composting

[labrat]

I started our compost pile several months ago and thanks to my schedule (yes, we both work outside the home to sustain my homesteading habit) I am not able to turn the pile as often as I would like. My question concerns the tumbling composters on the market; has anyone used one of these products? My wife is quite small and the pile is too large for her to turn on a regular basis. I travel regularly and am gone sometimes two to five days at a time so I am considering one of these products so that the work is not too strenuous on her. The Compost Tumbler offers a five-year warranty on manufacturer defects and the Compost Twin from Mantis offers a two-year warranty but also satisfaction on their products for an entire year. I can also spread the payments out to four months, which makes the Mantis more desirable. But my question is has anyone had any experience with one of these products. Each of these companies offers customer testimonials, but I wonder if they are legitimate and of course I didn’t notice any derogatory statements.

[Marcia in MT]

Martin -- Paquebot -- has one and has posted several times about his. One comment I remember is that in order to really tumble the contents and mix them, he added a couple of rods spanning the inside space.

I'm sure a search of the archives will yield a lot more information.

[brody]

all that happens if you don't turn it is it cooks slower ...

honest don't sweat it

[Paquebot]

I've just about worn out the barrel of the original Compostumbler after 12-13 years. That's churned out an awful lot of compost during that time. If I were to buy a replacement, I'd get the Compost Twin. The compartments are big enough to properly work. Also, partially finished compost can remain in one half while raw material is going into the other half.

Martin

[mnn2501]

Yes, I broke down and bought the big green one (the original Compost Tumbler). It works, but nowhere near as good as they claim, You also need it set up in direct sunlight in order to build the temperatures it needs. Their claim is to have compost in 2 weeks, the quickest I had it was 4 weeks and thats in direct sunlight in Texas July heat. It is very easy to load and turn, but getting it out is a chore - not impossible, just a chore.
Our usual loads involve grass clippings, leaves and kitchen waste which does well, the one time I put squash vines in they came out in about the same shape they went in. I would run them through the lawnmower to chop them up next time.

[Ed K]

Originally Posted by labrat

I started our compost pile several months ago and thanks to my schedule (yes, we both work outside the home to sustain my homesteading habit) I am not able to turn the pile as often as I would like. My question concerns the tumbling composters on the market; has anyone used one of these products? My wife is quite small and the pile is too large for her to turn on a regular basis. I travel regularly and am gone sometimes two to five days at a time so I am considering one of these products so that the work is not too strenuous on her. The Compost Tumbler offers a five-year warranty on manufacturer defects and the Compost Twin from Mantis offers a two-year warranty but also satisfaction on their products for an entire year. I can also spread the payments out to four months, which makes the Mantis more desirable. But my question is has anyone had any experience with one of these products. Each of these companies offers customer testimonials, but I wonder if they are legitimate and of course I didn’t notice any derogatory statements.

Labrat,

Turning compost piles can be strenuous work but you can acchieve pretty good results without turning a pile very often depending on what you want to achieve.

How often are you trying to turn the pile?
Is there a reason you feel you need fast quickly?
Is your composting area located close to neighbors?
How large of a graden are you trying to make compost for?
Are there specific amounts and types of waste you're trying to get rid of? etc

I think the answers to those questions are more important in deciding what is the best way to do the job than just a blanket recommendation

For example if the main thing you're tryin g to compost is yard waste (grass and leaves) your seasons will be different. You'll need to store fall leaves to mix in with your grassclippings in the summer. Can you accomodate that kind of thing?


I owned a compost tumbler and wouldn't buy another. While the initial batch is composting you have to have a place to put your new waste materials. If those wastes are piling up they may get stinky. If every thing goes as well as they advertise that's 14 days. Likely there will be times during the year where you have different types of waste or the temperatures are different and it will take a batch longer than 14 days. Or at certain times of the year you may have a bonanza of perfect materials to compost (chopped leaves and grass mixed) that will compost quickly but exceed the capacity of your drum. I found getting the most out of a tumbler is more management and planning work for me than just letting things build in a static pile and turning it a few times a year. I really want compost the most during planting time so the benifit of producing small batches of compost throught the year isn't really a big bonus to me.

