4 mistakes to avoid when composting on your balcony

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After composting for four years now. At many points I took the "let's try it my way" approach – which meant I did not listen to dad or the experts. Some mistakes were bad. A pile of rotting organic matter enough to put anyone off composting.

Today, I compost on my balcony garden in Singapore. Lesson learnt. Now, I play by the rules and science of composting. But anyone who composts on a balcony will tell you it comes with a unique bundle of constraints – no access to top soil, restricted space, storage etc. But it can be done. The best way is to experiment, make some mistakes and live by some crucial basic rules. Here are some rules I've stuck by to avoid a stinking mess.

So if you're living in an apartment and want to cook some compost, here are some things you can do to avoid a heap of problems.

1. Take care of Drainage

Whether you are using a DIY bin or you've bought a compost bin please ensure it has sufficient drainage. Make sure it has holes at the bottom and layer some pebbles on top of those holes for better drainage.

Without any drainage stagnated liquid at the bottom of the organic pile (sounds bad already) will drive out air, drown the pile and dilute nutrients. This will lead to rotting pile of waste. It will also cool down your heap which slows down decomposition and prevents your pile from heating up. And a good compost heap has heat.

Basically drainage helps maintain right moisture levels. Your compost heap should be moist. Not too dry, soggy or wet.

2. Containers for kitchen scraps KitchenWaste containers

I've come across home department stores selling small containers labelled as compost bins – without ventilation and drainage holes. My problem with these containers, well, these are not compost bins! These are small containers to help store kitchen scraps for when you are ready to start a batch of compost.

With our tropical heat and humidity, your kitchen scraps will start rotting within days in these containers. Expect an anaerobic, mushy and stinky pile in the container. If fruit flies find a way into the container, you'll definitely get maggots. I don't have any problems with maggots, it has a role to play and helps breakdown organic matter. I do have a problem with plain containers being sold as compost bins. Especially since you can use any air tight plastic container to collect your kitchen waste.

Tip: To help reduce the stinky mess that will come about from collecting kitchen waste in a container – try laying some saw dust, coconut fiber or perhaps shredded paper or cardboard at the bottom to absorb some of the excess moisture.

3. Air

Is it possible to make compost without air? Yes, anaerobically. But at home I prefer to compost aerobically. Again, for me it's got to do with creating a heap that is earth smelling, steaming, moist and fertile with humus. Aeration and ventilation in an aerobic compost pile is important. My first DIY compost bin did not have any ventilation holes. When I traveled and was unable to stir the heap, it turned into a lumpy pile with unpleasant smelling clumps of organic matter.

Two things you can do to make sure your pile is aerated well.

First create ventilation holes in your compost bin. Second, create layers. Pile your matter so that it is loose not tight, packed or lumpy. Use chunky items like torn cardboard, big dried leaves, small twigs to create air cavities. Layer chunky items in between finer and wet items like your kitchen scraps, shredded newspaper, grass clippings, flower petals and top soil.

4. Incorporating some soil

When I first started out on my balcony I said to myself, I shouldn't have to incorporate soil if I am layering the right type and amount of carbon and nitrogen materials into my compost heap. Well I was wrong.

Adding some soil into your compost heap in between layers of carbon and nitrogen based materials will really help the process. First it will introduce microorganisms to the compost bin on your balcony. Second it does a good job managing moisture levels and third, it helps with the structure of the end product. You need all the help you can get when composting on the balcony. So add some soil and avoid making the mistakes I've made.

There are loads of resources on composting out there. But if I had to recommend one go to guide, it would be "The Rodale Book Of Composting : Easy Methods for Every Gardener." My dad used to turn to an older version "The Complete Book of Composting" from the early 70s. Well at 1007 pages long it better be complete! Look this one up instead. It is simple. Both scientific and anecdotal. My Garden Geek Alert – you'll learn whole lot about soil and microbes. And they have a superb Nitrogen, Carbon, Phosphoric, Potash composition materials list – LOVE IT!