Sludge, we don’t want no sludge…
Smelly, slimy, if this describes your compost, then it’s time for a little TLC. Stinky compost is not only unpleasant, it creates an inferior finished product for our farmers. Nitrogen, the stuff that helps plants grow, is volatile. It can leach from compost (liquid in the bottom of your bucket?) and float away as a gas (think: stink). If you want the science you can read more here but you don’t have to geek out to keep a balanced bucket. Just implement 1 —maybe 2—step(s) and you’ll be building healthy compost in no time!
Step 1
Just Add “Browns!”
In compost parlance, “greens” are nitrogen rich materials. These are often wet and if you leave them out, they’ll get stinky: lettuce leaves, coffee grounds, meat. These are the compost heavy hitters, and when broken down correctly, they will make finished compost nitrogen-rich. But too much “green” will make a stinky, slimy compost pile—and much of the valuable nitrogen will soon be lost.
Adding carbon-rich “browns” to your pile solves this problem! Browns are the dry materials that have little odor, like shredded paper, straw, dry leaves, sawdust. On their own, browns break down very slowly. When greens and browns are combined, the nitrogen in the greens gets busy breaking down the carbon in the browns. The nitrogen is then “bound up.” It’s stable and even transportable. It can be brought to the farmers’ market compost hub and transported to a farm. Months later, when the greens and browns together have broken down into to compost, this nitrogen (which might have otherwise been a stinky nuisance) will be available to plants.
Aim for a 4-1 ratio of browns-to-greens. You might find, that despite adding more materials, your compost becomes less bulky. If so, the composting process has begun in your very own bucket.
Step 2
Increase the Air!
Free air space (or FAS), is essential to healthy compost. Without it, the microorganisms that convert organic matter to compost will die. NEVER seal your compost container (unless you’re using the Bokashi method). If you’re using a homemade compost container and find the scraps unsightly, take a lesson from the manufactured buckets which come with holes in their lids (fitted with carbon pads as a barrier to bugs and smells).
If you’re adding browns to your pile at a 4-1 ration and your composted is ventilated, you’re probably in the clear. If your compost is still stinky, give it a stir, or a shake. Grab a stick and poke a couple holds. Increase the air, and your compost, will be Crazysexycool.
Aubrey Yarbrough is the Community Development Manager for Farmer Mark. Before moving to LA she ran her own organic farm and cooked on the garde manger station of the award winning Elements restaurant in Princeton, NJ. She has contributed poetry to New American Writing and prose to Mondoweiss and Edible Jersey.