My compost pile starts out about 3 or 4 feet high and ends up about a foot high in two years. I dump grass clippings, leaves, apple cores, potato peelings, banana peels, orange peels, everything except meat and pet feces. One problem many Siouxlanders are facing is what to do with brown evergreen trees. This winter has been particularly hard on them but Bob Moritz, Iowa Master Gardener advisory board, advises patience. It's too soon to tell if they got hurt.
Evergreens grow from the tips so watch for the new growth.
If you have access to horse, sheep, chicken, cow or rabbit manure, use it. Kahler said seeds can be used if they do not have seed heads on them, but said that there is no science to composting. I do not put a specified amount of green material and brown material. I don't turn it or water it. Composting and organic gardening are no more time consuming, nor work, than any other type of gardening, be it flower or vegetable gardens.