Composting is the microbial decomposition of mixed, raw, organic materials to a dark, fluffy product resembling rich soil. It is also a means to turn kitchen, yard and garden waste into a valuable organic resource. Use of compost benefits water conservation, erosion control, soil improvement, and plant growth. Compost is made by combining brown materials, e.g. leaves; greenish-brownish materials, e.g. manure; and green materials, e.g. grass clippings with air and water. Methods and equipment vary depending on the length of time used to produce compost.  You can use most kitchen scraps including coffee grounds - basically anything you would normally put down the kitchen disposal.  Do not use meat as it will attract unwanted critters.  If you use egg shells, you might want to wash them first (smell issue) and grind them up.  This makes a good calcium source especially for tomatoes (helps prevent blossom-end-rot.)

Drum Composting:  With drum composting, a drum similar to a 55 gallon drum, or smaller, is used as a tumbler.  A handle is provided to "crank" the drum.  This allows the material to tumble, mix and add oxygen.  With the correct percentages of the materials listed above, the correct moisture and mixing, it is said that you can have good compost in about 2 weeks.  It is best to turn the drum a couple of turns every few days.  The desired moisture content is similar to squeezing the last drop of water out of a sponge.

Pile Composting:  With pile composting you just add alternating layers of the materials listed above to a pile.  It can be in a fenced in area or not.  In order to distribute the materials evenly, and add oxygen, you need to use something like a pitch fork or a potato fork to turn the material over every few days.  You should seek the same moisture level as in drum composting (last drop squeezed out of a sponge.) 

Note:  You may want to use a:  "Compost Starter".  What this is the seed microbial material to:  "Start the decomposition".  You can purchase this at your local feed and seed store, on the Internet, or you can just use a shovel or two of good old garden soil.  Garden or flower bed soil should have numerous microbial material.  Also, you might want to use a little dishwashing liquid when you add water to your pile.  This helps break up the surface tension of the water and the water will "stick" better to the surfaces of the material.  There is a suggested ratio of browns to greens to get the best ratio of carbon (browns) to nitrogen (greens).  See the reference below.