by 
douglas
ANSWERS: 3
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I toss all of my compostable material in a pile, in a corner of my garden (actually I have several piles in various locations on my 2 acres). I usually heap on the stuff for a season or six months - what ever happens. I let Mom Nature do her thing, sometimes I may turn the pile once in a while, other times I just let it do its thing and when I need compost I move the top layer of semi-composted material to reach the composted material below. In my garden I 'sheet compost' Usually I use leaves from fall trees and then buffer that with straw from straw bales broken down into 'slices' I lay them out like bricks in pathways, between rows - Mom Nature takes over and the material composts. leaving an inch or so of compacted straw on top. All I do is scrape up the compost with a hoe, hoeing it into the garden bed - lay down the rotted bricks of straw and cover with fresh straw. Composting does not need any special tools, does not need a special bin, does not even need to be turned every 2.25 weeks - although it can be a science it doesn't have to be.
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Buy earth worms. They're inexpensive and incredibly efficient at what they do. All you need to do is make a little space for them to play in.
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The nutural way is good if you don't put weeds and their seeds in the mulch pile. To get it hot enough to kill the seeds, you will need to layer it and turn it every week or so. A circle of chicken wire is fine. Perhaps with stakes to keep it rigid. With several in a row you can turn it into the next pile and separate partially completed mulch from new.
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