"PieOPah" wrote in message
...
I am putting in mainly kitchen waste - like veggie peelings and a little
garden waste. I would say 90% kitchen stuff and 10% garden waste (grass
cuttings, weeds etc)

"Derek Turner" wrote in message
...
PieOPah wrote:
Hello

I'm new to this newsgroup and I am a novice gardener - I am ok at hard
landscaping but know little about plants.

One of my New Years resolutions this year is to recycle more so I
bought
a compost bin from the council. It's doing quite well and nearly half
full. but I have a couple of questions

1 - it appears that ants have made a home in my compost bin. Does this
matter or should I try and get rid of them?

It indicates that your bin is too dry: pee in a bucket, fill it up with
water and apply

2 - It smells and with summer coming I'm sure it will get worse - what
can I do to reduce the rotting odour?
Tell us what you are putting in and in what proportions and we may be
able
to offer some advice.

Try mixing in with a fork some dry carbon matter such as torn up
cardboard/paper, dried leaves, hay or straw or maybe best untreated saw
dust.

The kitchen waste is likely mostly nitrogen as are grass clippings and
weeds.

Using paper or leaves I have seen advised a 4-1 carbon to nitrogen mix
though this may be a little obsessive. With the saw dust a 2-1 nitrogen to
carbon mix I have been advised is good. With the sawdust you need less of it
to balance up the compost heap than you do of straw, hay, leaves etc. Only
use what you can get free however, it is not worth paying for as there are
many good substitutes.

rob