What exactly did you read that says making a huge pile of waste is not correct?

A 5 gal. bucket of waste isn't going to be an efficient method of making compost. Perhaps the best method is to make a pile with the proper ratios of greens to browns mixed together well, kept slightly moist, and turned to introduce oxygen as often as is necessary. You need about a cu. yd. of material to get the best results.

There is a forum for Soil, Compost, and Mulch.

You can convert a bucket, or a tote into a worm bin. That's a pretty efficient method of turning waste into a good garden amendment. You could also do a Bokashi in a bucket. Google it if you haven't yet heard of it.

You will find some great detailed 'how-to' FAQs and discussions over on the Soil & Composting forum here. Includes discussions and FAQs on both cold and hot composting, carbon/nitrogen balances, moisture needs, how to evaluate quality, and list of recommended components.

Dave

Thanks! I just heard you need to rotate it, keep it wet etc and I never did anything. Glad to hear it should be okay. I have not dug into it but my best guess is if it smells bad something is not right correct? Also how long before seeds break down? I do not want a lot of stuff growing from it.

It should never smell bad at any stage. Does it? Composting can be as easy or fiddly as you wish. I neither rotate nor water mine. Nor do I avoid or add any specific materials. It is basically an all consuming waste disposal system into which goes anything which ever lived, from a wilted daffodil to a dead gerbil via feather pillows and mouldy cheese, and which makes a free soil conditioner. Any seedlings are a cinch to pull and stick back into the heap. They never bother me in the slightest. I repeat... you can make this as complicated as you like but it doesn't have to be. Any way which works for you is a 'correct' method.

Thats what I did! Not sure if it smells bad - not likely but I never go back there.

No risk from an old decrepit compost pile. Piles that are not turned just take a long time to make compost. You've probably got some nice compost under there in your years-old pile. That's how nature makes compost. Organics pile up, and stay there. Yep, when plants die and fall to the ground, they end up as compost. It doesn't take a person with a pitchfork to make compost, but a person with a pitchfork can make it faster.

I think it's time to go out there and investigate. I think you'll get a pleasant surprise when you dig into that pile.

That's the way I make my piles. Every spring I start piling all kitchen waste, garden waste, manures on hand (like from our chickens), leaves, etc., in one spot. By autumn it builds up, and I may add one last wheelbarrow of chicken manure, but then it sits all winter. By spring it's done. I turn mine a couple of times just to speed the process up, but it's definitely not needed. As for ratio, I think it's mostly recommended as a 2:1 ratio of browns to greens, but I never pay attention to that. I just add what feels right. If I feel I need more brown in there, I'll add some leaves. If I feel I need more greens, I'll dump chicken manure in there. Compost piles are very flexible. One way or another they'll break down. Again, not needed, but I also lay tarp on top of the pile to hold in moisture. Just speeds it up.

As for weed seeds, I add grass clippings, weeds, etc. into my pile, and I don't have any issues. as of yet. If I start to see any of them barely breaking the surface, it's easy just to rake the surface of the soil and kill all of them while they're little.

They may smell a bit if they have too much of a specific ingredient, e.g., a green ingredient, and cold composting can initiate some of the more smelly bacteria, but when it's done, it usually smells like earth, and looks like it. Of course, it should not sit there and reek of nasty smells all day. If you're at your house and smell it coming through your yard, there's a problem. Mine only smells if I've just turned it, and the smell is very limited and goes away quickly once the oxygen is incorporated.

Hope this helped. I'm sure you've got some good compost in there :)

Thanks!