karen_perry38•19d agoTop Commenter

My compost bin smelled so bad I almost gave up, then I got the ratio right

I started composting 4 months ago and for the first 2 months it was just a slimy, stinky mess that attracted flies. My neighbor who gardens said I was putting in too much green stuff like kitchen scraps and not enough browns like dried leaves or cardboard. I measured it out to about 2 parts browns to 1 part greens by volume after watching a local master gardener explain it on YouTube. Within 3 weeks the smell disappeared completely and I started seeing actual soil forming at the bottom. Now I collect leaves from my whole block in the fall to keep the balance right. Has anyone else struggled with getting the carbon to nitrogen mix correct when starting out?

2 comments

2 Comments

blair_dixon19d ago

Watched my dad throw everything into a pile for years and thought it was fine until I tried it myself and got that awful smell. Reading this made me realize he probably had just enough browns mixed in from his yard without even trying. Now I'm the one running around collecting leaves like you said, and it's crazy how fast things break down when you get that 2 to 1 ratio right.

phoenix19819d ago

Did you ever find that the ratio was really that simple once you got the hang of it? I was stubborn about composting for years because I thought it was just a matter of piling everything together and letting nature handle it. That slimy mess you describe happened to me too, and I figured I just wasn't cut out for it. But after reading a book from the library on the topic, I realized I was way off on the browns to greens thing. Now I keep a bag of shredded cardboard next to the bin and add a handful every time I toss in kitchen scraps. It really does make a world of difference once you get that balance right.