This undated photo shows compost bins in New Paltz, N.Y. A good compost bin makes easy work of adding ingredients or removing compost and also fends off scavengers and retains heat and moisture.

Garden cleanup, lawn mowing and falling leaves all provide materials that make autumn a good time of year for composting.

No need for exotic ingredients, fancy equipment or a degree in soil microbiology to put together a pile that yields quality compost.

One item that can greatly improve your compost-making is some sort of enclosure — a compost bin. A bin can fend off raccoons and stray dogs, as well as retain moisture and heat generated by the hard-working compost microorganisms. And if nothing more, a compost bin keeps a compost pile from looking like a garbage pile.

Whether you buy a bin or make one yourself, 9 cubic feet is the minimum size for a critical mass to generate and maintain heat.

A bin is a minimum requirement for good compost; compost mavens will set up two or more bins. This allows ingredients in one bin to age and mellow while materials are being added to a second bin.

The two most important foodstuffs of composting microorganisms are carbon and nitrogen. Old, usually brown and dry plant materials, such as autumn leaves, straw and sawdust, are rich in carbon. The older the plant material, the richer it is in carbon.

Nitrogen-rich materials include succulent, green plant parts, such as tomato stalks; vegetable waste from the kitchen; and grass clippings, as well as manures.

Fuel your compost with a mix of nitrogen-rich and carbon-rich materials. How much of each to add will vary with their composition and particle size, but let observation and experience be your guides.

A long-probed compost thermometer and your nose are good monitoring devices. If your pile never heats up — and temperatures above 130 degrees are not uncommon — it could be due to an excess of carbon, weather that’s too cold, or materials added gradually. Offensive smells and the presence of flies might indicate too much nitrogen.

Attention to water is the next level of care for your compost pile. Too little water results in little or no activity, another reason why a pile may not heat up. Too much water drives out air and results in smells.