Compost!

It was a gorgeous morning in the garden! I spent most of it shoring up the compost around the tomato and pepper plants - I also gave my slug munched potatoes a dose as well - hopefully this perks them up a bit.

The early morning garden time gives me time to ponder some of the great questions of our time...this morning I pondered why my compost doesn't stink! This question has been plaguing me for a while and I it may for years yet to come (unless someone tells me the answer or I stumble upon it by accident). So, here are the ingredients of the compost I am using (as best I can remember):

Leaves
Grass clippings
Newspaper
Cardboard
Random garden plants
Blackberry branches
Cow manure
Horse manure
Guinea fowl manure
Straw
Coffee grounds
Coffee grounds
Tea bags
Egg shells
Kleenex
Paper towels/napkins
Kitchen scraps (lettuce, banana peals, orange peals, etc)

Fish guts

Random dead animals (squirrels, magpies, rock chucks, raccoons, etc)

Even with the large amounts of fish guts and animal materials...no stink! What is the secret? I have no idea...the only thing I can think of is the high quantity of browns that I add. Maybe the smell is absorbed by the leaves or possibly the heat is so high that the green contents are broken down before they have a chance to smell it up. No matter the reason, I will continue to completely ignore the sage advice of the composting experts and add all of these wonderful ''no no'' items...after all they provide that huge nitrogen boost that I am looking for without having to fork over the big bucks for the equivelent in bloodmeal..

Garden goodies: 8-ball squash, potatoes, kohlrabi