Tumbling Compost Bin

Composting

365/66 California Compost

A photo of our home composting bin. I built this last fall out of mostly scrap materials we had in our garage. The side panels are roughly 36" X 36". California composting can be difficult because it is so dry here…but the rains of late have been helpful in getting this compost to "kick" and it is finally getting hot.

Tumbling Compost Bin

Article by Nicole Roberts

Anyone that gardens can attest to the importance of nourishing the ground with minerals. Composting is one way to do that and besides being inexpensive; it prevents the need to haul the organic material to a landfill. However, creating a compost pile and maintaining it isn’t always that easy. You must turn the compost frequently to increase the aeration, which hastens the process.

Cold composting, simply putting the compost in a pile and making certain to keep it moist, takes almost a year in some cases. While a good blend in the compost pile prevents odors, some towns and municipalities don’t allow you to have an open area compost pit. If you’re not fond of the view of rotting organic material for the year, turning the compost, or creating a hot compost pile hastens the process down to approximately 10 weeks.

Turning compost by hand is a difficult process. It takes time and effort. Normally the composter uses a pitchfork to lift and turn the pile. Turning the pile is far easier if you use a tumbling compost bin. These compost barrels allow you to feed the compost air continuously and help maintain the moisture levels of the compost.

People often bag awn trash, such as grass clippings and leave it beside the road for the trash man. Those who think green see it as a waste of a valuable resource. Lawn trash such as grass clippings and leaves are the base material for composting. If you have a tumbling compost bin, after you mow the lawn or rake it, you can simply put it into the bin and add it to your compost already cooking.

Composting requires microorganisms to be successful. These mini workers help break down the organic materials and are necessary for good composting. Some people who compost use a bit of the soil they created in a previous batch to supply the new batch of compost with the microorganisms. If you use compost barrels or a tumbling compost bin, you can simply add new material to it as you go.

Compost barrels or a tumbling compost bin are not just attractive ways of storing compost, they have a valuable purpose in the process. The tumbling compost bin, in particular, saves the preliminary step of premixing the compost. Since the tumbling compost bin allows you to mix the cooking compost thoroughly as you turn it, unlike the traditional bin, there’s no need to layer and stack as there is with traditional compost containers.

Both the compost barrels and tumbling compost bin also help prevent the compost from drying. The compost won’t break down if it doesn’t have moisture. While you might have to add water periodically, during even high drought seasons, the enclosed compost barrels and tumbling compost bin often prevents the moisture from evaporating and yet allows the air to infiltrate the compost.

Using table scraps in compost piles can create an invitation for wild animals such as skunks, to come to your buffet. The protective enclosure of tumbling compost bin helps prevent animals from joining you for dinner and bringing along friends. You can comfortable vegetable-based table scraps into these bins without worrying they’ll be all over your lawn the next day.

If you want to compost in the city, a tumbling compost bin or compost barrels are the way to go. They are odor-free, keep the pests from raiding the compost pile, are neat and don’t present an eyesore to the public. Using these bins may be the only way the urban or suburban gardener can create their own soil.

Humans bringing earthworms to forests
composting
Researchers from Colgate University in New York, in a study published in the journal Human Ecology, say humans spread earthworms — both inadvertently via horticulture and land disturbance, but also knowingly through composting and careless disposal of …

composting question by adeline: I would like to start composting, but I am confused about the difference between regular composting in a?
compost container, and worm composting. Which is better? What are the pros of a worm composter vs a regular composter.

composting best answer:

Answer by jerald s
neither is better, but worm composting is like having pet worms. composting is easy just throw your stuff into a bin and it does the rest except for stirring it now and then.