Advantages of plastic tumbling composters? Also basic compost question...

[tankgirl73]

We're planning to start a compost pile this year... hopefully soon now because I've got buckets and buckets of kitchen scraps in the freezer taking up space!

We've been planning to use some old pallets that my mom has to build a nice big box for it. But my mom can be hard to coordinate with (her hours don't mesh with ours heh) as well as needing to have access to a big enough vehicle to get them here... So that's still the basic plan. BUT...

Yesterday at our grocery store's garden center we saw a nice plastic tumbling-type composter. Usually when I've seen the tumblers, they've been very expensive. This one was about $130(Cdn) -- still a lot more than FREE, ya know, but not bad compared to many I've seen.

It's not a HUGE one, and it's certainly not 3 feet on each side like I read was necessary for hot composting, but maybe it's different in a black bin like that? I don't know. It was still quite big, it would probably only just fit in our station wagon trunk.

Anyway, what we have to figure out is the pros and cons of enclosed plastic tumbling bins vs wooden pallet box, to see if it would be worth the cost for us. Things like... it's a big hunk of plastic (con). It's easy to turn, no digging or mixing (pro).

It's enclosed, raised off the ground -- does that hamper good microbes getting in from the soil, and worms, etc, or does it all balance out?

Another question about this -- or really about ANY one-bin system. I know that you put stuff in and however many months later (depending on conditions) you 'harvest' out the finished compost.

But if you're always adding in new stuff to the midway-composted stuff, then there's always uncomposted stuff in there. How do you sort out the 'finished' compost from the 'still going' stuff? All the instructions I've read seem to imply that you put stuff in ONCE, then you STOP, and just let the pile do its thing and harvest it all at once. If that's the case, then what do you do with your kitchen scraps in the meantime? I've read about 2-bin or 2-pile systems where one is a "holding pen" not actively composting... but how does it work when you're only using one?

I'm probably missing something really obvious here, but it's been puzzling me for quite some time.

[notwonamesalike]

Originally Posted by tankgirl73

We're planning to start a compost pile this year... hopefully soon now because I've got buckets and buckets of kitchen scraps in the freezer taking up space!

We've been planning to use some old pallets that my mom has to build a nice big box for it. But my mom can be hard to coordinate with (her hours don't mesh with ours heh) as well as needing to have access to a big enough vehicle to get them here... So that's still the basic plan. BUT...

Yesterday at our grocery store's garden center we saw a nice plastic tumbling-type composter. Usually when I've seen the tumblers, they've been very expensive. This one was about $130(Cdn) -- still a lot more than FREE, ya know, but not bad compared to many I've seen.

It's not a HUGE one, and it's certainly not 3 feet on each side like I read was necessary for hot composting, but maybe it's different in a black bin like that? I don't know. It was still quite big, it would probably only just fit in our station wagon trunk.

Anyway, what we have to figure out is the pros and cons of enclosed plastic tumbling bins vs wooden pallet box, to see if it would be worth the cost for us. Things like... it's a big hunk of plastic (con). It's easy to turn, no digging or mixing (pro).

It's enclosed, raised off the ground -- does that hamper good microbes getting in from the soil, and worms, etc, or does it all balance out?

Another question about this -- or really about ANY one-bin system. I know that you put stuff in and however many months later (depending on conditions) you 'harvest' out the finished compost.

But if you're always adding in new stuff to the midway-composted stuff, then there's always uncomposted stuff in there. How do you sort out the 'finished' compost from the 'still going' stuff? All the instructions I've read seem to imply that you put stuff in ONCE, then you STOP, and just let the pile do its thing and harvest it all at once. If that's the case, then what do you do with your kitchen scraps in the meantime? I've read about 2-bin or 2-pile systems where one is a "holding pen" not actively composting... but how does it work when you're only using one?

I'm probably missing something really obvious here, but it's been puzzling me for quite some time.

We picked one up off craigslist a few weeks ago for $25 US. We haven't harvested our compost yet.

I also have an very active large worm bin. We're currently not adding anything else to the tumbling composter - just to the worm bin while we wait to see if the tumbling composter turns out a nice batch of compost in a few weeks. It does get hot in there...we open it up and can feel the heat coming out. We're able to compost alot more with the tumbling composter - it breaks down the waste faster than our worm bin does. So far we're happy with it.

[Rachel J.]

From what I understand (after researching) is that the tumbling composter isn't really any faster than just turning your heap as frequently as you would your tumbler. Now if you're not going to get the shovel out and manually turn your pile as often as you would spin your tumbler, you might get compost a little faster with a tumbling composter.

You're not really supposed to continue adding compost to your pile if you want to use it within the next few months. Otherwise you end up with uncomposted stuff in your compost. That being said, I never stop putting stuff on my heap, but then it's not contained, rarely turned, overgrown with volunteer squash or melon and not very often used

I'm hoping to start two palate compost bins in the near future (if I can locate some free palates) and get a little more serious about this compost business.

[canadiyank]

I have done a variety of types...I have a ComposTumbler my dad bought me this year, a chicken wire and 2x4 beast, and two black cube type composters. I've also done a relatively open pile in a circle of rigid black plastic.

The best luck I've had is with the black cubes. I'm in a very dry climate so it keeps them pretty moist although I do have to water it. I rarely turn them - I just harvest the compost out the bottom when I want it and continually add compost to the top.

My chicken-wire/2x4 behemoth is very unmanageable. It was here when we got here but it is huge and nearly impossible to turn. You'd have to plan a day around turning that thing, so instead I just put long-to-compost things in it. It dries out really quickly, too. Someday I'll take the time to get the compost out of it but I've only done that once before and it's a job.

The tumbler I've just started with this season so I don't have a lot of experience with it. I'm not terribly fond of the idea of "batch composting" b/c I want to keep adding stuff but fortunately I have the other three composts I can add to. But for some reason I can't stop messing with it and keep filling it up more as it cooks down, so I haven't actually had a load of compost come out of it yet. LOL. It came with a really detailed book of how to get compost in 14 days and it's pretty insane...I'm way to lazy to do that and get the ratios right and take it's temperature ever day, etc. so mostly I'm just letting it do it's thing and hoping for some compost for next spring.

[mindymom]

Originally Posted by tankgirl73

But if you're always adding in new stuff to the midway-composted stuff, then there's always uncomposted stuff in there. How do you sort out the 'finished' compost from the 'still going' stuff?

i use only one bin and when i think it is mostly done i toss it through a screen stapled to a wooden frame. whatever doesn't go through the screen goes back in the new pile. many kitchen scraps break down in a matter of days, though some do not. (we are at 1.5 yr+ for coconut shells... ) even if you have two piles you still have to screen the "finished" compost, so it doesn't really add to your workload.

[tankgirl73]

Thanks for the screening tip. So you use that to sort out the done compost from the still-going stuff, right? What about things that might get through even though they're not done... bread crumbs, coffee grounds, etc... are they small enough that it doesn't overly matter?

How fine a mesh should the screen be?

Thanks for helping me through my newbie questions.