It's also dependent on the type of compost you're making, hot compost is the opposite of a cold compost pile as you don't want to see any worms while it's heating up cause that kind of system is too hot for worms to thrive in. It is however good for bacteria that heat up the pile and helps break it down much faster than cold composting. The half finished stuff is rich in life and will break down most soft food scraps in a matter of days if they were strategically placed in the middle of a hot pile. Thus they're perfectly good for being used in beds even half finished, as there's no longer a smell to them, nor is there any real trace of the food left. Now when the pile has significantly cooled down and you do start seeing worms, that is when you know the pile is finished to some degree. If it needs more time cooking, Spiking it with some high nitrogen fresh stuff like coffee grounds or fresh chicken manure helps bring the temps back up especially if those green materials are evenly distributed throughout, fluffed back up, and properly moistened. Turning the pile is a must to keep it aerated so the beneficial aerobic bacteria can thrive. Anaerobic bacteria love compacted stuff, and it attracts all sorts of pests when the compost is too muddy and not heating up properly. The pile also has to be sizable to get to high temps and maintain those temps. I've been working with around half a cubic meter as the box is about that size but the pile is moved from left to right and then right to left when i'm turning it. It gets hot still, up to 155 degrees some days when a ton of chicken manure is added evenly throughout when I turn the pile. I'm also constantly putting new stuff too, so it just keeps going. Harvesting half finished stuff is okay, but I also run it through the worm tower, or sometimes I run it through a rock classifier to get finer materials out and use that.
It's also dependent on the type of compost you're making, hot compost is the opposite of a cold compost pile as you don't want to see any worms while it's heating up cause that kind of system is too hot for worms to thrive in. It is however good for bacteria that heat up the pile and helps break it down much faster than cold composting. The half finished stuff is rich in life and will break down most soft food scraps in a matter of days if they were strategically placed in the middle of a hot pile. Thus they're perfectly good for being used in beds even half finished, as there's no longer a smell to them, nor is there any real trace of the food left.
Now when the pile has significantly cooled down and you do start seeing worms, that is when you know the pile is finished to some degree. If it needs more time cooking, Spiking it with some high nitrogen fresh stuff like coffee grounds or fresh chicken manure helps bring the temps back up especially if those green materials are evenly distributed throughout, fluffed back up, and properly moistened. Turning the pile is a must to keep it aerated so the beneficial aerobic bacteria can thrive. Anaerobic bacteria love compacted stuff, and it attracts all sorts of pests when the compost is too muddy and not heating up properly. The pile also has to be sizable to get to high temps and maintain those temps. I've been working with around half a cubic meter as the box is about that size but the pile is moved from left to right and then right to left when i'm turning it. It gets hot still, up to 155 degrees some days when a ton of chicken manure is added evenly throughout when I turn the pile. I'm also constantly putting new stuff too, so it just keeps going. Harvesting half finished stuff is okay, but I also run it through the worm tower, or sometimes I run it through a rock classifier to get finer materials out and use that.
Wow, great response and insight. Thanks!