Gnats are the worst though... had a stretch last summer where they were relentless until I started drying out the mix more.
Ugh, I hear you on the gnats. I got a little paranoid about them after reading horror stories, so I probably go overboard with the dryness. Maybe too much sometimes—had a batch that was basically sawdust soup because I panicked and dumped in extra pine. Still learning, I guess. Anyone else ever worry about fire risk with all the dry material? Probably just me being overly cautious...
I get the paranoia—gnats can make you question every step. I’ve definitely gone too dry before, ended up with a clumpy mess that didn’t break down right. For fire risk, it’s a fair concern, but unless you’re storing big piles of bone-dry sawdust in a hot shed, it’s pretty low. I just keep my storage bins out of direct sun and never let them pile up too high. A little moisture in the mix actually helps keep things safer and breaks down the waste better, in my experience.
A little moisture in the mix actually helps keep things safer and breaks down the waste better, in my experience.
Totally agree with this. I tried going super dry at first because I was worried about smells, but it just made everything harder to manage. Now I just aim for “damp sponge” and it seems to keep gnats away and composts way faster. Never had any fire issues either—honestly, the only real problem was when I let it get too dry and had to chip away at it later.
Now I just aim for “damp sponge” and it seems to keep gnats away and composts way faster.
Yeah, “damp sponge” is the sweet spot. I learned the hard way that too dry just turns it into a brick—had to break it up with a trowel once, not fun. Never had any fire risk either, but I do check temps just in case. Smells have actually been less of an issue since I stopped overcompensating with sawdust. Funny how that works.
Funny you mention the “damp sponge” thing—took me ages to figure out what that actually meant in practice. I used to just eyeball it, but after one too many times prying apart a compost brick (and nearly snapping my trowel), I started squeezing a handful to check. If it drips, too wet. If it crumbles, too dry. Somewhere in between and you’re golden.
I’ve also noticed that when I got the moisture right, the smell basically vanished. Before that, I was dumping in way too much sawdust, thinking more was better, but all it did was slow everything down and make it harder to turn. Now I just use enough to cover and call it good.
One thing I still can’t quite figure out is how some folks manage to keep gnats out entirely. Even with the right moisture, I’ll get a few if I’m not careful with food scraps. Maybe it’s just my luck... or maybe my banana peels are too tempting.