Compost TroubleShooting
After putting in many hours of time and countless amounts of sweat and tears your composting bin is finally ready for operation. After having your organic materials composting for a few months you begin to notice some strange smells and all kinds of field rodents scurrying around your pile; it is time to do some compost troubleshooting. You are right in thinking that these are not normal, in fact, if your compost pile is operating properly you should not even notice it. Below is a short list of solutions to possible problems that you may be experiencing with your compost pile. This list is not the "end all and be all", but it is a good place to start. After you have resolved your composting problems check out our composting tips and if you are not already doing so you should looking to worm composting, vermiculture.
Compost TroubleShooting |
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| Problem | Possible Causes | Solution |
| Bad odour | Too many greens | Add browns and mix.
Turn pile and top with soil |
| Smells like rotten eggs | Not enough air | Turn pile for several days until odor
is gone.
Top with soil |
| Pile is not composting | Too dry | Moisten with water until damp |
| Flies around pile | Exposed food | Bury food or cover with a layer of soil |
| Unwelcome animal visitors (raccoons, dogs, rodents, etc.) | Exposed food or wrong items added | Remove any meat, fats, or dairy products.
Bury food scraps and cover with soil |