What do I do with compost bin contents

Question

I'm not particularly green fingered but recently purchased a compost bin however I'm not entirely sure what I do with it once it's full.
I've been putting grass cuttings and fruit/veg waste from the kitchen in it over the past few months however I've got a couple of questions.

How do I know when it's all composted down?

And is there anything I need to do to help this process.

Once it's become compost,

How do I use it
Does it need mixing in with soil/earth

Are there certain things I shouldn't put in there.

I've avoided putting bramble cuttings in there and any branches I've cut down as it seemed that these would take longer to decompose.

Jimmy Fix-it · Answer

In my experience with composting, grass clippings and fruit/veg waste will not be enough. You need both green and brown. In other words, the greens you have been adding need to be balanced (50:50 ratio if possible) with brown stuff like dry leaves, twigs, sawdust, etc. The nitrogen (green stuff) needs to be balanced with carbon (brown stuff) and it all needs a lot of water, to facilitate the slow-burn that is needed. No dirt, and it needs to be turned over frequently so oxygen can feed the reaction.
You will know when it is done; the volume will shrink and it will be black with an earthy odor.

What do I do with compost bin contents

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