compost

I have access to about 1,000 pounds of rolled oats. They are out of date. A friend and I was talking and wondered if anyone has used them for fertilizer on their gardens? If so how much per sq. foot. Any ideas? If you haved checked the price of fertilizer youll understand. Plus I hate to pass...

I have been horrible at gathering my fall leaves for the compost pile. I will be doing that this weekend. I know it can take between 3 months to a year to compost leaves... does anyone have a trick to speed this process up?

What is the best fertilizer that one can use, that is not bought from a store? I'm tired of paying for over priced crap that does not make a difference in my garden. Also, are all fertilizers the same for every plant?