My husband, who was a firefighter/paramedic for 23 years, came in one day after turning our compost and said”Honey, I’ve smelled some really bad things in my life, but that is the worst thing I’ve ever smelled!”
Okay, so we must be doing something wrong. We only put fruit, veggies and coffee grinds and probably not enough grass and leaves. I’m sure that’s where the problem lies.
If you’d like to get started,and hopefully do it right, here’s how.
1. Select a compost bin. Compost bins are available at most major home centers. We used a Rubbermaid tote. (see how we did it here.)
2. Select an area in your yard to place the compost bin. The area you select should receive equal amounts of sunshine and shade.
3. Make up a recipe of 4 parts greens to 2 parts browns and place it inside your compost bin. Keeping a balance of moist green materials and dry brown materials will help the compost pile break down faster. To enhance the composting process of a new pile, sprinkle garden soil on the material or leave some finished compost underneath.
Periodically mix the materials with a shovel or pitchfork and let nature take its course. On average, it takes six to eight weeks before you will see black organic matter developing at the bottom. When this happens, you can start to use your compost. However, it’s been that long for me and I wouldn’t use what we have!!
Greens would be: Grass clippings,bread, egg shells, coffee grinds(with filters), fruits and vegetables.
Browns would be: Bark, leaves, straw, newspaper(shredded) and sawdust.
DO NOT USE : bones, meat, fish and dairy.
If you’ve started a compost and are having a problem, here are some tips:
Foul odor – Could mean excessive moisture – Turn pile or add dry materials such as straw.
Ammonia Odor – Means too much nitrogen – Add high carbon (brown) items.
Pests – could mean the presence of meat scraps or fatty food wastes – remove meat and fatty foods and cover with layer of soil or sawdust.
Check with your local waste management for more help.
Has anyone else tried to start their own compost? I’d love some ideas, I’m getting discouraged.
