No, not quite "done". It has a lot of identifiable leaves and other matter. When totally finished, it will look like "dirt". Think black, rich soil. Chances are, if you screened that batch, some would look like that but from the video it would appear that it's not quite there yet. That said, as long as you aren't planning to use it for something like seed starting, where a fine texture is needed, it would be fine to spread on a bed now and let it finish rotting there. That is, assuming that it smells good, too. It is well on it's way. That way you could use the bin to start another fresh batch. Nice work, Nick. Karen

There are those that will state emphatically that unfinished compost should never, ever be put in a garden that the undigested material will "rob" your soil of Nitrogen because the soil bacteria will get busy and finish digesting that leaving little available N for your plants. That will depend on how much undigested material there is and many of us do have some of that unless we screen that compost. Also whether to do that is related to when you will be planting. If this compost were to be worked into the soil 4 to 6 months before anything would be planted there it makes little difference, but if you are going to plant seedlings a few days afterwards that could. Working that compost into the soil and then seeding that soil may not be a problem. Then again it depends on how good a soil you have to start with. Sorry if all that seems a bit equivacable but there are too many variables.

LOL @bpgreen. He's right. We love to debate these things. You can test it for readiness by using an industry-level method; try sprouting a small seed like a carrot. As I understand it, you use three mediums for sprouting; a wet paper towel, some mineral soil without the compost, and the compost. Plant five seed in each medium, keep it at a temperature of about 70 degrees F., and watch the progress. You should be able to easily see the progress in the paper towel. It will show you when the seed actually germinates. After that, I'd be watching the mineral soil and the compost to see whether the seeds in the compost lag behind the mineral soil badly. If the compost is not finished, the carrot seeds will fail to sprout, or sprout and show weak seedlings. The carrot seeds in the mineral soil should sprout and begin to grow in a normal fashion. Use unpelleted, untreated seeds, of course.

Have a pizza and beer party for the guys. Compost is ready when 1) you can no longer recognize any of the ingredients. There should be very few pieces that get caught in a 1/2-inch screen. 2) It should smell wonderful when you lift a double handful out and stick your nose into it. If it smells sour, rank, dank, moldy, stale, manurey, or otherwise not like fresh forest soil, it isn't finished. 3) It should be cool and not hot or warm. Room temperature or cooler from evaporation is what you're looking for.