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Make sure your compost has the right mixture of nutritional goodness! - Cultivate Waltham Forest
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Make sure your compost has the right mixture of nutritional goodness!

12 Feb Make sure your compost has the right mixture of nutritional goodness!

Posted at 17:01h in News by
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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 of their grass cuttings, fruit and vegetable peelings. These are great things to put in a bin, but used on their own will result in a sludgy, smelly mess.

look of compost image 1
First day:Only grass cuttings and peelings visible
look of compost image 2
After a couple of weeks: Lots of fruit flies, looks like a green lump, smells rotten, warm bin
look of compost image 3
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.

Too brown

Autumn is a typical time of year when this may occur. Because of the large number of leaves falling from trees and a flurry of plant pruning, bins get filled with too many browns. Autumn leaves just don’t produce enough nitrogen to activate the heat production.

'brown' items going into compost bin
First day: a heap of leaves, branches, straw and paper, very dry looking
What the contents of a compost bin looks like
After a couple of weeks: looks much the same, no smell and just a few woodlice and ants

That’s like my bin, what can I do?

Leaves should be composted separately to make lovely leafmould. If your bin does have more leaves in it than it should, try adding some more greens, like grass cuttings. Or you could add nettles soaked in cold water, which also makes a great activator for a compost bin.

Just right

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 the hard work.

A mix of 'greens' and 'browns' going into compost bin
First day: green and brown items visible; egg shells, vegetable peelings, scrunched up cardboard, grass cuttings, prunings etc
The contents of a compost bin
After a couple of weeks: looking a bit moist, no smell, the level will keep dropping and air pockets will be letting it breathe
What the compost looks like
After a couple of months: clumps of green material are still visible, brown items are still showing but starting to decompose
Garden fork with perfect compost on it from compost bin
9 to 12 months: black and crumbly, no smell, some woody brown material still visible, some worms and bugs

Make sure you keep adding the right combination of greens and browns

… and you’ll have a continuous supply of nutritious compost for your garden. Don’t forget to aerate your compost once in a while by using a fork or a broom handle.

Find out more hints and tips here !