Smelly Compost

[Penellype]

Fair enough - the only type of poop I have tried composting is the horse variety, and muckheaps do smell and always attract swarms of small black flies. I've never seen actual maggots in it though.

[Penellype]

Not at all, it's a forum after all. I still stand by my points though as:

When turning if you notice you need more browns, greens or moisture you can add them- I didn't know about the lignin (so will read up on it) but by adding even now greens you'd surly kick start the process again if its slowing down due to this ...?


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You can certainly kick start a compost heap with grass cuttings at this time of year. Make sure that you mix them in with leaves or something similar so that they don't form a wet, smelly mass.

[Two_Sheds]

muckheaps do smell and always attract swarms of small black flies.

Yep, but they wouldn't if the poops were each wrapped in newspaper, which is how I compost my dogs' poop

I'll go take a photo, so you can see for yourself

[chris]

Interesting... the fresh horse manure I collect doesn't smell when stacked on my plot. Well, I mean it smells, but not bad at all.

To clarify, my above post with the "...?" was more of a rhetorical question

[zazen999]

I'd listen to zaz on this, as I've seen evidence of her hot composting heaps recently, that I believe break down to useable compost in a matter of weeks... Basically, the hotter you get the heap, the faster it breaks down - and by mixing it all up, with roughly the right ratios - you're sorted.

31 Days is my record. And that's without urine or anything except good old water, some comfrey and elbow grease to turn it.

[Inastate]

Was working with the nettle fertiliser today.... jesus that stuff is bad.

[Bill HH]

The Countryside.

Ah that scent doth tantalise my nose
To branch and bow, to grass ‘tis hung
Comparable to any fragrant rose
That smell of nature’s song is sung.

In this we countrymen do stand
Our mascot to our very clothes is clung
While cattle still shall roam our land
You cannot beat the smell of dung.

H W Harborne

[Mumbles]

So I made a compost heap went to put what I was expecting to be lovely home made compost in to my new raised bed. I was horrified. The smell made my cat litter tray seem like a bunch of roses! I have no idea where I've gone wrong but it's made me think twice about trying again


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[rustylady]

What did you put in your heap and when did you start it Mumbles?

[Mumbles]

Veg peelings tea bags and some cardboard ripped in to pieces. It was started end of September beginning of October time.


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[IndigoElectron]

I'm no expert but I think compost takes about a
year to make?

[darcyvuqua]

I put all kitchen waste (raw) into my bin with any kitchen roll or toilet roll inners and egg cartons then every other weekend my wife brings two cardboard boxes home from work and we rip them up after removing any tape and create a layer then kitchen waste then cardboard so on.

It is situated by my back door and does not smell.

Think this method is along the lines of the lasagne method


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[Nannysally99]

We just wrap our raw waste in newspaper, throw it in, give it a stir and fingers crossed lol. Get lots if fruit flies though


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[Mumbles]

I'm no expert but I think compost takes about a
year to make?

It looked like compost but was possibly the worst thing I've ever smelt!


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[rustylady]

Veg peelings tea bags and some cardboard ripped in to pieces. It was started end of September beginning of October time.


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Well, that's nowhere near enough time to make compost, and doesn't sound like enough contents either.