I used to think my neighbor's compost bin was just a smelly mess

For years, I saw her pile of food scraps and leaves and thought it was a lot of work for nothing. Then she gave me a bag of her finished compost for my garden last spring. My tomato plants grew twice as big as usual and I didn't need to buy any chemical fertilizer. It made me realize how much good stuff we just throw away. Has anyone else started composting after seeing real results?

3 comments

3 Comments

victor_carr251mo agoMost Upvoted

My uncle tried to compost once but he didn't turn the pile enough. It just sat there wet and full of fruit flies for a whole summer. The smell was so bad we could tell when the wind changed direction. He gave up and went back to buying bags of soil from the garden center.

masonm851mo ago

That story from @victor_carr25 about the fruit fly disaster is exactly why people get scared off. It's not magic, it's just basic balance. You need more brown stuff, like dried leaves or shredded paper, mixed in with the kitchen scraps. A pile that's all food waste gets slimy. A cheap pitchfork from a garage sale and five minutes a week to turn it makes all the difference. Once you get that mix right, it doesn't smell bad at all, just earthy.

harper_owens20d ago

Heard a similar story from my neighbor Pat over on Maple Street, @victor_carr25. She tried composting two years back with nothing but coffee grounds and eggshells, ended up with a pile that smelled like a wet dog that hadn't been bathed in months. Said she almost gave up too but then a master gardener at the library told her to add shredded cardboard and dead leaves from her yard. Within three weeks the smell faded and it started looking like dark soil instead of garbage mush. Now she gives me a bucket every fall and I swear my roses have never looked better. Funny how something so simple can change your whole view on waste.