Third turn of pile of leaves, horse stable manure and grass. A good compost pile has four things.
Balance of carbon to nitrogen, air and water.
Ideally it’s a ratio of 25 carbon to 1 part nitrogen. So a mix of horse stable manure mixed with grass clippings and dry leaves falls somewhere around that area.
Our compost circle with wire frame covered with shade cloth allows air to get in while keeping vermin access to a minimum.
The science (Barkley university) says it should be turned on the fourth day then every two days til the 18th but our climate is a bit warmer and it’s probably ok to use after 5 turns. This pile was still so hot you’d burn your hand inside. So the thermophilic bacteria were doing their job.
The benefits of turning the pile in the bed is that any excess nutrients stay for later use.