The simple mistakes that could ruin your compost

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On the flip side, a compost pile can become too dry without enough water. If it’s crumbly in texture, light brown in colour or the waste is not decomposing, your compost is probably dehydrated, says Diane Blazek, executive director of the US National Garden Bureau.

Ilse Rojas-Hamilton, program manager for Compost Cats within the University of Arizona’s Office of Sustainability, explains that where you live plays a role, too. “For example, in the desert in summer, we do need to water the compost more often.”

The remedy is simple: “If it’s too dry, stir it, water it and add more green products. Kitchen scraps are perfect,” says Blazek. She recommends touching the compost with your bare hands to check moisture.

Turning your compost too often or not enough

Stirring or mixing the compost pile helps the decomposition process by adding oxygen. “A lot of the microbes in a compost pile are aerobic, meaning they need at least some air, [which] allows them to multiply, to breathe and to break down your compost faster,” says Guiliano. If you don’t turn your compost enough, you’ll notice it smells like ammonia.

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The experts we consulted gave varying opinions about how often you should turn a compost pile, ranging from as frequently as two or three times a week, to as little as once every week or two.

Turning your compost too much is also possible. “The fungi and microbes that break everything down will keep getting mixed around before they have a chance to get to work,” says Janet Sluis, a horticulturist and curator for Sunset Plant Collection. “It can also really cool off your compost, which can stop it from decomposing.”

Adding the wrong foods – or too much food – to your compost

Not all food waste is meant for the compost pile. “You don’t want to compost meat or cheese or anything that’s too oily,” says Balz. These types of scraps can attract flies, rodents and wildlife or produce odours. “If you have a salad that’s covered in dressing, it’s probably best to leave it out,” she says. Even though it will decompose, it will smell like garbage, which you presumably don’t want.

Fruit and vegetable scraps, eggshells, breads, cereals, grains, spices, coffee grounds and tea leaves are fine for your compost pile. But adding too much food waste can also lead to an excess of moisture and create compaction, which limits airflow and causes bad odours.

Adding weeds or diseased plants to your compost

Some plants shouldn’t go into a compost bin, even if they are considered “greens”. If you have plants that you know or suspect to be diseased, leave those out. Otherwise you may spread diseases or pathogens around your garden when you use the compost as fertiliser.

Same goes for weeds: “You don’t want them in your compost because they will just proliferate in there and then you’ll have more weeds every time you use your compost,” says Sluis.

Washington Post

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