Overheard a gardener say compost needs 2 parts brown to 1 part green, my pile's been all wrong for 6 months

I was at the community plot last Tuesday and this older guy told someone that ratio while I was turning my soggy mess, and it hit me that I've just been chucking anything in without measuring. Anyone else get surprised by how precise this stuff actually needs to be, or do you wing it too and still get good soil?

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scott.miles16d ago

The "soggy mess" part is the real clue here. Nobody talks about moisture when they quote that ratio, but browns soak up water and greens release it. If your pile smells bad, it's probably a water problem, not a math problem.