isn't it funny what makes us happy?..I can't wait to dig to the bottom of my pile and USE IT when the weather warms up..

Yes, finding that amazing black stuff at the bottom is so satisfying. I always wish for more.....

yes..there's no such thing as too much compost..

Annpat, that's great! Haha! Do you get honks and thumbs up from the drivers? They should!

I like it best when you have to withdraw your hand in pain,(about 140 freedom degrees).

You know those “Back to Eden” videos? The dirty little secret is that it’s really the chicken manure that makes things pop.

Kokoplifivea, I don think my pile was that warm, but maybe next time?

I'm excited to have access to the chicken manure, but I might need to be patient. I think my friend might start composting her chicken bedding herself. I'm hoping when Fall comes around she might save a bit for me to get cooking before the winter sets in.

I built a large 3 tier compost bin . In the fall when the leaves start getting piled in the street I take my Kemp chipper shredder and put it in my utility trailer and head for the leaf piles. It's a lot of work but breaking down the leaves helps it to decompose quicker. After I fill the trailer some of it goes into the first tier and the guy down the road has a landscape company so he supplies the lawn clippings . A little dirt and some rock minerals and the pile is born. 3 days later I turn the compost into the next tier and layer plastic pipe's sporadically as I fork the material and add a little water if needed. I pull the pipes out after a couple day's to allow more air to circulate.Then another starter pile goes into #1 . Now every few days I fork the pile back and forth leaving one vacancy. In a month or so I have Black Gold. I made the bin out of 2x12 redwood and placed the boards in slots so everything is removable. Everything that I need is close by so that helps out a lot.

Joe, a set up like yours is definitely the dream! Right now I am just moving piles from one space to the other and covering with cardboard. Maybe next year I can get the wood for it.

You can make them out of wire fence and move them around and it's cheaper. I have a 80 x 40 foot garden so I made mine permanent in the Northwest corner. Or a lot of county's make compost and sell it . It's got a fair amount of ground up glass and plastic and who knows what else in it though.

Yes, my county composts lawn clippings but requires you to drive and load your car. I'm thinking of giving that a try for my perennia garden, but not for the vegetable garden.