A couple weeks ago I received a wonderful delivery in the mail - a compost tumbler. I'm reviewing this product for World's Best Organic Tumbler.
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, the assembly was a family project. Skippy supervised and then took a nap. I took the photos. And hubby and son did all the work. (A good deal for me!)
This project took "us" 1 hour. (I noticed Carol at May Dreams Gardens assembled her's in 30 min - maybe all the extra supervision and photos wasn't all that helpful...) We read and re-read instructions. And some serious muscle power was required. But after it was done, we felt very accomplished (Skippy was well rested).
I now need to read the instructions on how to use the tumbler. In the meantime, I'm just throwing my kitchen scraps into it. I figure I'll use it to make compost from my kitchen scraps and use my open bins (which are falling apart) for my yard waste.
My opinion so far: I think it looks FANTASTIC in my back yard! Very sturdy. I like the way it keeps the squirrels out of my kitchen waste. And its very easy to use. I like the way it opens and closes and tumbles.
I did read that you should fill it up all at once for best results. I'm not doing this because I don't have all my kitchen scraps available all at once. But so far, so good. Once its full, I'll let it sit and its only supposed to take a few weeks to make compost.
my bins and systems for composting compost
15 comments:
Beautiful yard, Skippy is gorgeous, and I love the little elf in your pond. lol. Composting has turned out to be quite fun for me this year. I have a very small chicken wire compost bin, but it's worked wonders! Good luck reviewing the tumbler!
I was just going to ask you about this! I'm thinking of getting one myself... We have a weed seed problem in our regular compost, and I bet this would be a good "cure."
Can't wait for the results!
I should add that my tumbler is the smaller 7 cu ft. version, so assembly was a little different. It does look very nice in your garden!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
I may have to put this on my wish list- the compost "ball" that I use for kitchen waste is almost impossible to move when it's full but I didn't want something that really stood out like a sore thumb. That tumbler looks nice and seems easy to use.
One of the people who spoke to my master gardeners class discussed various kinds of composters (she's tried MANY). He complaints about this type (though she did not have this specific model) are that if she fills them more than half full she can't turn them, and rodents chew holes in the bottoms and then she will sometimes find either rodents or snakes inside. So i will be very interested to see how your trial goes! After getting sick of walking to the end of the yard, I have started composting in a regular trash can that sits on the patio. Hmm... maybe I should post on that. :)
Very cool!
Maggie, My dad was composting in a trash can last month and chipmunks (two big ones and a baby) got in, and couldn't get out. Sad and smelly.
I'd be really surprised if any animal can get into the one I have.
So far, its very easy to turn at about 1/4 full.
Looking at the pictures you posted, I did not see any obvious "weak spots" that would be easy to chew through. How is that bin aerated? I didn't notice an obvious answer to that either.
I'm sorry to hear about your dad's experience. Was he using a plastic can or metal? I'm afraid buying a bin is just not in the budget for me this year- but with all the rain (!!!) there are lots of weeds to compost. I would hate to waste them. I wonder if I could spray the can with a deterrent? Hmm... Still, I will be following your trial with much interest.
I'll show some photos soon about how its aerated.
My Dad's was a plastic trash can, an old one, maybe some holes chewed at the top, and maybe the lid wasn't snug. He felt real bad about it because he's been unable to walk for a while and just hadn't been checking it.
I'm sure if you keep and eye on the can, it'll work fine. If you get a trash can and tie the lid on. Why not.
Like you said - the weeds are going crazy now! Pull them before they make seeds.
Very pretty yard. The new composter looks great where you have it!
Great to see Skippy supervising the assembly! What would you do without him?
I love these tumblers. I have two of the slightly smaller model, one to fill while the other "cooks".
In my experience, a full tumbler turns more easily because it's balanced. Once it composts down to half and it feels heavier and hard to turn, it's usually ready to empty. The fastest I've seen a batch finish is about a month, but it's usually closer to two months.
Wow!!! I LOVE the water feature! I bought a old country farm a few years ago and have begun to organic garden & compost! That tumbler fits right in!
I hear the tumblers make the task of composting easier!
Good luck:)
I use a Tumbleweed; similar design. I often describe it as an expensive trash can. Sometimes it gets too heavy for me to turn and hubs lends a hand.
All in all I'm please. It's compact, contained with two twist off tops at each end, and no animals have gotten into it.
Two tumblers sounds like a great system.
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