Question about Composting

I want to make a compost pile for my garden but at this point in time I lack the proper materials to do so. I know that it needs air circulation so I was wondering if I could use an old laundry basket to get it started until I can get a better design going on? If not a laundry basket any other household item I might be able to use? Something that does not require drilling cause my cats chewed through the cord to my drill charger.

Are you putting it inside or out?

Air can be maintained by turning the pile with a pitchfork or shovel. A compost pile can be just a pile without a box. It all depends on your needs. No one says it has to be contained in a bin, that's just so it doesn't spread out.

Cinder blocks stacked offset to each other can also work. Just leave small gaps between the blocks.

The size you need to contain is going to be dependent on how much material you have to put in your pile

a laundry basket is probably not the best idea -- you want the compost to have exposure to the soil (if it's outside) -- how about some chicken wire? Qinx is right -- any ol' pile will do... it just cooks better if it's contained somehow.

The pile is to be outside. I started it in a 5 gal. bucket but ran out of space. I do need to have it contained somehow because my dog will mess with it if I dont. The laundry basket in question has about 30 big holes punctured in the bottom for a planting experiment I tried that didn't work out so it would have contact with the ground. How often do I need to turn the pile?

You can turn the pile, daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, never... it's all up to you. It will eventually break down. Turning it too often, especially if it is hot and cooking can cause it to cool down immediately.

Have you looked at the composting thread here for other info too? http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/f/soil/all/

annabelle - here's a link to Paul Jame's suggestions for a compost bin:

http://www.hgtv.com/landscaping/assembling-a-compost-bin/index.html

Quinx, thanks for the info. I cant check out that thread cause Im not a subscribing member but thanks anyways. HoneybeeNC, thanks for the link Ive emailed it to myself for future ideas.

Annabelle,
If you don't put meat or dairy scraps into your compost pile, your dog most likely will leave it alone.
We have a "passive" compost pile, which means that we layer brown stuff from the gardens with green stuff (mostly grass clippings) and vegetable refuse from the kitchen. I used to toss in a gallon bucket full of composted manure, but since we got the chickens, well, I don't buy manure any longer! It is passive because it needs no tossing. It takes longer to break down, but it does break down.
We made a U shaped container using three pallets. Pallets are cheap, and if you sink T-posts (also cheap) at the four corners and tie the pallets to them, the container is stable.
Think big--you'll be surprised how quickly you build up a pile of good stuff. A small container like a laundry basket or a 5 gal. pail is what you will use to take things to the compost pile, not put the pile into!

My first compost pile was made from pallets. A farm store that buys seed and chemicals in bulk, usually have throw away pallets they will give you. I used four and then tied them together at the corners at top and bottom with scrap 1x4's. That first one lasted for several years. Turning was to much like work and I didn't have the time so I just let it compost on its own. Just kept it wet. Worked real good for me.

If you guys haven't visited Texasroses web site, you really need to. Beautiful.

Texasroses and Jim, I will try to get some palletts in the near future (school clothes must come first). I don't put meat scraps in the pile, I have heard that it is bad. My dog likes to go dig in the pile so I need it contained. For now I will just have to keep it in the bucket until I can get a good bin made.

Just pile the stuff on the ground and let him dig in it. Nothing better than an automatic compost turner over/scatter outer that works for scrapes.

I bet if you called around someone would have pallets for free. If you were in Indiana you could have some of ours. I understand about the dogs, I have two dalmatians and they would dig and on of them would probably roll around, just for the fun. Good luck with your project.

AgAlliance, here where I live, has returnable pallets that they have to send back to companies they order from but have a ton of throw away's that are a pain in the rear to get rid of. Man, they are glad for you to haul some of them off. Some of the folks in our area, haul them home to burn in their fireplaces. When I was in Ohio in May my daughters next door neighbor had stacks of pallets to burn this winter. They are out there just waiting for someone to put them to good use.

I will keep my eye on Craigslist and see if any pallets show up. As for the dog digging she doesnt just dig, today i found corn husks all over the yard that she dragged around from the pile. Also when she digs everything goes flying so its not really a good idea.

Annabelle, check at grocery stores, places like Home Depot, Sam's/Wal-Mart, PetCo/PetsMart, or anywhere they get shipments that come on a freight truck. They'll often leave them out by the dumpster or receiving dock, so just ask the store manager if you can have a few. I know where I work, when we get a freight shipment on a pallet, we just lay the pallet against the wall near our dumpster for anyone to come claim. Where my DH used to work, they would get bright blue fiberglass pallets. DH brought some home and built a compost "bin" out of some.

I work at a printing shop and we get paper all the time in on pallets. Check with a local printer and see if they have any they don't need.