I think that a 3 or 4 tined pitch fork would work well.I plan to buy one myself.A regular rake or spade just don't work as well.They are heavy and usually have short handles.
The pitch forks with lots of tines are also heavy. I saw one on the web but I can't recall the site name.It was a great price-under $15.If you do a Google search you could find it.
Good luck with this.
Linda

Got my pitch forks at Lowes & HD may carry them.
Get higer quality ones at feed stores or farm equip stores.
I got a 4 tine for grass & garden stuff & a 9 tine one for smaller stuff.
Works great. Plus it's good exercise.

I know you have an enclosed compost heap, but from my experience with a regular dumped heap in the backyard, what I do is pitch fork the pile into the area next to it until the pile is halfway gone and is slightly flattened, then I take a sturdy snow shovel and just fling the rest into the new space. The snow shovel can't really penetrate the pile when it's conical or round in shape, but once it's flattened, the snow shovel makes the job ten times easier

For moving feedstock around, I use a 5-tined long handled fork (upper right hand corner). It's old, I think it came from an auction sale many years ago. I use it a lot.

Lloyd

All my compost piles are composed of horse manure and leaves in wire mesh bins. I undo the wire and redo it next to pile. Then scrape the insulation(outside) layer off with garden rake. I also use a good snow shovel to scoop the insulation layer into new pile first. Then I vertically shave down the remaining pile with a 3 tine pitchfork, break up clumps with the pitchfork and use snow shovel to scoop into new pile. Depending on perceived moisture content of pile, may sprinkle add'l water on layers.
thanks,

You can use a manure fork, a hay fork, a 3 tined, a 4 tined, a 5 tined fork all often known as "pitch" forks (something to pitch stuff around). The objective should be to get the material that was on the outside to the inside and the top into the middle.

I use a regular pitch fork and a flat shovel. I use garden and lawn rakes to get the last of it in a pile. I plan on getting a 5 tine w/ longer thinner tines and longer handle then the pitch fork. When it's closer to being done a flat shovel is about the best thing.

I use either a shovel or a bulb auger attached to a cordless drill. A bulb auger is like a giant drill bit used to make holes for planting bulbs (like tulips, etc).

I use a tarp, a metal bucket (or rubbermaid bin), a pitch fork, rake or shovel.

I lay the tarp down on the ground, next to the pile. I open one side of the pile gate and let some of the contents fall onto the tarp. Then I shovel out finished compost from the bottom of the pile into the bucket (or wheel barrel or rubbermaid bin). Then I pitch the stuff from the middle of the pile out on to the tarp, which then allows the unfinished stuff on the top of the pile to fall down into the middle/bottom. So about half the pile is now on the tarp, making it easier to move the unfinished stuff around in the pile. Then I pick up the far side of the tarp, sliding most of what is on the tarp back into the pile. Then I use a rake to move anything else back into the pile, enough so can close the gate.

This process gets finished stuff out from the bottom for me to use and mixes up what is left.

Not sure if that makes any sense, but I tried to explain it.

A trick I am gonna try on next pile turns is, due to horse apples always gravitating to outside, to put an 18" sq x 24"H cardboard box in bin as an inner bin. All scraped off material will be re-moistened put into cardboard box, adding some UCG and a little alfalfa meal. As rest of material pitched outside of box almost reaches the top of the box, pull the box out, ensuring all material will spend time on the inside of the pile.
thanks,

Everyone I think agrees Linnea that a pitch fork is the tool to turn a pile and a shovel or spade is used to lift and throw.

Don't take it though that fresh manure---or anything close to it, can be given to a compost pile that is going to be used in gardens where vegetables, or tender garden plants are grown. Such could cause damage to tender roots.

Try to avoid putting wood into a compost pile---it takes forever to break down.
Give some lawn fertilizer to your pile--it will help speed things up.
As matter breaks down, it uses nitrogen. Giving it some fertilizer will replace that.

I'm with pt03 and kimmsr...I use a manure fork and it works really well. I have a set of 3 bins, each 3x3x3ft. DH built the fronts of slats that come off one at a time. Makes it great for leverage when I need it to dig deep.

Thanks for the advice.

I do have a pitchfork. ItÂs a flat bladed one with 4 tines, though, not the round tined kind. The flat bladed ones are the only kind IÂve seen around here.

I also have a bulb auger. Seems like they are both worth a try.

Growing up, my folks had a compost pile way before most people knew what one was (back in the 1960Âs). Living in the country, all they ever did was throw stuff on top. After 40 years it was a mound maybe 10-12 feet wide and 4 high. When we needed some for the garden we would just dig into the side. As long as you didnÂt dig into the top it always seemed to be "done". They never turned it or did anything but add to it. It was established long before I was paying attention, so I have no real idea how long this takes. Wish I could have taken that whole pile with when we sold their place a few years ago. (not that I didnÂt fill up the trunk a few times)

But IÂm now living in suburbia, have less space, and need more compost faster!

Pt03: why is your black composter sitting on a sheet of cardboard (I'm thinking so you can move it if you need)? Is there a reason I need to know of? (My composter, which looks near exactly like yours, is on the ground in the corner of my vegetable garden - dh won't let me store it on the lawn area!).

Thank-you.

Hi kioni

You're sure not the first to ask, explanation in here.

"dh won't let me"?

He's braver than me! :-)

Lloyd

As many people have said, the pitchfork seems to be by far the right tool for the job.

However, the other thing I'll add, which others have touched in passing, it that I find the easiest way to "turn" the compost is to shovel it from point A to point B, and leave it there until the next turning. I feel that rebuilding the pile gives me the best control over mixing and breaking up clumps, but I don't care to do it twice!

Is it possible to expand your compost pile area, and turn the pile by moving it back and forth?

I'm currently using garbage can composters, and my technique is to dump and then refill, which isn't too bad. Even still, I keep thinking that I might benefit from having an extra empty bin, so that I could shovel from one to the next.

Reading above, Jeannie mentioned using lawn fertilizer to provide nitrogen into her pile. Jeannie do you have access to greens such as kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, and untreated lawn clippings to boost your nitrogen - then you could use less chemicals?