We did do one improvement, which is that we lined the thing loosely with plastic... Keep in mind that by lining it with plastic you have greatly restricted the needed air flow to the pile - one of the main advantages to using pallets. ;) It will likely need more frequent turning as a result. And if the plastic also encases the bottom of the container, excess moisture will collect there and you could end up with anaerobic compost and odor problems. I understand the need to keep out the chickens - lining it with chicken wire works well for that while not restricting the air flow - but composting requires lots of air circulation and good drainage so as a general rule of thumb, plastic and composting don't work well together. ;) Just some thoughts to keep in mind. Dave

Personally I enjoy eye candy. Been known to search various compost, compost bin, etc. late at night and just have fun looking around at all the creative ways folks rot their yard debris. On a more practical side, here in the city with many close neighbors, a bin is the only option. Tidy and hopefully rat, mouse, opossum, and raccoon protected is a requirement. A pile of "garbage " in the yard will sooner or later trigger a complaint to the nuisance dept. where you then get then work with one of the city inspectors. Most likely outcome at that point is being told to remove all of the garbage by X date. If not done the city then steps in and a lien is placed on your property if you fail to pay for the city crew that had to come clean up the pile. It's all part of being a responsible citizen in densely populated areas. Want some eye candy, and even compost cookies it seems ... :) BTW, to view the web site of a particular photo, click on that picture, then click on it again. Here is a link that might be useful: http://pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=compost

I know it takes a little while for it to start really cooking and that once it does, if I add anything to it, I'm starting all over again, right? Because you won't be able to turn the pile, just fill the bin as you get materials ... keep topping it off with grass clippings, dead leaves and such, keeping a reasonable balance of "wet green" versus "dry un-green" stuff. End with a layer of dried leaves and pack them down in the fall. Let it sit until when you look about 6-8 inches down it's looking like dark crumbly stuff. If you aren't turning it and watering it, it takes longer to compost but it still gets there. By next spring you should have the center core of that bin as a nice finished compost. Here is a link that might be useful: Cheap Wire Compost Bin: Cold composting method

"Are BSF timid creatures, or am I most likely going to have them crawling on me or flying around when I'm checking out my bin?" Some people really love their BSFL, as much as we love our worms. They too worry about them when they have to leave them for a few days. My understanding is that when BSFL are about 3/4 inch long and smaller they are white. Then as they mature they turn black and hard like little armadillos. Then they hide. The flys that emerge are like large houseflies but they do not land on poop and then on food. They avoid people, poop and food and want to find a bit of rot to lay their eggs on. They fly erratically. Slow when they are just warming up. Then faster. They are black with some of their leg area white. I think you would like the fly and the mature larvae and not be afraid of them. The thing that is cool about the white larvae is if one puts lets say the remains of a fish that the fillets have been harvest from into the bin, the the BSFL boil over the remains so actively that the remains float over the top of the activity and wonder around the container while getting smaller and smaller until they are all gone. Maybe let your helper know that these types of things in the bin are normal so they will not be startled. There is the cutest youtube that shows a little girl with a handful of BSFL feeding then to her chickens. If they knew that even little girls are not afraid of them then they might be more ok with them. Me I do not even touch my worms except with a 10 inch stick. Not even with gloves on. Maybe the scarriest thing to ever happen was I had noticed a few things out of place around the bin lately. Things were a bit mess with the vermicomost. I thought I was just sloppy. One day I put food in the top of the bin and out of the bottom a mouse jumped and darted off of my leg. I screamed like a little girl. Then I laughed a lot because I screamed. Many people love furry mice as pets. Maybe not me. I wonder if he was eating my worms. I move the material around in my bin to learn what is going on. As I am more confident I know what is happening in there and as vermicomposting is not my newest hobby, and I am not possessed with knowing what is going on with the little guys, I am more likely to leave them alone. Then my activity with the bin would more resemble how sbryce advises. Like him I would flip the bottom material over for the same reasons. Or gain interest in flow through bins like I have. I would think the cloth worm inns would work nice for you. Just put the stuff food by the tons and bedding in at the top. Zip it in. Water frequently. Harvest at the bottom. Supposedly no need to separate worms. They do dry out fast but the activity of adding water is pleasant for some. Others may have fish tank change water they want to use. I would think that maybe the condition of the material might be gauged a tiny bit by just squeezing the bag. I do not have one. Some people sew their own. Having a strong enough stand to hold mega weight is important. I guess like not buying the first year of a car I am waiting for them to come out with the new and improved version. I think mine would dry out. That would be ... ... .,. very bad for the worms. A homemade plastic bin is more resilient in that way.