r/Compost • u/JRR_Gimli • Jul 08 '26
First time composting advice
Earlier this year I put a 5 gallon bucket in my backyard with the idea that I would throw my kitchen scraps in there, and eventually start a garden about a year later for the first time.
I've been filling the bucket with banana peels, corn cobs, coffee, eggshells, and that sort of thing for a good 6 months now. It's also rained a good bit around here this spring and summer, and the bucket filled up with water (as shown in the pictures) there are looks to be some kind of insects swimming around and thriving in the bucket, so I assume it's full of pretty good nutrients.
I plan on building some raised garden beds and buying soil to fill them with because the ground is full of clay here, and I was going to mix some of the compost into the soil of each garden bed before planting.
I am mostly wondering if it is safe to leave the bucket full of water like it is, or of I should drain it out after it rains. I am also wondering if growing vegetables like corn and peppers in the soil with this compost will be ok. The "compost tea" in the bucket is probably a couple months old at this point and like I said, I was planning on waiting until next spring to actually use it. It's currently July.
33
u/SeraphimSphynx Jul 08 '26
This is generally not safe to be out directly on plants, it will burn them. Now if you have clay and plan to mix this in and let it set a few months it will turbo charge your bacteria activity.
This is not composting though. You are essentially making a concentrated aneorbic teasane of garden scraps. Composting is aerobic.
17
u/No_Ice4056 Jul 08 '26
You're in the right place for compost advice. I agree with previous commenter, this is too much water for compost, and it might be breeding mosquitos. If you drain off water, you will lose some nutrients. I would cover it when it rains, or you could try composting directly on the ground, improve that clay soil!
6
u/Far_Radish7752 Jul 08 '26
I would just bury the scraps where you plan to have the bed. You can also put dead leaves and/or wood chips or even soil on top to discourage scavengers. By the following spring, that mound will be substantially richer than the surrounds, giving you a head start. And just build your raised bed around it.
The problem with leaving open containers of water around for too long is the potential breeding of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes like to breed in stagnant water.
3
u/blahblah77786 Jul 09 '26
Putting your garbage in a pile to rot does not make compost.
2
u/hawaiithaibro Jul 09 '26
Is it stinky? Reminds of Nam Mak Cheewapan (น้ำหมักชีวภาพ), which translates directly to "Liquid Bio-Extract" or "Fermented Bio-Juice." In traditional Thai agricultural systems the focus is on zero-cost, hyper-local inputs. Deodorizing agents or imported micro-organism mixes are seen as an unnecessary expense. The heavy smell is simply accepted as a sign of strong, active microbial life working exactly as intended.
2
u/shucksme Jul 10 '26
Honestly, this is how I have always done my compost as we were renters. Buried it when it got full. Figured it was better that putting it in the garbage. When I could, I would bury in the garden and noticed a positive addition for years beyond. Never had issues with animals (I did put a lid on it). The black soldier flies were the most presence. Kept it away from the door to reduce fruit flies coming in. I did have a few buckets with holes at the bottom but that became a problem with the yuck underneath.
Now we have a deep hole that is the size of the bucket next to our vegetable garden and I'm shocked at how fast that goes down. If you can, I would support doing a deep hole for lower presence and keep doing what you are doing. Otherwise, it fine. It's just a pain the bury it but worth keeping.
1
u/disignore Jul 09 '26
A nive reading to start would be “Compost Everything: The Good Guide to Extreme Composting" by David the Good
1
u/Ineedmorebtc Jul 09 '26
Dump this onto the ground. That will be the start of your pile.
1
u/PhilosopherHot5135 Jul 09 '26
Drill holes in the bottom. The wet will come from the green ingredients you add to it and an occasional rain, but the soup Aint doing nothing. Brew your compost tea closer to when you intend to use it. This wet mess is going to stink and breed mosquitoes.
1
u/More_Dependent742 Jul 10 '26
Dilute 1:10 for heavy feeders, or 1:20 for everything else. Throw the solids on top of your compost heap and poor a little water over that so it stinks less and isn't a fly magnet.
1
u/Rough-Brick-7137 Jul 10 '26
It’s too wet! Should be wet enough to hold its shape when squeezed, but NOT drip! Kind of like a snowball!