I am normaly in the class of pile it up and let it rot, Oak leaves take a couple years to break down I also have a seperate bin for fresh manure, that rots for a year. My kitchen scraps get trench composted ~ buried between the the rows. Got a special challange this year, I have been telling folks that they could buy a bag of composted cow manure, lay the bag on the side, make about a 3" hole in the center, poke a few holes in the bottom for drainage. Put a transplant in the hole and water every week. Several folks have used this method with great results. One did not, the plant fried. Ergo I want to try some 6 week old hot compost cow to check results. I will also try some brand name stuff L.B.