Thanks for your advice, all. I'm going to go with the advice of starting with grass & paper, then adding in the kitchen scraps. robertz6~Your ratio of grass clippings to leaves is exactly what I needed to see, except I'll need to replace the leaves with shredded paper, and paper towels since I have little leaves around. I'll be sure to spread the paper around & try to avoid clumps. jeremyjs~I would love to have an enclosed bin, but I already have the pallets on hand--plus they were free. The good news is, I don't have a lot of critters to worry about. Mainly a family of squirrels, birds, and 1 outdoor cat. Plus, I've only ever seen the birds in the yard. The others just like walking the fence to their next location hehe (of course, that'll probably change if they discover any goodies). Also, how do you get a hold of sawdust? I'm assuming a lumber yard? Does anyone have advice on applying the rabbit poo directly to the garden?

Thanks for all the answers & info. We're composting both to amend gardens & for ecology reasons. We've had standard cold bins for years. That website was great, Cowgirl2 - thanks! We're gadget geeks, so of course we had to have a composting thermometer. I bought ours at our local Agway (farm and garden store) and it's about 18-24" long. Core temps only got to 112 after the first four days, so I worked hard to scrounge more greens, turned the pile, and added them. I got so excited when core temps measured 150 last night - about 36 hours after I turned & added greens. And all of a sudden, the volume noticeably dropped. Depending on how intrigued my husband gets with the idea of having a CO2 or O2 meter, I can see him either getting one or making one. (I joke not - ever heard of Make magazine? He's a fan.) I'm aware of the aerobic/anaerobic issue with water, and have been monitoring the moisture level by touch when I turn it. We have a tarp for cover, if needed. I am enjoying turning the pile so far - good exercise, and I love the smell of compost (more and more so as it's bubbling away), so my plan for now is to turn it 2x/week. When we're on vacation that won't happen (imagine the conversation with the pet sitter!). My husbund built three attached units about 3.75 x 3.75 by 3.25 feet. The size had to do with the leftover & scrounged materials he had available. I think I'm going to try it without the pesky sticks - I'll take them out when I turn it next. I'm hoping to have enough greens soon to build another pile and I'll make it without sticks to compare. But maybe a PVC pipe or sticks when we're on vacation, for a little boost? Thanks again!

Ya, you're nuts, Momstar, but you're in good company -- Sunny

Watboy, it can be rather difficult to get a pile to heat up when it is being constantly stirred by the addition of what you put it into it every day. Two piles,...one that is given the new, the other being left alone for a time and having the things that does bring up the temperature--grass clippings for example, will show you just how warm it can get. Grass clippings, wettened, will bring the temperature up. Sometimes so much so that putting your hand into the centre of the pile can be downright dangerous. Of course it all depends too on just what kind of material has also been added. Keeping your one pile in a more balanced mix is a more reliable way to generate what your garden will appreciate in that short time.