Harmony, I wanted to say that composting works most efficiently when there is a mix of "greens" and "browns." I think the kitchen veggie scraps work as greens so having some of the other helps it not become slimy or smelly. Googled an article for you: http://compostguide.com/compost-materials/
I composted at our old house by throwing kitchen scraps and compostables out in a specified area and throwing some fallen leaves over them now and then. Of course, we didn't have enough sun to grow anything so I never actually harvested compost.