[khallworth001]

Hi, I'm a new joiner and have just taken over an allotment. I dared to look in the compost bin recently and it is not a good smell. I have done some composting at home and I think my allotment bin has suffered from being too wet and anerobic conditions have set in. My question is, what do I do with it.... I would say the the stuff at the bottom has broken down quite well so should I try and use what I can (with a peg over my nose!), or my other option is to try and mix it with some drier stuff like cardboard and maybe move it to my second bin. Help!

[solway cropper]

I'd be inclined to empty it, use what you can and bung the rest back in. As you say, mix it with some brown matter.

[nwalch]

Mix plenty of shredded paper in with it if it's too wet. Have you got a cover for it?

[khallworth001]

Thanks, yes I took the plunge and emptied it (not an easy task as it was 3/4 full!) and spread it out under a groundsheet in an attempt to dry it out a bit. It stank so once I'd done it (early evening), I made a run for it! Now I've put it back together with plenty of paper and cardboard and fingers crossed!