Seasonal calendar
🍂 Temperate climate
June
Early summer
Add (greens)
- • Vegetable trimmings
- • Soft prunings
Add (browns)
- • Straw mulch leftovers
This month's tip
Keep moist in heat. Cover with cardboard to slow evaporation.
Greens (nitrogen)
- • Vegetable & fruit scraps
- • Coffee grounds & tea bags
- • Fresh grass clippings
- • Plant trimmings
- • Eggshells (crushed)
Browns (carbon)
- • Dry leaves
- • Cardboard & paper (shredded)
- • Straw & hay
- • Sawdust (untreated wood)
- • Wood chips
Don’t compost
Top tips
Aim for ~3:1 browns to greens
Three parts dry/carbon-rich (browns) to one part wet/nitrogen-rich (greens) by volume. Too many greens = slimy & smelly. Too many browns = nothing happens.
Keep it as damp as a wrung-out sponge
If it’s dry, sprinkle water. If it’s soggy, add more browns and turn it. Microbes need moisture to break things down.
Turn it every 1–2 weeks
Aerating mixes oxygen into the pile and speeds up decomposition dramatically — a hot pile can be done in 6–8 weeks.
Heat = progress
A working pile feels warm in the middle (50–65°C / 120–150°F). No heat usually means too dry, too small, or too few greens.
Chop it small
Smaller pieces decompose faster. Cut up melon rinds, tear cardboard, shred leaves with the lawnmower.
Troubleshooting
Smells bad (ammonia/rotten)
Likely cause
Too wet or too many greens
Fix
Add browns, turn it, let it dry slightly.
Nothing is breaking down
Likely cause
Too dry or too few greens
Fix
Add water + greens (grass, coffee grounds), turn it.
Attracting flies or rodents
Likely cause
Exposed food scraps
Fix
Always bury food under a layer of browns; avoid meat & dairy.
Pile is cold
Likely cause
Too small or compacted
Fix
Build to at least 1m³, turn to add air, balance the mix.