Too Green!
This is a classic mistake made by many first time composters. They get their brand new compost bin and just use it to get rid off their grass cuttings, fruit and vegetable peelings.
These are great things to put in a bin, but on their own you will end up with a sludgy, smelly mess.
- First day: Only grass cuttings and peelings visible
- After a couple of weeks: Lots of fruit flies, looks like a green lump, smells rotten, warm bin
- After a month: Will just be a slimy mess and will have lost heat due to the lack of air
Can I do anything about it?
A bit of hard work is the remedy for sludge, use a fork to empty the bin and break up any solid clumps. Then refill the bin adding plenty of brown material and some fresh greens as you go. Be patient, as it will take a couple of months to look like it should do.
Too brown!
Autumn is a typical time of year for this particular composting calamity to occur. Because of the large number of leaves falling from the trees and a flurry of plant pruning, bins get filled with too many leaves.
You don't necessarily need nitrogen to kick start the composting process but it helps. Leaves just don't produce enough nitrogen to activate the heat production and, as a result, leaf mould usually takes two years before it is ready to use.
First day: A heap of dead leaves, branches, straw and paper, very dry looking.
- After a couple of weeks: Looks much the same, no smell and just a few woodlice and ants
- After a month: Still no change!
That's like my bin, what can I do? Leaves should be composted separately to make lovely leaf mould. This can be done in black plastic sacks with plenty of holes punched through with a fork and well watered. It should take about two years for leaf mould to be produced.
If your bin does have more leaves in it than it should do, try adding worms and a selection of fungi to help break them down. Or you can add nettles soaked in cold water which also makes a great activator for a dry compost bin.
Just Right......
A perfect combination of greens and browns;, a little more brown than green is usually a good thing as this provides air-pockets to let the material breathe and encourages the composting process. The green items will contain bacteria that will generate the initial heat that is required by the process.
A healthy compost bin is a living ecosystem. By keeping a good mix of green and brown material you will provide the perfect conditions for a variety of mini-beasts, and can let them do all of the hard work.
- First day: Green and brown items visible; egg shells, vegetable peelings, scrunched up cardboard, grass cuttings, prunings etc
- After a couple of weeks: Looking a bit moist, the level will keep dropping and air-pockets will be letting it breathe
- After a couple of months: Small clumps of green material are still visible, brown items still showing but starting to decompose and looking quite damp, fruit flies, slugs and worms may also be present After six months: Black and crumbly material, no smell, some woody brown material and egg shells still visible, some worms and bugs left but most creatures will have moved on to find fresher food
That wasn't too tricky, what should I do to keep it going?
Just keep on doing the same thing. Make sure you keep adding the right combination of green and browns and you'll have a continuous supply of free and nutritious compost for your garden.
