Hot Composting
A hot composting pile needs enough high-nitrogen materials to heat the pile up. Nitrogen comes from green waste so a good ratio of green to brown materials are needed. Roughly 2-3 parts brown material (carbon) and needed for every 1 part green material (nitrogen).
The pile should be kept damp but not wet. Turning the pile every few days increases the oxygen levels inside the pile.
In a properly built pile temperatures should rise to between 60-68*C. At this temperature, weed seeds and pathogens die so you do not have a contaminated compost pile.
A hot pile can produce usable compost between a few weeks and several months.
Cold Composting
A cold compost pile requires minimal effort but can take between 1-2 years to produce anything usable. The pile does need to be turned so the amount of effort needed to make compost is minimal.
To create a cold compost pile you simply add any and all waste materials you have and leave it to do its thing.
If any diseased plants or weed seeds are put into the pile they will more than likely contaminate the compost pile as there is no heat present to kill them.
Hot Composting vs. Cold Composting
http://www.finegardening.com/hot-composting-vs-cold-composting
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