Got roasted by an old farmer for my compost setup and he was totally right

I was proud of my little bin in the backyard, thought I was doing great. Then this guy I know from the local market, name's Harold, saw it and laughed. He said 'that pile is too wet and you ain't turning it enough, you're just making mud with a side of mold.' I was annoyed at first but I checked it and yeah, it was a slimy mess. He showed me how to layer browns and greens right. I changed my whole method 3 months ago and now I get actual crumbly compost instead of sludge. Has anyone else had to totally scrap their approach after one comment?

2 comments

2 Comments

patricia_wells23d ago

Nah, more water speeds things up if you've got enough browns.

the_elizabeth23d ago

He's absolutely right about the wetness though. I had the same problem for like a year, kept thinking more water meant faster breakdown but really I was just drowning everything. Once I started squeezing a handful and if more than a couple drops came out I added shredded cardboard, everything changed. What did he tell you about the brown to green ratio specifically? I still struggle with getting it right when the weather changes.