Realized my whole approach to composting was backwards after a visit to my sister's place

I always thought you needed a huge pile and lots of turning for months. Then I saw her using a simple tumbler bin with a 2:1 brown to green ratio and getting dark crumbly compost in 3 weeks. The smell difference alone made me question all the years I spent shoveling wet stinky piles around my yard. Anyone else find out they were overcomplicating a simple process?

3 comments

3 Comments

tessa_murray19d agoMost Upvoted

Wait wait wait. 3 weeks? That tumbler must be powered by some kind of black magic. My piles take 6 months minimum and smell like a dead possum. Are we talking about the same type of compost?

rowan96919d ago

The "smells like a dead possum" part is what got me. That's exactly the problem with most people's piles. They throw stuff in and it turns into a wet, stinky mess. But here's the thing I've noticed about life in general - most of us just don't pay enough attention to the little details that make things work right. Like with your pile, it's probably too wet and not enough browns. Same reason people's houseplants die or their cars need repairs all the time. We just kind of half-ass things and then wonder why they don't work. Get the ratios right, keep it aerated, and a tumbler can absolutely shred through material in weeks instead of months. Your possum smell just means you need more leaves or shredded paper.

hannah40019d ago

Wow that's wild because I used to totally be on the other side of this argument. I had this big open pile in my backyard and I thought the smell and the work were just part of the deal. But after seeing my neighbor's tumbler setup last spring I finally gave in and got one. The difference is honestly night and day. I still can't believe how fast things break down when you just get the balance right. I'm kicking myself for all those years of stinky wet piles and sore shoulders.