x4's out of one side to turn or empty the bin. --- worm bin status below --- My worm inn is now processing a lot of kitchen waste, about 75% of my typical week. About two weeks ago I took the whole thing outside and emptied it. I mixed the whole thing up and let the wind blow away several hundred fruit flies. I started with about a pound of worms in early November and there were worms everywhere in the 2 cubic feet of media. Right now the inn is full and just processing away. I need compost for when I mix my container soils in May. My thinking is I will feed the bin until about the 1st of April. I'll then just let the worms and microbes work on everything for a month and a half without adding more food.

Disclaimer: rookie here, I still have a lot to learn If I was in your position, I would stop digging right now and start mulching. Just lay down a good layer of whatever free carbon is available (dead leaves, wood chips from a tree trimming operation, cardboard box waste from a shopping center, whatever). This would help keep the soil moist, reduce wild temperature swings, and protect the soil organisms while they're decomposing what you already added. With the the manure and coffee grounds (and kitchen scraps I'm no longer digging in), I'd start a compost pile, as close to a 3-foot cube in size as I could reasonably manage, 3 parts free carbon to every 1 part that stuff. Keep it moist but not soaking, and turn/stir/mix it every now and then, and by May it should be thoroughly broken down to compost that can help a lot. If I had more of that good nitrogen-rich material than I could fit into a 3x3x3 compost heap (I wish I had that problem), I'd start laying it down in alternating thin layers (no more than 1-2 inches thick each) with free carbon on the plot where I want to plant in May, keep it moist, and otherwise ignore it. If it breaks down enough to plant in by May, great; if not, spread the compost on top of it and plant into that. It will all break down eventually, nourish the soil, and by ignoring it and letting the soil food web do the rest of the digging in work, the soil should be in better shape than it would be if I'd broken it up myself with tools.