7 Reasons Compost Heaps Fail

As we move more into sustainable life choices, working on behalf of the environment rather than exploiting it and growing our own food, compost bins are finding their way into our gardens. However, the honest and heartfelt intentions to compost meet a disappointing end. Composting sometimes doesn’t work.

The good news is that it always can. Anything that was once living or part of a living being, be it a cardboard box or vegetable scrap, or pile of leaves, can be composted. It’s just a matter of understanding that a successful compost heap is more than a pile of kitchen scraps. That’s just going to become a smelly feeding ground for pests and wildlife.

Composting isn’t complicated, but some basic needs must be met and simple guidelines can help. A good start is understanding why some compost piles fail and how we might prevent that from happening.

1. Not Enough Heat

Arguably, the best compost is one that heats up to at least 130 degrees (but not much hotter) for several days. This temperature for this amount of time kills most weed seeds that might be in the pile. Plus, it decomposes quickly. However, high temperatures aren’t necessary to make compost. Cold composts are piles that are built slowly, a few kitchen scraps at a time. These take much longer to become mature compost, and they don’t build up much heat. Turn them to fire things up.

2. Not Enough Moisture

Compost piles need moisture to do what they do. Materials break down or rot much more quickly when wet than when dry. Just compare a tropical rainforest to a desert. The ideal amount of moisture for a compost pile is enough to squeeze a drop or two of water from a handful of the material in it. Without this moisture, things won’t break down.

3. Too Much Nitrogen

Sometimes compost piles, particularly those made primarily with kitchen scraps, get really slimy and funky. This is because we are adding an abundance of nitrogen-rich materials without cutting them with carbon material. A big wad of “green” materials breaks down quickly but will go a bit putrid if there isn’t “brown” material there to absorb the moisture.

4. Too Much Funk

Another problem when too much nitrogen is added to the compost pile is that it gets funky, i.e. smelly. That’s because this stuff rots quickly and gets sludgy, and if there isn’t adequate carbon to absorb the sludge, it smells. Each time “green” materials, such as kitchen scraps or fresh grass clippings, it should be covered with a couple of inches of “brown” material, like shredded leaves, shredded paper, straw, or wood chips.

5. Too Many Animals

A stinky compost bin will draw much more in terms of pests and wildlife, including flies, mice, rats, raccoons, skunks, and more. These animals are also more likely to visit bins with meat, dairy, and fatty stuff. The best way to avoid attracting flies and unwanted guests is to cover the compost with a layer of carbon-rich material. It will absorb the smells potentially emanating from below.

6. Not Enough Air

Compost bins need plenty of air to break down the way we want them to. It’s microorganisms, worms, insects, and so on that are doing the work of decomposition, and they all have to breathe. Aeration is helped by layering the nitrogen-rich elements with carbon-rich elements. It also helps to make a pile of twigs and small sticks at the bottom of the pile. Turning the compost pile will introduce a lot of air quickly.

7. Too Much Time

Cold composts take a long time, easily a year and sometimes two, to break down sufficiently. Continually adding material also means that the compost pile never gets a chance to decompose before getting more fresh material. Eventually, a compost heap has to be left to do its thing. That means at least two bins should be available. Three is even better, one for the active compost, one for the resting compost, and one for the mature compost.

With this stuff in mind, good compost is so much more possible. Add a few more tricks and choice ingredients and it’ll be some really good stuff. What are you going to do with it?

Related Content:

• 7 Things That Make Compost Awesome
• How to Make a Quick Leaf Compost Out of All Those Autumn Leaves
• 7 Ways to Make Compost
• 7 Ways to Use Food Scraps in the Garden (They’re Not Just for Compost)
• Make Compost Start to Finish in Under a Month

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