folks just a tip,i use for my tomatoes, i have all raised beds,i take a 5 lb,coffee can drill holes into bottom one qtr about 8 then put in rabbit manurecouple hands full,then some leaves cut over with lawn mower twice then wet it, then put some straw on top wet it, screw on lid, put into soil about 4 inches,leave for spring i usally check 2 or 3 times before if some room i add coffee grounds, under straw, now by spring lotsssssss of worm poop now i dig hole with post hole digger add about half can to each hole, put in 2 tea spoons of epsom salt wowwww the toms i get close to record here in ga on one plant had 81 lbs, oh when can empty redo this set can filled back in a new hole when worms u dumped ready they will come right back this way no getting worms out of poop,lol lol im a little lazy lol tu happy gardening

Leaf mold compost is supposed to be great stuff

I wouldn't make 'walls' myself. You certainly can if you like, but if you don't want to do much work, you're going to want air to get in there as freely as possible. Large farms often use a bobcat or front end loader to mix their composting manures. At that ratio, I'm guessing it's going to be a slow composting process. If you don't have a machine to mix, then letting it sit for a year will work. Just sift it after a year to remove the larger, un-composted wood shavings (unless I have the wrong image of the shavings in my mind.) You can add those back into another pile. Many people use pallets to make the walls. They have spacing between the slats for freer air flow. Others use wire fencing. I compost wood chips, I use no walls at all... just piles. If you have a 'lean to', or open air roofed barn, as long as the pile stays moist your finished product will have a bit more nutrient value. Covering helps to avoid nutrient loss through run-off from rain. Tarps though, prevent air from entering. Mixing, along with tarping works well, but requires the maintenance of mixing. Some very large farms do anaerobic composting, but that's really a different process and you need to do a bit of research when working anaerobically with manures.

Tricky, I see you met Dan. Every village has one. I guess we can refer to the internet as a "bioreactor", no? <That happens in the soil. But yes, "aerobic" tea certainly increases the bacterial population. Whether that actually does anything for plants is what this discussion is about.> Perhaps you need to start your own discussion then afaik the OP asked <Is there any other way of making compost tea without compost? lol Can I use garden soil? I have a raised bed in which compost was added back in fall and mulched with leaves. The soil is active with plenty of earthworms. Would it work?> Making Aerobic Compost Tea without Compost I understand that discussions can and do evolve but I'm seeing a pattern where Dan likes to change the topic to something else then argue rather than discuss. As if there is only one way to do things. IF there is Gardening or Compost Tea are not either one and only ways. The way I see Gardening, The way I see Compost Tea, The way I see Life, is IF you choose not to use it - don't - that doesn't mean everyone has to not use it. Just as no one is forcing anyone to use it. This applies so much to Gardening, Compost Tea, or Life, James Bay - Let It Go