Small Scale composting. - advice please?

[Laundrytrousers]

I have a smalllish London terrace garden (20x65ft) and i would like to make my own compost, but don't really know where to start. Can anyone advise on successfully composting - as in how to make good quality, useable garden compost without snail/rat/fox issues, smell and hours of effort - so on a small, manageable scale. And if so how/where/what is your set up? I don't have time or space for three large bins on rotation that need forking over like Monty Don, but we do have a we have a huge number of tree leaves and trimmings from various unruly climbers and reguarly fill the garden waste bin.

I have a green johanna bin for my small garden and highly recommend it. I get a good yield of compost from it every year. It's billed as a hot bin but I only use it for raw organic waste.

I have two plastic bins like this www.amazon.co.uk/Strata-Products-Ltd-GN332-Composter/dp/B000TAUCGS/ref=mp_s_a_1_13?crid=LMQ89VQO5F47&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.SUvAYTJdJxkFk11FBxsFWVVSmcp_6OvUmfSLUh_ZGzy9r8lszoPxclkWrOr_LIwOVIguQwl86i8CkvdqGovrWaMbCCxk26rBeq4xB3zfgHBIAOAft1e7IlcEG9ItWp1K8oXhilfwUXku9d52DiCYTksGS03A4rVu-qtvssXuGH4hrrQQ2hdzaBn8LX0GnVS1niRonrdUekAULRvdQV7sbA.M30GnoOeUgczXUyaxXKh0jJgddAGCTMKPX0FuBYw3NI&dib_tag=se&keywords=compost+bin&qid=1711190520&sprefix=compo%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-13 sitting on soil in a shady part of the garden and used alternately. So one gets filled for 6 months, then left for 6 months (while the other is filled) then turned out. All non-woody garden waste, raw veg waste, eggshells (crunched up) teabags, compostable coffee pods etc go in. No cooked food. I also have a rotary sieve www.amazon.co.uk/Selections-Rotary-Soil-Compost-Sieve/dp/B07PMF5ZT4/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=1WBXVJ7CDVX8J&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.GBfcPrgTkjkvU04WFk5M8L-pVV9bZ6KLkRD7NbWDzwgLB310rC9V5II_HenF5YxWsywKTG1Wg5r9FXqlYHP2LNhdplphPCTkY9LRKkZY_B04dMyvvBqDKe9Ouz99j4dZ7_3_XGe6mhLMPA8ihjTkuo1s-E4HL-LFY2pujy42Qg0ACp-boEquxbYaYlC6lfPi5kzot0_fFBcz_nE7JmjnbA.kmpOgUOyMGxiwyhMUyolBr8-vRlNFPaEo8Ss6BqgNEU&dib_tag=se&keywords=rotary+soil+sieve&qid=1711190588&sprefix=rotary%2Caps%2C197&sr=8-1 which I use every year to sieve out the big bits to make potting compost from the bin I turn out in the spring. You need worms, slugs and snails and other bugs in the bins to break it all down. It works without fail. (Sorry about the horrible links)

Those both look like good solutions thank you. I guess I need to work out what I can and can't put in, properly.

For autumn tree leaves, if you've got a spare corner you just stuff into old compost bags, make sure they're damp and leave for about 3 years to make leaf mould.

I've got two compost bins very similar to the ones posted above.

I fill one, then leave it completely and fill the other one. By the time the second one is full, the first is ready to use. They're out of site behind my garden shed.

For the best compost, try to alternate brown items (twigs, woody cuttings, leaves, toilet roll tubes, cardboard, newspaper etc) with green waste (fruit and veg peelings, green prunings, grass clippings, coffee grounds etc.) If it's too wet, add more brown items and if it's too dry, give it a bit of water from the hosepipe.

I absolutely love composting. Taking rubbish from the kitchen and garden and just giving it time and it turns into lovely compost. It's like magic!

Have a look at bokashi composting. It's a bit of an outlay at first, but works rapidly and makes lovely compost.

If you have problems with rats try sprinkling chili flakes over the surface.

Ooh! There's a rat visiting mine at the moment - I'll be out there with the chilli first thing tomorrow

These are all great ideas, I think I am just afraid that I will produce something disgusting rather than beautiful rich compost.

Also chili flakes are amazing for keeping the foxes away too (just enough away that they don't poo in the garden).

If you're worried about smells, add more 'browns' - torn-up cardboard or paper, twigs, dead leaves, wood chip, straw or sawdust (you might have this if you've got rabbits or guinea pigs). It's the 'greens' that make a compost pile smelly and slimy - fresh, juicy stuff like food scraps and grass clippings. You do need greens in your pile, but they need to be balanced out by at least the same volume of browns, probably a bit more.

Green Johannas are a good rat-proof option, or sit your composter on a big piece of rat-proof mesh and fold it up round the sides. Make sure it covers the hatch if you're using a dalek-type composter.