Compost Too Wet:

What Happens when Compost Gets too Wet

A Video Detailing the Horror

by Josh Day

When composting, it's always important to keep the proper ratio of dry to wet matter. Dry matter is paper (napkins, cardboard recyclable plates, shredded junk mail) and leaf fiber, and wet matter is the plant and other food wastes that feed the composting process.

As you read in my first article on our Rubbermaid compost bin, you'll recall our first batch was nearly perfect.

This second batch, while breaking down nicely and actually faster than the first round, has become too wet. You'll see what I mean in the video below. The wet matter has made a congealed black mess on the surface, almost like a hard soil layer, while the dry matter has been pushed to the bottom.

This has occurred due to a factor of reasons. One, I haven't been stirring the compost as much as I should. Two, it's a lot hotter outside. And three, I don't have any rosemary stalks in this batch, like I did with the first mixture. I'm speculating that the relatively dry rosemary branches and leaves kept the ratio where it needed to be, at about 1:3 wet to dry.

Here's the video I made below. Yes, there are maggots and some disgusting sounds, disturbing imagery, and I get chased by a yellow jacket.

Luckily I didn't get stung.

The maggots are black soldier fly larvae. They crop up in most compost systems in North America and other parts of the world and are nothing to worry about; they're actually quite beneficial to the process. However, as you saw, the compost bin's only several feet away from our door and the trash cans are nearby.

I dragged the bin out into the yard to let it finish for the next couple weeks. I tossed in some more shredded paper, keeping it on top of the wet matter after a thorough stirring, to dry things out some.

The result looks identical to the picture at the right. I don't plan on messing with the bin any more and the next time I'll open the lid I expect to be greeted by black, rich compost.