Turning Compost Bins - Part 3 - September 2026

Over the past week or so, I've posted the first posts in my compost bin turning process.  In part one, I emptied the tumbler, removed the (mostly) finished compost from the third (finishing) bin and filled the tumbler back up.  In part two, I upgraded the finishing bin with some additional cedar boards to hold in more of that "black gold" near the bottom.  

In that part two post, I outlined what was going to happen next: 

The next step (which I'll cover in Part 3) is to open up the middle (mixing) bin and the left (holding bin) and pull everything out and build a mixed pile that I can load up into the finishing bin. I'll add a couple of layers of mixed material, slide in the first level of the aeration pipes. Add more material, then add the second level of pipes. Then, pile in the rest of the material to fill the finishing bin. I typically OVERFILL the the finishing bin. Mound up the material HIGHER than the rails of the bin. When the pile decomposes, it will usually fall well below the rails.

The goal is to end up with a completely empty third (holding) bin on the left that I can fill with Fall leaves and other garden cleanup material.

As a reminder, #14 on my to-do list was to be an active composter.  That means MORE than just filling the bins.  It also means turning them.  Annually.   In my recently-posted late-Summer check-in on the list progress, I labeled the compost item as "incomplete".  

With part one and two done, that is starting to turn the item green.

How I approached re-filling the third bin (finishing bin), I did exactly what I outlined above.  Opened up all the bins and began to move things over one bin.  I re-inserted the pipes and kept piling up.  

And, did the same with the holding bin.  When I got down to the BOTTOM of the holding bin, I was surprised to find a lot of well-decomposed compost.  Not just leaves.  Here, below, is a look at the bottom quarter of the 'holding bin'.  

I was able to fill out the finishing bin and (as I outlined above) over-filled it with a mound of mixed material that is peeking out OVER the top of the bin.  The middle, mixed bin is about half-full.  And the holding bin?  Empty.  See below for the pre-Fall-leaves/Fall clean-up look of the three bin compost setup:

Lots of room for Fall cleanup in that holding bin.  

We can call #14 on my 2026 to-do list:  COMPLETE.  

Note for 2027:  Upgrade the finishing and mixed bins (middle bin) with even more cedar boards.  There's far too much compost leakage from both.