{"slug": "compost-smell", "problem": "Compost smells bad (sour or ammonia)", "symptoms": ["compost stinks", "sour smell", "ammonia smell", "rotten smell"], "keywords": ["compost", "smell", "stink", "odor", "ammonia", "sour", "rotten"], "answer": "That smell almost always means too many \"greens\" (wet, nitrogen-rich stuff) and not enough air. Fork in a generous helping of dry \"browns\" — shredded leaves, cardboard or straw — and turn the pile to add oxygen. It usually sweetens within a week.", "status": "warn", "source_url": "https://organicgardeningcollective.com/guide-composting.html", "crops": ["compost"], "attribution": "Organic Gardening Collective"}
{"slug": "compost-not-breaking-down", "problem": "Compost is not breaking down", "symptoms": ["nothing happening", "compost not rotting", "pile not heating"], "keywords": ["compost", "not breaking down", "not rotting", "slow", "cold pile"], "answer": "A stalled pile is usually too dry, too small, or all browns. Add nitrogen-rich greens (veg scraps, grass clippings), sprinkle with water until it feels like a wrung-out sponge, and make sure the pile is at least three feet wide so it can hold its own heat. Turn it to wake it up.", "status": "warn", "source_url": "https://organicgardeningcollective.com/guide-composting.html", "crops": ["compost"], "attribution": "Organic Gardening Collective"}
{"slug": "yellow-leaves", "problem": "Leaves turning yellow", "symptoms": ["yellow leaves", "pale leaves", "yellowing", "chlorosis"], "keywords": ["yellow", "yellowing", "pale", "chlorosis", "discolored leaves"], "answer": "Yellowing has two common causes. Most often it's overwatering — soggy roots can't take up nutrients, so check that the soil drains and let it dry between waterings. If watering is fine, it's likely a nitrogen shortage; feed with compost or a balanced organic fertilizer and it should green up.", "status": "warn", "source_url": "https://organicgardeningcollective.com/guide-watering.html", "crops": ["general", "tomato"], "attribution": "Organic Gardening Collective"}
{"slug": "leggy-seedlings", "problem": "Seedlings are tall, thin and floppy (leggy)", "symptoms": ["leggy seedlings", "tall thin seedlings", "stretching", "falling over"], "keywords": ["leggy", "stretched", "tall", "thin", "floppy", "seedlings"], "answer": "Leggy seedlings are reaching for light. Give them much more of it — a sunny south window often isn't enough indoors, so set a cheap LED or shop light a few inches above them for 14–16 hours a day. You can pot tomatoes deeper to bury the stretched stem.", "status": "warn", "source_url": "https://organicgardeningcollective.com/guide-seed-starting.html", "crops": ["seedlings", "tomato"], "attribution": "Organic Gardening Collective"}
{"slug": "damping-off", "problem": "Seedlings collapse and rot at the soil line", "symptoms": ["seedlings falling over", "rotting at base", "damping off", "seedlings dying"], "keywords": ["damping off", "collapse", "rot", "seedlings dying", "fungus"], "answer": "This is \"damping off,\" a fungal problem from too much moisture and too little airflow. There's no cure for affected seedlings — prevent it next time with a clean sterile seed mix, watering from below, good airflow (a small fan helps), and not overwatering.", "status": "bad", "source_url": "https://organicgardeningcollective.com/guide-seed-starting.html", "crops": ["seedlings"], "attribution": "Organic Gardening Collective"}