We bought a tumbler a few months back, in fact this one
https://www.bunnings.com.au/maze-160l-roto-twin-compost-tumb…
Our intention was to throw all kitchen scraps (minus meat, dairy and a couple other exclusions) into it, so potato skins etc with the goal of making fresh compost.
So as you've probably guessed by the title, yes we've been doing it a while and it stinks. It had a grey/brown slimey texture at one stage.
Lots of small flies are in there. Which to some degree i was expecting.
I've done a bit of research and it seems people lean towards 'garden waste'. So grass, leaves etc. So maybe my ratio is off and actually we do need to use less food waste? Or shouldnt that really matter?
Any tips anyone with experience can offer? Do we need worms? Do we need 'chemicals'? Which defeats the purpose in a way. Is this just the way it is and it takes X months?
Yes we've been turning it. Yes we try and only use small pieces.
Thanks in advance :)
If it smells, you're doing it wrong. You need to balance the wet and the dry ingredients.