If Paquebot says it works great for him I certainly respect that but I wouldn't assume that what's right for him or for me is right for your conditions/situation

[labrat]

Thanks for the input. I don't have many grass clippings to include since i leave those to decompose back into the soil. Mostly, I just compost some weeds and produce leftovers that I don’t feed the worms. I am just trying to get a headstart on next year and since I don’t have a bobcat to turn it, I figured if I could knock out a batch of compost on a monthly basis, I would be prepped for next season.

[Ed K]

Originally Posted by labrat

Thanks for the input. I don't have many grass clippings to include since i leave those to decompose back into the soil. Mostly, I just compost some weeds and produce leftovers that I don’t feed the worms. I am just trying to get a headstart on next year and since I don’t have a bobcat to turn it, I figured if I could knock out a batch of compost on a monthly basis, I would be prepped for next season.

Labrat,

I think seasonality works well for me because of other things I do during the summer (garden etc.) I tend to do active composting during fall and spring. Usually I lay in a good supply of leaves and grass clippings manure etc in the fall preferably from some folks anal enough to chip/shred with equipment to do that or just pick them up with a bagger. My own lawn clippings stay on the lawn. I build a pile and turn it once or twice before winter sets in and then in the spring once or twice as the mood strikes and things thaw. The time to produce a batch of compost in winter here would extend the time to compost well beyond the magic 14 days the compost tumbler folks advertise.

I found the moisture levels and temperature levels in a drum composter seemed to require more management than I had time to give it but a larger pile seems easier to maintain its moisture and heat rather well.

[7thswan]

I have a Tumbler, don't like it and have gone back to a pile that I don't turn.

[Paquebot]

The Mantis double tumbler takes care of most shortcomings of the single ones. The need for a secondary storage area is eliminated since the finished material is left in one half of the drum while fresh material accumulates in the other.

Incidentally, 14 days IS about as long as a batch can maintain a heat cycle although 21 days is the normal range from start to finish. Once that period is over, the material is done composting and is ready for soil bacteria to release everything for and return it to where it came from. It may be spread or tilled in at that point or stored for additional breaking down by natural action.

Martin

[Humburger]

I have tried many different composting methods over the years, but not all of them. My favorite is the chicken yard. I just throw the stuff in. If they eat it, fine. I get the manure. If they don't eat it, they bury it and stir it around while it rots. All you have to do is harvest the compost once a year. It also helps to have rotating chicken yards, at least two. Then you can harvest one and plant it with chicken feed (corn, soybeans, etc.) while the chickens are using the other one.

My next favorite is a compost trench right in the garden, but you have to give up some room for it and it takes a little effort digging the trench and then burying as you go.

[mainelybees]

We have found that compost bins made of oak pallets works best for us. We layer our material and keep it watered which pretty much does away with the need for turning. However, it will take a season to get a good "batch" of compost, it isn't quick. But, filled, not rounded because then it shed water, we are starting with 64 cubic feet or more of material. Three or more of these bins are ideal for us, we fill one to capacity and start on the next, at some point in the season we will turn the first full one into an empty bin and let it cure a little longer. One turning during the season seems to be ok as long as we layer well enough.

We too have one of the earlier compost tumblers. We have never been really satisfied with it. We found that it takes far too long to make a batch and even when you are done you really haven't gained much finished material. We even painted ours black to help heat it. I mostly use it for kitchen scraps and shredded paper, ( we also shred cereal boxes and such, reduce, reuse and recycle right?). Remember to keep it moist, these things tend to dry our pretty fast. The other problem with ours is that the "panels", (ours is not a one piece drum), fall apart if things get too heavy inside. I have to keep a canoe strap on mine all the time. Yes, it will make compost but with limits.

I will stick with the pallet bins. I like the oak pallets because they last for years before the moisture finally causes them to start composting as well.

Good luck. David

[Forerunner]

I would go with a compost pile.

Add what you can when you can and keep an eye out for wood chips or sawdust to cover it when necessary to prevent odor.
I seldom turn a pile, just keep adding layers of material until the size of the pile suits me and then let it set for a few months.
The bigger the pile, the longer it heats and the more certainly it heats.
Heat kills pathogens and weed seeds and cooks the material into a finished product quicker.

The pallet idea is a good one.
Concrete blocks work pretty well, too.