I moved into my house last year. So have making a pile of boxes, as we slowly unpack and get settled. The recycle bin is always full so I couldn't figure out how to get rid of them. In addition we have 6 people, 4 dogs, and 2 cats living here so the waste bin is also always full, and with a ever growing pile next to it. This year the spring rain hit, and within 2 days we had weeds up to our knees. To say the least the green waste bin couldn't handle the load, so last week we started our first compost heap. Until yesterday it was only a pile of green weeds and roots, and I turned it every time I added more. I didn't know about the brown waste, and thought I still had to put the cardboard in the recycle. :) Well now that I know its 2 brown : 1 green, I'm glad I have so much card board, and junk mail. ;) Yesterday I didn't know about layering, so I turned the brown with the green. I don't have a shredder so this was difficult. In 24 hours I've learned so much about it. Now I have a 3'x3'x2' heap with the original green waste on the bottom, and lots of brown on top, I also just been throwing my kitchen waste in it, no meat or bones, but just about everything else. I also found a bag of rotting chicken feed, a stack of soaked egg crates and a bin of mealworms and beetles from a failed project to raise mealworms and crickets from last year. lol. In storage I had an old thick and really heavy area rug that my mother once loved, but is now so stained that I had no trepidations on using it to cover my pile. We still have 2/3 of the weeds to go, and at least 2x that mass of boxes from the move. So by the end of this week my heap will probably be about 4'x4'x'4, if not larger, luckily the area I have for it is 7'x7'. The funny thing is our yard is very small, so I only have room for the one pile, and I'm planning on going hot, mostly because I understand and trust the bacterial process better for it than the cold. So I mostly expect to turn it whenever it gets cold. Even better though and maybe even a little saddening is that I'm actually excited to have a way to dispose of all of our waste, that the city's bins just couldn't handle. Ok done with my book.

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!

I'm 6'1", 200 pounds and I'm not afraid of work. Turning the pile is work. I'd go with Lloyd's recommendation - use multiple piles. Just be sure to make the piles with some care. Be sure to get a reasonable mixture of greens and browns. If you haven't seen loid's web site, you need to go there. He experiments with composting techniques, mixtures, applications, everything. Turning the pile is not a necessity. If you don't turn the pile, it will take longer to finish, but it will finish. BTW, how healthy is your husband?

One major factor in deciding how large a compost pile one needs to retain the core heat -- particle size. I agree that IN GENERAL, a 4'by4'by4' high compost pile will retain heat better than a 4'by4'by2' high pile. But I can certainly see a 4by4by2' with shredded leaves retaining heat better than a 4by4by4 pile with medium or large wood chips. Who wants to turn over a three or four foot high pile? Not me. I find turning a large pile only 18" or 24" high to be easier on my back than cranking a tumbler. One time in 14 years a heavy snow melted and lowered the core temp. On that occasion the tarp should have been loosely covering the pile. Keep in mind that 4'by4'by4' is fine if you wanted to have your pile on stilts. But if your pile is resting on the ground like most are; the ground acts to store heat. So you can reduce the four foot height without losing core heat. How much? I'm not sure, but I have not had a compost pile more than two feet high for the last five years. Bear in mind that my piles are fairly tight, medium-fine shredded leaves are my 'brown'. Summer core temps run around 150F with a decent mix