Neighbor Complaint- Stinky Yard. Advice??

[trumpeting_angel]

Oh, you know what? If you have any good, finished compost, your gardening neighbors would love some!

 

[jolenesdad]

If you could post a pic like @aart said it would help so much to give advice on how to manage that pile.

As many have said you’ve got to get air to the middle. Some people do this with a pitchfork or a tractor and physically turn it. Small composters are tumblers for this reason. With your situation I wonder if PVC pipes would work well. You can take a pipe and drill holes and stick it into the pile and you never have to turn it. There are many designs for a setup like this if you google pvc pipe compost.

However, I would mark that for a future plan and dump this compost right away, and send a note back with some fresh eggs maybe thanking them for letting you know.

 

[aart]

I am going to try giving everything a good turning. While doing so I am going to mix in a bale of dry straw. If I need to I could put a little lime on top when I'm done.

Sounds like you've got handle on it.
Best of Luck!

 

[Compost King]

Manure Management is an underrated skill.

 

[ShannonR]

Manure Management is an underrated skill.

I tried to make mushroom compost from spent oyster spawn once, and OMG... it was truly terrible. The normal chicken poo/grass clippings/dead animals sort of compost isn't nearly as offensive, even if it's mismanaged.

Back when I still had a compost pile, it was also the critter graveyard. It stunk a bit, but made gorgeous nutritious compost and it was always fun trying to ID the bones later when you spread the compost around!
Yes, gross.... I know.

 

[janiedoe]

Manure Management is an underrated skill.

I'm going to tell my husband that he has an awesome skill! Lol.

 

[AmyJane725]

Not sure if it would wreck your compost...probably?....but you could put some Sweet PDZ into it. That's supposed to help with odors.

Cool that your neighbor asked nicely. I'd definitely apologize to him and tell him you're working on it. (And something yummy wouldn't hurt either, as others have suggested)

 

[Compost King]

I tried to make mushroom compost from spent oyster spawn once, and OMG... it was truly terrible. The normal chicken poo/grass clippings/dead animals sort of compost isn't nearly as offensive, even if it's mismanaged.

Back when I still had a compost pile, it was also the critter graveyard. It stunk a bit, but made gorgeous nutritious compost and it was always fun trying to ID the bones later when you spread the compost around!
Yes, gross.... I know.

Not gross to me, I live to compost, hence the screen name. I only have odor issues if a compost pile is or even a the bedding in a chicken run is in standing water. as far as animals in composts I avoid at my current residence but when I was in a rural area I tended to bury that in the middle of a compost to avoid scavenger animals from arriving. if the Compost is perfect the bones disappear like it was in a slow cooker for 6 months.

 

[Fishkeeper]

I don't think PDZ will hurt your compost. It's fine to be used in a deep litter run, after all, and decomposing bacteria are hardy little things.

 

[aart]

I live to compost,

Do you know anything about zeolite(PDZ) in a compost?
I would imagine that a moderate amount would not hurt,
but wonder how it absorbs and then releases(?) nitrogen long term.

I don't think PDZ is a solution to a stinky compost pile tho, it would take copious amounts. OP @Hayduke27 knows how to rebalance the pile with turning and more browns.