[jeff5may]

Ok guys, be careful with the free tree chips and mulch that you get from the community center pile. They're typically infested with the kind of thing that runs amok in the locality. Bugs, weeds, and bad bacteria are prime examples. Also, the stuff is ultra super fresh and green, so besides growing what you don't want, they leech from the site they're spread upon. I always compost the stuff first; sometimes I let it sit a year if the compost pile starts its own garden of woe.

With a big compost pile of public waste, it pays back in droves to plant a plot of something high in nitrogen around or next to it. Nearly always, the stuff is brown or blonde stuff: Woody clippings and leaves. What the pile needs to get hot and producting fast is fresh greens. Farm crops are cheap and awesome for this. Me like spinach oregano sage basil alfalfa and clover. Seeds or seedlings just depends on your patience versus wallet factor. When the stuff gets tall enough, mow it on super tall setting and incorporate directly into the pile. Different crops grow at different times and rates, so there will be a constant supply of food for the pile.

If you are in a big hurry, and need a boatload of black gold fast, a wood chipper that will pulverize everything into little bitty pieces is priceless. With a decent supply of waste, a patch of the above-mentioned crop stock, and not much else, a compost bed can be layered in place and then you just wait. Toss in some Woody, toss in some brown, toss in some green. Repeat a few layers of each, then move chipper forward or around to the next spot. Once a certain type of waste is depleted, put one more layer of the other stuff on and quit. It's ok if the basil or alfalfa patch outgrows your supply of waste. You can always sell, eat or donate the surplus. Cuz that stuff isn't cheap at the store.