That moment I realized I was burying greens way too deep in my bin

I kept getting this weird sour smell from my compost bin for weeks (like pickles gone bad). Turns out I was piling all my veggie scraps at the bottom of the bin under a thick layer of browns. My friend who composts in her studio apartment (in Austin) saw a photo I sent and pointed out the greens need to be mixed through the whole bin, not just buried. Has anyone else had that 'oh duh' moment where your compost setup just clicks after months of frustration?

3 comments

3 Comments

taylorlewis16d ago

Man @ericnguyen really had a whole spreadsheet for compost lmao. I mean I get wanting to do it right but tracking temp and moisture like it's some science experiment feels a bit extra for dirt, no? Its just rotted food at the end of the day.

oscarb712mo ago

Just relax, it's just compost. It doesn't have to be perfect.

ericnguyen2mo ago

My first batch I tried to get the perfect 50/50 brown to green ratio and ended up with a slimy mess that smelled like a dumpster. Took me forever to realize @oscarb71 is right, you just gotta throw stuff in and let it do its thing. I had a whole spreadsheet going with temps and moisture levels and it was driving me crazy. Now I just toss in kitchen scraps and shredded mail whenever I remember and the pile breaks down fine on its own. What kind of stuff are you putting in yours?