the water is to stop it catching fire as it composts - it can get damn hot in there

basically, you can put anything in it that will break down - if you're thinking of using it on veg garden, stick to stuff you wouldn'tmind having on there (avoid things like dog poop in those circs!) - we put fruit/vegie scraps (no onion cos it takes forever to break down, and we avoid seeds from things like capsicum), basic weeds (we don't put in thistle etc, as they self seed and ruin your compost - grassy stuff is fine), lawn cuttings. you need to turn it over semi regularly (we have an open compost heap - gets turned every four or five weeks - gets the oxygen into it down low, gives access to the good stuff from underneath etc.

we essentially put really basic stuff (weeds, leafy veg scraps banana, carrot), keep the long break down stuff out (onion) and try to avoid the seeds - but sometime i forget and we have a lovely compost heap at the moment htat we ccan't get to cos we're growing pumpkin out of it!

just remember to aerate, and if it seems to be getting too hot (you'll be able to tell from the outside of your bin if it's holding too much heat, hose it down to stop it combusting


hope my waffle makes sense hun!

BG