r/composting • u/muddyboots5 • Apr 23 '26

Humor This is growing in my compost

I have no idea what this is. It's deeply rooted in there and I don't have the strength to pull it out. I have a "dalek" style compost so I'll need to lift it up and yank this out by the root. I dread the mess. UPDATE in the comments.

275 Upvotes

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97% Upvoted

237

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 23 '26

looks like celery to me, or something related

also looks like it's going "where the f is that light, I was promised light, what the f is this shit?"

no need to pull it out tho, you can just cut it and mix it in, or just let it die from the lack of light

58

u/Repulsive-Durian4800 Apr 23 '26

Celery is one of those plants that will cling to life and try to grow new roots and leaves even when it's sitting in your refrigerator, so it wouldn't be surprising to see it growing in the compost.

24

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 23 '26

yeah, they're in the list of plants that store a lot of energy so they can grow explosively when they're ready, like onions and garlic and potatoes

which is, I'm guessing, also why they're so yummy!

10

u/muddyboots5 Apr 23 '26

I had no idea that celery did this! My potatoes, left in the kitchen long enough, definitely do sprout.

50

u/MistressLyda Apr 23 '26

A classic.

31

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 24 '26

however, when potatoes do spoil it's the most disgusting stuff ever... they liquefy into a sticky mess inside the skin and the goo has one of the worst smells I've ever smelled

also, there's stories where the potatoes in the cellar went bad, the rotting used up all the oxygen and the people entering it died almost on the spot

6

u/PlattsVegas Apr 24 '26

Absolutely heinous smell. And in the right (wrong) conditions it can still happen in your kitchen if you leave for a week or so.

3

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 24 '26

in my case I had a bunch of potatoes in a box, only one of them went bad, the rest were totally fine, but the one that went bad made a huge mess

4

u/supremekiwi77 Apr 24 '26

I forgot about a bag of potatoes once and you are correct, worst smell known to man!

2

u/Namlegna Apr 24 '26

I have fermented potatoes and I'm pretty sure the smell is the same but after a month it gets a more neutral smell and still edible!

1

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 24 '26

fermented potatoes? like for making vodka or something? or do people make potato pickles? and whatever the hell that was the potato turned into was definitely not edible, it was sticky dark goo, kinda like marmite, but worse

3

u/Namlegna Apr 24 '26

nah, I was trying to replicate tocosh, a fermented potato product tradtionally made in the Peruvian Andes. They call it the Penicillin of the Andes because of all the antibiotics formed. I dunno if my method would develop those same antibiotics but it was a neat experiment.

2

u/linksflame Apr 26 '26

Found a couple of potatoes that had started to rot in the back of my pantry. The moment they were moved the smell almost made me vomit and I had to open all of my windows before I could remove it. Cleaned out the whole pantry and scrubbed bleach into the area the potatoes were but I swear that smell lingered for probably another month.

1

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 26 '26

yeah they look mostly fine until you touch them and then it's like they turn into the most disgusting shit right in front of your eyes (and nostrils)

10

u/nifsea Apr 23 '26

Yeah, pretty sure this is celery that hasn’t had enough light. Just cut off a piece and smell it. Can go right into your next stew :)

3

u/Ineedmorebtc Apr 23 '26

And can make you a whole new bag, each!

5

u/Repulsive-Durian4800 Apr 23 '26

I'm a terrible botanist. Anything I plant has a 50/50 chance of surviving the season. But when I stuck a sprouting potato in the dirt without the slightest bit of care or any study of a potato plant's needs i got the biggest, greenest, healthiest looking thing I ever planted, covered in flowers.

Potatoes want to LIVE.

1

u/Ineedmorebtc Apr 24 '26

That's how they are supposed to be! The world grew plants long before we came along. Many times an overzealous gardener gives too much "care" to their plants. Overwatering, over fertilizing, over pruning, etc etc.

1

u/DerekTheComedian Apr 24 '26

I actually grew a couple potato plants in my compost pile a couple years ago. Didnt hill them or water them at all. Just stuck a few sprouted tubers in the center of my pile and tossed some fresh grass clippings on top.

Healthiest potatos ive ever seen

2

u/spreaddamayo Apr 23 '26

Agreed, that or lovage

1

u/SheSins Apr 24 '26

Agreed. Looks like celery to me too.

136

u/izvrsno Apr 23 '26

Hey, saw some avocado peel. If you cut them a little, they'll decompose a lot quicker:)

49

u/LeanTangerine001 Apr 23 '26

I had a bunch of avocado peels in my compost and thought that a bunch of old plastic had somehow got into my tumbler! 😆 They compost so strangely compared to a lot of other stuff!

44

u/muddyboots5 Apr 23 '26

Thank you! I need to do better. I am a very lazy composter.

117

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 23 '26

the best way to compost is whatever makes you most likely to compost... waiting it out is easy and doesn't cost you any energy or money :D

11

u/Mostly-Moving Apr 24 '26

Second this! I don't usually have time to cut or shred everything, but Im in no rush to use it anyway... It'll breakdown eventually

10

u/buy_shiba Apr 24 '26

That’s sorta the best way. No need to go crazy

4

u/ThreeTripsMinimum Apr 24 '26

Lazy composting is best composting. Everyone is in such a rush these days

u/Beardo88 Apr 23 '26

Infinite greens hack.

u/greenknight884 Apr 23 '26

Just keep cutting off the top with pruning shears and cut it into small pieces.

9

u/anonymote_in_my_eye Apr 24 '26

infinite celery hack, grocery stores don't want you to know this one weird trick

u/MysteriousTooth2450 Apr 23 '26

Looks like celery to me!

u/DontWatchPornREADit Apr 24 '26

Celery?

u/raygan_reddit_banned Apr 23 '26

We had Cherry Tomatoes grow from the inside and it gave us so much sweet snapping skin, we had so many we gave so much away from both side neighbors, work, family and friends.

Hope you get lots of harvest OP

u/etzpcm Apr 23 '26

I always keep the top of my bin covered so this doesn't happen.

u/Exciting_Ad1274 Apr 23 '26

Needs nitrogen

u/No-Category-1761 Apr 24 '26

over the years i have grown delicious melons, peppers , squash and corn in compost bins.....sometimes I transplanted before turning the compost

u/Rude_Ad_3915 Apr 24 '26

I’d leave it. It will die eventually and become compost.

u/No_Category3719 Apr 24 '26

Cut and cover

u/Prestigious_Past_282 Apr 24 '26