Making Compost That Doesn't Smell

A healthy compost heap smells of a forest floor. A slimy, sour, eye-watering heap has one problem: too much nitrogen-rich wet material and not enough air.

Greens and browns

I aim for roughly equal volumes of:

• Greens: grass clippings, vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, young weeds.
• Browns: cardboard, shredded paper, dry leaves, straw, woody prunings.

Grass clippings are the usual troublemaker. Mix them with scrunched cardboard instead of dumping a thick layer on top.

Turn it

I have three pallet bays. Every month or so I fork the newest bay into the next one. It takes twenty minutes and is the best workout I get.

From kitchen scraps to crumbly black compost takes me about nine months. Worth every forkful.