Mike,

The link to your pictures is not working.

ocimad27 - I bet the link works for you, but when I try it, it says:
"Oops... there's nothing to see here. Either you do not have access to these photos, or they don't exist at this web address. Please contact the owner directly to gain access."

My guess is you need to make a "public" gallery for us to see your photo.

Regarding advice- it seems like you're doing lots just fine, given all the life you describe in the pile. There isn't anything further you _should_ do, but there might be some things you'd want to do, if you're in a hurry for finished compost.

Things staying moist is good, as long as they're not SO moist as to make it hard for air to circulate in there.

Being casual about proportions of what you add (adding stuff as it presents itself) is fine too, if all's going well. If you want heat (for bragging rights, or to be sure that weed seeds are killed, or in the process of trying to make compost as fast as is feasible), you might want to assess where you are with the nitrogen balance, and whether the stuff you're adding could benefit from shredding first. But all that's optional, since you're starting from a successful pile.

I agree that turning a pile based on sticks is tough. I tried using sticks at the base of a pile only once; pulled 'em all out in frustration and haven't done that again. Sticks at the base of a pile seem to be advised mostly by folks who build static/slow piles they intend to let rot down without turning.

How do you know it's ready ... when it is rotted down to a point where it seems to you it'll be useful in whatever application you want to use it in. For me, the main additions to my pile are chopped leaves, grass, weeds, and kitchen scraps. Leaves and grass together are acceptable to me as a mulch even without composting, so if my pile were only those ingredients, I could scoop some out for mulch any time without worrying about "readiness". But when I want to top-dress the lawn to help it grow, I want stuff that is rotted to the point where it's smaller fragments that'll fall down between the blades of grass. And when I want to fill trays to start seedlings, I like it really tiny fragments, crumbly, like corn-meal-sized pieces. There are all different stages to compost and all are useful somewhere or other!! For Mel's Mix, if you're planting right away, I think you'd want the compost pretty well "finished" - smallish pieces, not really looking quite like the ingredients that went in, for the most part.

Hope some of that helps, and is not all too vague, filled with too many "it-all-depends"!

-lcpw

Thanks lcpw, the information is helpful. I am curious how you go about chopping up items like cardboard to place in the pile. Do you have to start seedlings in trays as opposed to planting them in the SFG or is that a preference?
I think the picture link should be working now.
Thanks again for the help.

Hey Mike,

Sounds to me like your pile is doing pretty darn good. If you have a lot of critters and even lizards checking it out, it must be worth it.
They always mention the "wrung out sponge" as the ideal compost moisture...if you're observing it stays moist, it's plenty moist. I would like to see a few pictures of what this looks like!
No steam coming off, no sweat. I think you're well on to having a great finished product...I'd say give it two weeks.

-tyler

ocimad,

There is no preference on SFG regarding transplants or seeds. For me it depends on what you are planting. I direct sow root crops, spinach, some lettuce, etc. I also start indoors some lettuce (to get an earlier crop), coles (cabbage and broccoli), tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc. It all comes down to what you are interested in, where you live, what you have room/patience for.

In my zone, tomatoes and other warm weather crops fair much better (earlier yield) when I start them indoors and transplant. But, I've also had my fair share of "volunteer" tomatoes, and they also produce fruit, but just not as early.

In short, SFG allows for either method of starting seeds, and it comes down to what you are growing, where you are growing and what you are interested in doing. The great thing about gardening is that within a few parameters you can do almost anything that works for you. You will get as many different methods of gardening as gardeners you ask!

re: chopping - I know some folks here have machines expressly for shredding stuff, the sort that will turn a branch into little chips quickly. I sometimes crave one of those, but it would be silly for me to have one - my yard is 1/8th acre suburban-that-is-nearly-urban! I don't use cardboard much but when I do I just rip it some with my hands and shove it under other materials (which is to say I'm not making it the ideal for the fastest transformation into "compost"). I don't have a slow static pile (in that I get lotsa heat and I tend to turn it in a nosy curious fussing with stuff sorta way), but I also do not do extra work to try to compost as fast as possible - I harvest finished compost from my bins only a couple times a year. (For me, composting is largely about not sending stuff to the landfill, and the emotional symbolism of nourishing the soil instead of piling up waste. I DO like the gardening benefits, but they are sortof a lovely bonus to me.)

Regarding starting seeds / square foot gardening - I think the square foot method makes it easier to direct sow, actually. But I don't always do SFG. And sometimes starting things in a flat means I am more likely to give them the care they need to survive their first few weeks, whereas sowing seeds directly in my various spots tucked around the yard, I might forget to water something just a little too long. Oh, and if I'm organized, I can start a few things indoors when it is still grey and rainy and too cold outside to start 'em there.

lcpw