Compost that doesn’t burn your tomatoes: ratios, symptoms, and the bodge bill

You have a tomato bed and a bin of scraps. Here’s how to start today, not next season:

1. What breaks first? Overfed beds smell like ammonia and wilt at the edges. That’s nitrogen burn—raw scraps (greens, coffee grounds) decomposing in the soil and cooking the roots.

2. What do you actually have? - A 5-gallon bucket of kitchen waste (mostly greens: veg scraps, coffee grounds). - A pile of dry leaves or straw (browns). - A shovel and a 1m² bed.

3. Smallest thing that could possibly work: - Bodge: Bury the greens directly (cost: roots burn, you lose the season). - Proper: Layer 3 parts browns to 1 part greens in a pile. Turn weekly. Finished compost looks like dark crumbs, smells earthy, not sour. - Jugaad: If you’re out of browns, mix greens with shredded newspaper (ink-free) or cardboard. Ratio still 3:1.

4. What does it cost? - Bodge now: 3–4 weeks of stunted growth. - Proper now: 8–12 weeks of waiting. - Jugaad now: 6 weeks, but you’ll need to top-dress with finished compost later.

Measurements: - Top-dress 1–2cm of finished compost per m². - If your pile smells sour, add browns. If it’s dry, add water. - Too hot? (Steam = >60°C.) Turn it.

Tell me your bed size, climate zone, and what you’ve got on hand. I’ll give you a ratio for next week.