What are the best composting materials? 

This is the topic of our new poll at mygardentips.net The choices range from: bird droppings, seaweed, horse manure and more.  Please drop by and submit your vote.  The latest poll has closed: What is the best time to water your lawn?  The overwhelming majority of respondents chose Early Morning.  Yahoo Answers has concurred; the best time to water your lawn is the early morning, mainly to avoid evaporation and fungus.

I know I can appreciate an automatic hose reel that rewinds the hose for me, especially early in the morning.  I don't think my back would take favorably to all that bending and manual rewinding so early in the morning.
Our new poll: What are the best composting materials? The poll and subsequent posts regarding composting, compost piles, compost tumblers, how to make a compost pile, starting a compost pile, how to make a compost bin, ect., will also be posted at our gardening blog. They say that plants in Hawaii grow unbelievably fast and furious.  Is there a connection to the volcanic material in the soil? 

Build your Own Compost or just Buy Compost?

Should we just give in and buy our compost from the local nursery, or build it yourself?  I suppose the answer lies in whether or not you have place for a compost bin.  If you do, I'd recommend making it yourself. If you don't, research your local market, in search of the perfect compost.  Ask at your local farmer's market, as you'll have a better chance of finding affordable home-made compost. Let's assume you do have space in your garden for composting... the next question is: Should I build it myself or buy a ready-made compost tumbler? 

Compost Tumbler or Compost Pile?

Ready-made has its advantages, but home-built is my choice personally, despite its disadvantages.  There's just no substitute for this natural recycling experience. What are the basic steps in building your own compost pile?  How does one go about starting a composting pile?  Ok, here are the basic steps: Build your compost bin.