I finally took a local farmer's advice on my compost pile

My compost was just a slimy mess for over a year, so I asked this guy at the weekend market in Austin what I was doing wrong. He said I was drowning the pile with too much water and not enough browns, told me to aim for a ratio closer to 3 parts leaves to 1 part kitchen scraps. I added five bags of fallen oak leaves last month and started covering it with a tarp after rain. Now it actually smells like dirt instead of rotten eggs. Has anyone else had to totally redo their pile after getting some basic feedback?

3 comments

3 Comments

derek9394d ago

Nah, you're overthinking it. That whole "ratio" thing is a myth perpetuated by people who like to complicate a simple process. I've been dumping whatever scraps and yard waste I have into a pile for years without measuring a thing, and it breaks down fine. If your pile smells like hell, you're probably just not turning it often enough. A tarp is fine for keeping out excess rain, but 3 parts leaves to 1 part scraps is a rule made up by weekend market farmers.

tessa_roberts13d ago

Keep in mind that leaves and grass clippings actually have different carbon to nitrogen ratios, so dumping them all in without adjusting can slow things down if you have mostly one type. A pile that's all grass clippings will get slimy and stink no matter how much you turn it, but adding some dry leaves or cardboard fixes that quick. You're right that it doesn't need to be perfect, but the basic idea behind the ratio helps avoid the exact problems you're saying don't happen.

julia2861d ago

Wait, @tessa_roberts1, do you think a pile with mostly grass clippings actually breaks down at all without turning it every few days, or does it just sit there being a wet mess until you add something dry?