New to Composting...need advice!

[Twoody]

Hi Everyone,

I have always wanted to garden and we just purchased our first house with a potentially beautiful garden. The owner was an avid gardener and an expert in the field, I will be seeking a lot of advise. He has rented his house for the last 10 years and thing have not been maintained. He has an open compost system built that I would definitely love to use. It is currently full of grass clippings. I have a few questions:

-What do I do with the grass? (it is full!!)
-Bears are definitely a worry in our area so I need to keep it as less smelly as possible, how do i do that?
-What is the best way to get this system up and running again?

[Mygrandmeresgarden]

Can you post a photo to see what you actually have...I'm visual!

Is the compost fully composted or is it full of fresh grass clippings?

[RubyTuesday49]

It's not a great idea to have an "open" compost pile - it brings in rats and other critters! Better to close it in or get one of those compost bins (often from the city for $35). I live in a dry area -Zone 6 so I leave my grass clippings on the lawn. Compost bin has house waste (not meat) and newspaper that I line the house bucket with. I sometimes put in leaves (not weeds) and water - it doesn't "smell" when it's working right. I have a compost turning tool (from Lee Valley) - works great!

[jeenasmith]

You can post a picture of your, so that we can get a clear idea about the place and can know how to deal with it.