Today is the first day...

I woke up this morning thinking about the composting class that I was to attend today and also about my first introduction to composting.
My grandparents had what was called a 'cottage' on Point Pelee in Ontario, Canada and they gardened. I don't know how the soil was there, but they had a compost pile that contained all their garden and kitchen refuse. It was long ago, I was little, and so I don't know how they worked it or whether it was even successful! I learned today that one can be a 'failed composter'! And I guess I fit into that category, because I've tried composting in the past with little success....clumps of moldy leaves, undigested grass clippings. I guess eventually it'll turn out ok, but it's not the pretty (ok, relative!) soil additive that I saw first-hand today. So, I'm off! I now have a garden compost tumbler and I know how to use it! I know about the 5 healthy compost pile characteristics: Size, Surface Area, Composition, Water and Air. The air and water aren't too intimidating. I guess where I've gone wrong in the past was in the composition, or makeup of what I was putting into my pile. 25-30 parts carbon (browns) to 1 part nitrogen (greens). And it did amaze me what can constitute browns! Dryer Lint?!?! Yep, among lots of other things. I'm hoping for a usable soil conditioner by October. Stay tuned!