Compost Tumblers
(Page 3 of 4)
The Bio Orb (left) and the Large Batch Composter are
examples of this style.
RELATED CONTENT
The second week of May is International Compost Awareness Week. Learn more about what different com...
Readers' tips to live by....
All systems are "go" with MOTH ER's latest innovation in the field of "bacteria—fueled" home energy...
You can use dried leaves as bedding in a chicken coop, then put it into the compost pile....
An herbicide produced by Dow AgroScience, aminopyralid, has been responsible for killing thousands ...
FEATURE PROS AND CONS
Once you have decided which kind of tumbler you want, look
at the specific features of each. It's the little things
that can make or break a design.
For instance, compare the Envirocycle to the EZ Composter.
The former has a hinged door. The latter has a round hatch
with finely threaded screws. As a result, loading and
unloading the Envirocycle is considerably easier than
loading and unloading the EZ Composter, which has a hatch
that is difficult to screw down even when the unit is new,
let alone after dirt and debris clog the threads.
Among center-axle types, some, such as the Tumbleweed, open
at both ends, while others, such as the Urban compost
Tumbler., open only atone end. Having openings on both ends
makes loading and unloading simpler. However, the extra air
flow of the UCT's patented core-aeration system, which
precludes having both ends open, might he worth the
trade-off.
Capacity also can be an issue. Many models come in more
than one size. At first blush, the larger size seems to
make sense because it produces more compost in the same
amount of time as a smaller one. But the larger one also
might he heavier and more difficult to operate.
There's another aspect of capacity to consider. Composting
speed is a function of the last items to he added. That is,
you won't get a full load of compost unless you've put in a
full load of organic material. This doesn't mean you can't
add material a little at a tune. What it does mean,
however, is that "time to completion" is measured from the
last of those small additions.
Because of this, you may want to have more than one unit.
Start by completely filling one with a mixture of brown and
green compost material. Examples of brown material are fine
mood chips, brown weeds, straw, leaves and kitchen scraps;
examples of green material are grass clippings, green
garden cast-offs and manure.
While that batch "cooks," you can slowly fill another unit.
This is the idea behind the ComposTwin: You can have one
bin filled and composting while you are adding fresh
ingredients to the second bin.
OPERATING FACTORS
Whichever unit you choose, you should be aware of certain
operational factors:
1) Ignore recommendations to use compost
accelerators. About half the manufacturers still
recommend this practice, yet study after study has shown
that such additives have no appreciable effect on the
composting process.
