My compost pile just sits there — or it stinks
A pile that does nothing and a pile that stinks are opposite failures with the same two variables behind them: the carbon-to-nitrogen ratio, and water.
What actually works
If what you actually have is a kitchen-scrap problem and chickens to feed, this is the better machine — and the larvae harvest themselves.
$40–150Target **25:1 to 30:1**. Too much carbon (straw, leaves, sawdust) and it sits there cold for a year. Too much nitrogen (grass, manure, kitchen scraps) and it goes anaerobic and reeks of ammonia. The calculator below does the blend.
3 × 3 × 3 ft. Smaller than that and the pile loses heat faster than it makes it, no matter how good the recipe.
Too dry is the most common reason a correctly mixed pile does nothing, and it's invisible from outside. Squeeze a handful.
$12–25. The core is 18 inches in; the edge tells you nothing. **131°F held three days** is the figure for killing weed seed; above 160°F turn it.
Run the numbers
- Compost C:N mixer → — free calculator, works offline.
Also searched as
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