What you are building there are leaf mould piles since you have not included any nitrogenous materials ('greens'.) This doesn't really matter if you are happy to have leaf mould (terrific stuff) in a few years time.

If you want compost you need to add greens. Turning isn't necessary for compost but greens and moisture are. You do not need to add soil.

I've heard you can sink lengths of PVC pipe with holes drilled in the sides into the heap, in order to improve air flow and help it break down. As has been pointed out, you don't have any significant nitrogen sources, which you're going to need a lot of to get that stuff to turn into compost. It sounds like turning isn't really an option you want to explore, and you don't want to wait for leaf mold.

If I were in your position, I would seriously consider sinking some drilled PVC, and using it to inject a strong nitrogen source in a liquid form. Urine might actually be your best bet: it's heavy on nitrogen, liquid, and freely available.

"there are layers compost covering layers
of old leaves that are not composted at all and when I watered with the
hose, the interior leaves stayed dry."

Build your piles with perforated drainage pipe inserted vertically. Block the bottom of the pipe with something (we used silicon caulk and a plastic food container that was the right size.

periodically fill the pipe with water - it will flow out through the perforations and moisten the inside of the pile.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Advanced-Drainage-Systems-4-in-x-10-ft-Corex-Drain-Pipe-Perforated-4040010/100211970

Whole leaves are amazingly resistant to decomposition. Yet, when they get broken up a little, away they go. It doesn't take much, either.

What you do with a beast of a pile, I guess, would be to start using it. Chop up a reasonable amount, put it on top of a bed, with some mulch to hold it in place. Don't mix it in.

Leaf mold is better than compost in my opinion.

Going forward, I would chop up the leaves a little before putting them in the pile.

A compost pile that large cannot get the needed air into the interior, compost piles should not be larger than 6 x 6. Those leaves may also need to have a Nitrogen source so the bacteria that will be digesting those leaves have a food source.

Particle size can also help with the digestion, smaller bits and pieces along with the right amount of moisture and Nitrogen, and adequate amounts of air, will allow the digesting bacteria to get to work.

Perhaps this composting tutorial may be of some help.

http://sarasota.ifas.ufl.edu/compost-info/

kimmq is kimmsr

You have to stop adding new material and start a new pile. Let the old pile finish - turn it and pile it into a smaller area somewhere and let it be. Leaf mold takes 2 years where I live (MO, zone 5). If you keep adding fresh material it will never get done. What I do is have a large bin and a small one. Each fall, turn last year's compacted pile from the large into the small, and put new leaves into the big bin and start over. I use circles of metal fencing. By next fall you'll have wonderful stuff.

This (stopping the addition of new material) is true of any compost pile, it's just that leaves are slower if they have no added nitrogen.

I assume you're also composting kitchen scraps, garden trimmings and whatnot? Use the leaves to layer in between those higher nitrogen materials in a separate pile and you'll get some compost faster than leaves by themselves.

Thanks for all the great advice, this is what I needed to know. We did start a new pile this year, so we won't add new to the old. I do add kitchen and lawn scraps, but they are such a small amount compared to the leaves because we always mulch grass clippings back onto the lawn. I am sure that is why the leaves aren't composting yet. The new leaves this year did get chopped by the mower unlike the first year where it was all raked by hand. I will add air, moisture and nitrogen to get the old pile going faster and make changes in the new pile. Again, thanks for all the great advice!

I got an auger type thing at the county fair (I always find it cheaper afterwards, but they GET me every year!) that attaches to a drill. I bought a cheap-o drill at the flea mart so I didn't mess up my Dh's good drill. It does a really good job of mixing compost!

I also got a free leaf sucker/grinder at a garage sale and have been my neighbors' best friend for the last few years! Nancy

Also, you can do half your lawn clippings in place and half into the compost pile. Go to a local coffee shop (or SBs even with the red cup! ;) ) Some places will give you gallons! I usually provide my own bucket with my name on it (Nancy's coffee grounds) and a plastic bag to make it VERY convenient for them!

You can also go to the local animal shelter and get bunny, guinne pig, goat manure. Lots of nitrogen there!

Also Freecycle and Craigslist often have offers of free manures to pick up. I'm picking up a pick-up load this weekend of goat poop/straw bedding! WooHoo They are bagging it for me! Nancy

add greens. mix in well.

add 2 beers (or several packs of yeast and a cup of molasses (sugar will work OK)

spray evenly as best possible. this will make it go much faster.

instead of greens, you can use urine.

Pee is high in nitrogen. mix with the water you use and spread evenly.

you should really flip the pile when it gets to a certain temperature.

-----------------------

this is how to make GOOD compost

by Elaine Ingham (top soil scientist)

http://www.soilfoodweb.com/Thermal_Compost.html

http://www.rodalesorganiclife.com/garden/how-hot-your-compost-heap

Beer has very little yeast due to the fine filtration it undergoes prior to bottling. Myself, I prefer to filter it through human kidneys prior to application to the leaf pile, for maximum benefit all around.

LOL. I here you Tox, never will a perfectly good beer be poured on my piles prior to human filtering.

"Highest and best use". It's just the right thing to do.

If you don't have enough free green compostables, get a bag of alfalfa pellets. They're cheap and go a long way.