We will be working on a small compost pile in the near future and plan to make a larger one in an area that we have been burning (about a 10'x10' area) downed limbs and debris (natural debris like leaves, tree stumps etc) and will use the ash from that to mix in with the compost. I totally agree about the lack of mature piles... We didn't have one last year so we were "outsourcing" our nutrients (buying heaps of compost at the local nursery). We did make barrels of compost tea which the plants loved!

Very much looking forward to having our own system going with the compost! :)