02/09/2026
For three decades, I’ve watched people fuss over their compost like it’s a delicate soufflé. It’s just rotting matter, folks. It wants to break down. You don't need expensive tumblers or chemical starters. But I do see folks making it much harder than it needs to be. They throw away perfect compost fodder every day—including the contents of their vacuum cleaner and what's left in their hairbrush. Meanwhile, they're casually tossing in the one specific backyard nut that will actively sabotage the whole pile. If your heap is just sitting there doing nothing, or if it smells worse than a wet dog, you’re probably just missing the basic 2-to-1 rule. I’ve written down a very simple, no-nonsense guide to getting it right, including the weird things you should be composting, the scraps that will ruin it, and the simple "sponge" trick to fix a struggling pile.
