>> 6 5-gallon buckets of compost
That's a lot! Congratulations Linda! I bet your soil microbes were delighted.
I work almost exactly the same way except that I hide a pile instead of bins. I turn it a little every week or two. It's small, and it's slow, but it gets there.
I still leave a lot of stiff stems whole when I make the pile, which keeps it airy but hard to turn. Also, they break down much slower than anything else. So I have to screen it to get the Black Gold while it's fresh.
I could chop them or mow them, but then the pile would be more compact and less airy.
Another advantage of having stiff stems and thin twigs: it gives the pile so much stiffness that I can pull stuff away from the bottom and pile it high on top, over and over. Lately the pile has become more like a tower with steep side. I'm not sure that has any advantages, but it is odd.
i can see the soil around the bottom of the pile become super-rich from "drippings".
