Compost gets hot by bacterial activity and you get it hot by mixing nearly the right ratio of high Carbon material with high Nitrogen material with just enough and not too much moisture, about 30 parts C to 1 part N. The best way to achieve that is to pile up 6 inches of the high Carbon material and add 2 inches of high Nitrogen materail, or about an equivilant amount of Nitrogen.

You may need to make some holes in the sides of the containers to make sure you're getting enough air to the compost. How large are the containers? If they're too small, it can be difficult for the compost to get hot enough to kill the seeds. Many people say you need 1 cu yd to get compost hot enough (I think you need to get it to 135 F to kill the seeds). Don't despair, though. My bin has about 10 cu ft (just over 1/3 cu yd) and it was at 145 last time I checked.

How often are you turning the compost? Turning too frequently can be as bad as not frequently enough. Don't turn more than once a day. Once every three days is probably plenty. I usually take a shovelful from the bottom and put it on top once a day, and thoroughly mix (using a bulb auger) once every three days to once a week.

" but I have also read on the same threads that it isn't easy to do."

It's really easy. Put in maybe 1 part greens to 2 parts browns (if using wood chips). Keep it moist. Make the pile big as you can manage- a cubic yard if you can. Mix, rather than layering- better contact between grrens and browns that way, and stuff doesn't mat up and prevent water and air movement.

If it stinks- check moisture or add browns. If it's not hot- you need greens. That's it.

The barrels are 55 gallon food grade oil barrels, thick white plastic. I cut the top and bottom out of them, so I can fill them, lift them, then fill them again to turn, and I have done it once a week now since I started this about a month ago.

And thanks for the info! I need greens, as the vast majority of this stuff is brown. If I can't get a bunch of green stuff, can I toss some kind of 12-0-0 stuff in there to get it working?

Clock

55 gallons works out to about 7 1/3 cubic feet (a little more than 1/4 cu yd), so it's a little on the small side, but I think you could still get it to heat up. I think the niggest issue is going to be trying to ensure that enough air can get in. I think you probably want holes in the side for that, or you need to turn it more often than once a week.

One thing I'll point out on the green/brown issue is that you mentioned that you have a bunch of coffee grounds in there. Coffee grounds, while brown in color, are a green from the standpoint of composting materials, so depending on how much a bunch is, you may not need more greens.

the 12-0-0 would probably heat it up, but a lot of people like to limit the chemicals they put in their compost. If there's a Starbucks nearby, they give their coffee grounds away for free, so you could use them with the same effect and for less money.

Just pee in your pile a few times and it should get it started. It sounds bad, but it's sterile and high in nitrogen.