The main reason that so many people are buying the barrel composters is that they are convenient, but also because composting worries people. They don’t want to have crawling critters, rodents and other pests wondering through their gardens and a lot of people assume that all composters produce unpleasant odors.
If you maintain your pile properly, you won’t have to worry about any of these problems. A healthy pile shouldn’t smell of anything other than soil.
So what if you do have a problem, how do you fix it…
Problem 1. – Pongy And Smelly
If your compost bin is smelling, it is usually caused by an excess of greens or the greens not being stirred into the mixture. If your pile starts to smell, add some brown materials and see if it improves.
Problem 2. – Flies
The main reason for having flies is if your food scraps are not buried into the centre of the pile at least 6″ down. If you are just throwing the food waste on top, then you aren’t going to get rid of your flies.
Problem 3. – Rats and Rodents
If you land up with rodents, then it’s likely that some fatty food or some meat has made it’s way into your pile. Turn your pile and see if the rodents leave it alone, if not, you may have to get some rodent repellant from your home center.
Problem 4. - Moisture
Too little or too much both cause problems. Too much moisture and the compost will rot, not decompose. Too little moisture and absolutely nothing will happen. If you have too much moisture, take a look at the drainage in the area, if too little, you may need some shade or just a regular watering.
Problem 5. – Cold
In winter there will always be a slowing down of the decomposing process. You can make a much larger pile and cover it to keep the heat in and allow it to simmer during the cold winter months.
