My compost pile was a cold, wet mess for almost two months

I followed a basic guide online and just threw all my food scraps and yard waste together, expecting it to heat up. It never did, it just sat there soggy and gross. I finally figured out the problem was the balance, or really the lack of it. I had way too many wet greens like vegetable peels and not nearly enough dry browns like leaves or shredded paper. After I spent a weekend gathering and shredding a bunch of cardboard and dried leaves to mix in, it finally started working properly about a week later. Has anyone else had to completely rebuild their compost because the mix was off?

3 comments

3 Comments

margaret_gonzalez2513d ago

Why not just turn it more often?

patricia_schmidt1413d ago

Imagine trying to wring out a soaked towel by just shaking it. Turning a wet pile just moves the soggy parts around. You need that dry brown material like leaves or shredded paper to actually absorb the moisture. Without it, you're basically just churning compost soup.

lewis.troy13d ago

Oh man, turning that mess would have just made a bigger, wetter mess. Like trying to stir cold soup and expecting it to boil. My pile was basically a veggie swamp. All the turning in the world won't fix a pile that's just a slop bucket. You absolutely have to get that brown stuff in there to soak it all up.