Text Transcript with Description of Visuals
| Audio | Video |
|---|---|
| [ Music ] | On screen text. Washington State University Extension presents Troubleshooting Your Garden Compost Pile. |
| Composting is a natural way to turn garden debris and food scraps into a beneficial soil amendment. | A pile of compost. On the left, food scraps such as onion skins, bell pepper, and shrimp visible among the brown soil. On the right, a green plant grows from the blended soil. |
| It recycles organic matter and reduces the amount entering our solid waste systems. | Views of various wooden slat square bins filled with organic material. |
| If you need information or plans for building a compost bin, check out our website. | Text on screen: Extension dot W S U dot E D U slash Spokane slash the dash essentials dash of dash composting. Photo of food waste in a pile. The Essentials of Composting. Don't Waste Your Waste. |
| Composting is a fairly simple process, but it does require some maintenance and sometimes some troubleshooting. | A person rubs compost through their fingers as they take a measurement with a thermometer. Then, a person uses a shovel to turn a pile of compost while another person sprays it with water. |
| This video was created to help garden composters figure out what's wrong with their compost pile. | Close up views of the material in a compost pile. |
| Sometimes a compost pile will start to smell bad. This can happen if there isn't enough air moving through the pile, and it could be caused by overwatering. | Close up of compost. |
| Check the size of the compost pile. If it's larger than about 5 feet tall, wide, and deep, this may be the problem. | A large compost pile sits on the ground. It is not in a bin. A tall pile of leaves sits on the ground in a wooded area. |
| Compost piles that are too large can't allow for sufficient airflow. | A tall compost pile is contained in a metal bin. |
| Turning a pile regularly does allow for increased air circulation. | A person turns a compost pile with a rake. |
| However, if the pile is too large, simply turning it may not solve the issue. | A large compost pile in a wooden structure. |
| If you notice the materials in the pile are compacted or too wet, you can add some bulking agents, often called browns. | Text on screen: High in Carbon - Browns or bulking agent. |
| These include things like dry leaves, plant stalks, wood chips, or straw mulch. | People add these items to their compost piles. Then, a person turns their pile with a rake. |
| Adding these should increase aeration in the pile and soak up excess water. The pile should stop smelling within a day or two. | Then, a person turns their pile with a rake. |
| If this doesn't work, a last resort is to spread the pile back out and expose it to the air. | A person spreads compost on a large blue tarp. |
| Excess water should evaporate or infiltrate into the soil within a few days, and you can rebuild the compost pile. | Close up footage of compost spread out on a large blue tarp. |
| A compost pile will heat up noticeably as the decomposing process begins. | A person places a compost thermometer into a compost pile. |
| You can use a compost thermometer to confirm this, or just feel the interior of the pile with your hands, but be careful, as compost can get hot enough to actually burn. | A compost thermometer in original packaging. A person pushes the top layer of compost away, revealing the compost beneath. They feel for temperature. Text on screen reads 120 degrees to 150 degrees. |
| If the pile isn't getting hot, one possibility is that the pile is too small. | A compost thermometer reads 62 degrees. This is below the green zone shown on the thermometer's face. |
| If the pile is less than 3 feet tall, wide, and deep, it doesn't have enough volume. | A large 3 bin compost unit shows three small piles of compost. |
| If the pile is large enough, check the center of the pile for moisture. | A person digs into the center of a compost pile with their hand and feels for moisture. |
| If even the center of the pile is dry, add some more water and mix well. | A person adds water to a compost pile with a blue plastic watering can. |
| What if the pile has enough water, but still isn't heating up? | A compost bin is shown that has a pile reaching almost to the top of the bin. |
| It could be a lack of materials with nitrogen, sometimes called the greens. | Text on screen reads, High in Nitrogen - Greens or Energy Material. |
| Add materials like untreated grass clippings, coffee grounds, fruit and vegetable scraps, or safe manures like cow, sheep, or rabbit. | Montage of footage showing a wheelbarrow full of grass clippings, and compost bins with coffee grounds and fruit and vegetable scraps. Next four thumbnail video clips show cows, rabbits, sheep, and chickens. |
| Mix them into the pile. You shouldn't need to add more water as these materials often have enough moisture on their own. | A person rakes a pile of wet compost. |
| You might have problems in your compost pile that we haven't covered in this short video. | A still image of the contents of a compost bin. |
| If so, you can contact the WSU Extension Spokane County Master Gardeners if you have questions. | On screen text. For more information. Spokane County Master Gardeners. Extension dot W S U dot E D U slash Spokane slash M G slash. The Essentials of Composting. Extension dot W S U dot E D U slash Spokane slash the dash essentials dash of dash composting. A Q R code in the center bottom of the screen. |
| You can also visit the website for the Spokane County Master Composter/Recyclers on this topic, and lots more. | A screenshot of the Spokane County Master Composter/Recycler Program website. |
| [ Music ] | Credits. Produced by C A H N R S Communications, Washington State University. Executive Producers, Tammy Wilson, Tim Kohlhauff, W S U Extension, Spokane County. Thanks to W S U Extension Master Gardener Volunteers, Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County, Master Composters/Recyclers. Funding provided by Washington State Department of Ecology. This material is funded through a Public Participant Grant from the Washington State Department of Ecology. Ecology reviewed the content for grant consistency but does not necessarily endorse it. Washington State University Extension. |