Not compost. Magnolia. But an amazing tree.  Extravagantly lavish blossoms, lasting only a few days.  After which, compost. — Not compost. Magnolia. But an amazing tree. Extravagantly lavish blossoms, lasting only a few days. After which, compost.

The 2015 bin, emptied of the 2014 collection.

The 2014 bin, newly loaded, with the good stuff on top.

The 2013 bin. The volume is diminishing, and the richness is increasing. Next year, this gets screened, and then utilized.

Rotating the compost bins is a bit of work. The third year bin needs to be emptied and screened. The second year bin needs to be flopped over into the third year bin. And, the first year bin needs to be wrestled into the second year bin.

Today the first year bin was ripe, actually steaming a bit, pungent but rich (not at all stinky) with the characteristic gray ash of hot composting. The top layer is mostly light and dry and easily heaved over into the bin next door. Below that are the tangled, steaming mats that need some heavy lifting. And below that is the pay dirt, aka the millipede layer. This is compost of the highest quality but it is not yet ready for prime time. But when it gets heaped on top of the turned pile it tamps it down, and when the rains come, it percolates down and ignites the fire.