Our pile is similar, though a bit smaller in diameter. It consists of shredded tree leaves, tomato vines, random small tree branches, sunflower stalks, and other yard waste. There is a pit dug out underneath, about 6 foot diameter by one foot deep. In the spring, I fork the pile aside, and dig out the pit. There is always finished compost to be found there. Then, I fork the uncomposted material back into the pit, and start again. I never turn the pile, but I do water it if there is a drought. Some years, our pile yields about 20 gallons of compost, and some years it will yield 35 gallons. This is slow composting, to be sure, but it does work.

For sure good compost can be made without manure.

It sounds to me that you need more greens if you want it to go faster. You also didn't mention if you turn the pile.

You must be out in the country if you owned beasts of erosion. If you really want to add manure is there not another source nearby?

My bins are about 4' in diamater, and 24" high. When I get a good mix of grass/used grounds and shredded leaves, it takes about two to four months on average to get a good product. On the second or third day after the pile is made; the temp get up to around 160F.

It sounds like you're doing the right things, though I do know that oak leaves tend to take longer to break down than other leaves.

Is the grass kind of brown and dry when you add it? it'd be less of a green then.

Another consideration - is the pile too compacted? If so, then it's not getting enough air.

Fresh manure is crazy high in nitrogen, so it might be that you need alot more grass to add the same amount of nitrogen as you had with the mnure.

I say keep adding more greens, hold up on the leaves a bit, keep it moist, and stir it up.

What is the particle size? Oak leaves are what is the primary source of leaves in my compost and whole Oak leaves do take a long time to be digested, but shredded the bacteria find much more to their liking and will digest them quicker.

I live in Houston so fresh, green bags of grass are much easier to come by than going out and asking neighbors if I can drive onto their land and shovel up their cow patties, having to both load and unload the dung. On my street alone, 250 houses bag green st augustine every week for me in the spring/summer/fall. I'd say the pile is 30% fresh greens.

The leaves are unshredded. I also gather those in the neighborhood. Mine are all mulched back into the yard. I turn the pile occasionally with my tractor. I left a 8' gate on one end of the fence so I could get it in. By the way, the pile is contained by chain link fence, so airiation shouldn't really be a problem.

When I had cattle, my wife would follow me in the tractor and I would shovel manure into the loader. When we were feeding in the winter it would take about an hour to collect a yard of manure. The manure is all I miss about those cows.

I guess I just need to be more pile patient without the manure. The pile only gets warm, not hot and when I put too much grass in it, the pile starts to draw flies, which I also don't like. I'm really in no hurry since I found completed compost for 14.00 a yard. It is composted sewer sludge and ground wood, grated to 3/8". The idea behind the compost is kinda disgusting, but it does wonders for my grass, flowers and trees. It's great stuff.

Thanks for all the replies. MP