Compost works best when four things are roughly in balance:
- **carbon** (dry leaves, straw, shredded cardboard)
- **nitrogen** (food scraps, fresh weeds, manures, green material)
- **moisture**
- **air**
Common problems:
- too dry = nothing happens
- too wet = smelly, slimy pile
- too much carbon = slow
- too much nitrogen = stinky
For faster compost:
1. Build enough volume to hold heat.
2. Mix browns and greens rather than layering huge clumps.
3. Wet it so it feels like a wrung-out sponge.
4. Turn it if it compacts or cools.
5. Keep adding biology through existing compost, soil, or manure.
You do not need perfection. You need enough mass, enough moisture, and a decent balance of ingredients.
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