by William Sutherland, self suffiency course teacher for more than 40 years and co author of John Seymour's self sufficiency book. find out more on www.self-suffic...
The book says to let the organic matter decompose for at least 6 months, not 12 years. It says to stop piling it on in October then use it the next spring. In October start filling in the next heap, starting by moving the less decomposed top section of the old heap onto the new heap to form its base.