[jdf]

Hi,  I am new to composting, this is my first year, i have put all garden waste and fresh chicken manure onto the heap all year and it has rotted down very quickly since about early june, could anyone tell me how long to leave it and when to apply to the garden.

[Aidy]

There is many factors to the time scale, when its ready it will be a nice texture and crumbly. I use my compost for the Brassica's mainly, when they are ready to transplant I dig a large ish hole, fill it with compost and plant the plant. The plant then benefits from it rather than have all the goodness wasted when it rains, which may I add hardly ever does in the tropix of Blackpool 
So it really depends what you will use it for.

[Goosegirl]

Depending on how much you have, I would leave until spring for planting as Aidy said. You don't want to lose any nutrients over winter. I cover my raised beds with partially-rotted sheep manure in straw before winter so that it rots down over winter and is nice and crumbly in spring. Also depends on how good your soil structure is and if it needs improving. If you have enough, do both.

[bigben]

I tend to use mine to give a boost to things like courgettes or to part fill deep pots then cover with an inch of bought compost in case any seeds have survived in my home made stuff. It works out cheaper than filling deep pots with just bought stuff.