Years ago I picked up this two tiered compost bin with lid from a garden store that was closing in Raleigh, NC. The compost bin sits on a south facing woodland edge of my gravel driveway. An attractive sunflower grill, a gift from my wonderful brother in law, was a welcome addition to dress it up.
It is in a convenient location for dumping in vegetable scraps, weeds without seeds, cut up prunings, egg shells, bits of cardboard, used paper towels, leaves, small twigs in layers and even an old cotton T-shirt or two. This is cold composting at its finest for a busy gardener who doesn't rely on the compost he/she makes for the garden. I have not had to turn or move the composting for 5 years now. The bin is still only 3/4 full.
I keep a large baked enameled mixing bowl on the kitchen counter close to the sink and behind my cutting board. It's covered with a dinner plate when I'm not cooking or chopping. I like this size because I only have to empty it two to three times a week and feel good that 1/2 my garbage is staying on my property. Some call this sustainable. See the Blog Post: Path Making Can Sometimes =File Clearing
The bin doesn't have to be beautiful or in sight. Here is one in a friend of mine's work space. It's also being used here as a sort of nursery with plants waiting to go into the garden stored along the inside edges. The cement blocks as the surround are stacked three high.
So, you can compost in a woodland, just don't count on that compost to feed your garden for a good number of years. In the meantime the bagged offerings of compost are a good alternative.
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