Apologies in advance if this is horrific, I'm new to composting.
Basically left this compost bin over the busy summer for a few months unattended. Opened it now to find this sludge squirming mass which after googling appears to be pot worms? Correct me please if I am wrong. Anyway, I saw a post further down which has a similar worm mass but far less concentrated to this. I gathered from that post that the soil is far too acidic and moist, and would need dry leaves/shredded cardboard, wood chips etc and to be turned frequently to fix. But be honest, is this level even worth saving or should I just start again?
by Well_thats_a_chew_on
22 Comments
Totally worth saving. A source of carbon mixed into the top will go a long way in fixing it up. Time fixes many things with your compost. Was the lid off and rain got in? If so, covering it will be helpful as well….
No need to start over. It needs an obscene amount of dry browns, but it can be corrected for sure
Add a bale of straw
I see nothing wrong here, overall. Add copious amounts of browns and you’re in business. Those worms are a great sign.
Here in Florida where it rains every day, I let the BSF maggots do the work in my tumbler — to which I regularly add kitchen scraps — while adding browns once every so often just to keep it from getting too out of control. Once it dries up, I’ll pack it with browns and it’ll be golden by next February.
Not the prettiest – but nature is still doing its job just like it’s supposed to!
Some suggestions for dry browns in case you’re struggling:
-Paper (got any junk mail?)
-Card & cardboard (including paper towel & toilet paper tubes)
-Wood chips, straw, standard animal bedding materials
And if you don’t have access to any of those, in a pinch I’ve heard a lot of people buy horse bedding pellets from the store. They’re like 5-6 bucks for a bag, and they expand when wet. A bag of those pellets would last you a fair while and it’d be nice to have on hand for times like this when your compost needs some TLC
If the lid was on, you probably need to drill a few drainage holes. Thats crazy wet.
Carbon will fox this. Cardboard, sawdust, wood shavings, dry leaves…
This should have had a trigger warning 🙈
the thing with kitchen green food scraps need lots of browns, cardboard/woodchips. The normal mix is one part greens and two parts brown, so you are missing lots of browns, just put some shredded cardboard to get it back on track and way less odors and faster composting times.
Lots and lots of browns will do the trick
If you have a tractor supply or similar nearby get a bale of the finest pine shavings they have, it’s not much more course than saw dust. Mix it in liberally to counter act some of that moisture and improve the mix. Bugs are bugs and will always be bugs
Cardboard is your friend
Looks AI generated nightmare fuel but like others have said, more browns and it will be alright. I like to go on FB and ask for brown paper bags. Those work like a charm. If you have a Costco membership they also have plain cardboards from their produce that will work in a jiffy.
drainage holes.
Throw a bunch of wood chips/shavings or shredded dry leaves in there and it will be fine in a week,
if you have any wood pellets (used for smoking or heating) those will quickly soak up excess mositure and turn into fine sawdust
[Consider the following](https://a.co/d/0kjx2c3)
Add more
r/EatItYouFuckinCoward
I see no problem here. Looks your horror movie is turning out fine.
Get a ton of browns and you’ll be good
r/shitfromabutt
Compost is excrement. It could be from horses or horseflies or microscopic organisms, but it is breaking down organic molecules into simpler molecules that are accessible to fungi and plants. Add a bunch of carbon material – in this case, sawdust and shredded leves would be my choice – and you will quickly revert to a population of organisms that are less disturbing to you – but the activity you see is exactly the process you want. The reason you have these larva is because there is too much moisture, not enough carbon, and not enough turning. Any one of those actions will be a remedy, all three would make it happen faster.
My first experience with a tumbler ended similar to this. I dumped it all out, mixed in a bunch of browns and pee and I had a hot pile in a couple days.
If you have the space for a pile, I’d suggest that. Otherwise just add a bunch of shredded cardboard, sawdust, leaf mulch, etc. Lots of browns in small pieces.