Compost Tumbler

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

I have only had this product about a month, and being that it's winter in the mountain-west area, I can't comment at this time on the compost itself. But I go through A LOT of fruits, veggies, coffee grinds and tea quickly. This composter seems to be large enough to accomodate all of the waste, and it is very easy to turn/tumble. I would estimate that the tumbler has the capacity of an outdoor trash can, the kind old metal kind that you put out by the curb for pick up).

On the other hand, for what it cost, I probably could have made one for about a quarter of the price (or less). And making one myself would have probably been easier than trying to follow the instruction manual (without any pictures of what the finished product is supposed to look like).

But when the warm weather arrives, if it composts quickly, I will be satisfied with my purchase.

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

I use this for leaves, grass, kitchen waste. Takes about a year to compost (in Northeast and in the shade) - not too bad. Like the idea of turning the crank rather than getting a shovel/fork to overturn the compost. However, this never worked for my Aunt and is difficult to empty. Seems to hold moisture. Watch turning the crank, if the contents are unbalanced (and they will be) the crank will whip back at you - you could get hurt. I'm very concerned about the longevity as the nuts, bolts, screws, and most importantly the whole crank mechanism are rusting. This is a pretty pricey item to be rusting into compost itself.

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

great for small continuous long term or can be used with"two week" composed

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

It certainly does the job as advertised but mine rusted through in two places after the second year of use. I patched the first hole but the other has rusted at the opening and very difficult to repair. I'll stick with the plastic drum type

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

I've had this tumbler for a number of years and only now, with some modifications in structure and how I use it, is it really coming into its own. We live in western PA where there's a lot of rain and the contents often got soaked from rain leaking through small gaps in the tumbler panels. Last year I caulked all the seams with clear silicone and that problem is solved. Also, I find that I have to turn it less frequently than the manual suggests to avoid having the contents (usually lawn clippings, leaves and some kitchen scraps) "ball up" into undigestible clumps. With those two fixes I now have a "compost machine". Last night the temperature was 160 degrees.

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

With back problems and advancing age, I needed a composter that was not as labor intensive. It is the right height to add waste, easy to close, crank, and best of all place the wheelbarrow underneath and empty. The only thing it doesn't do is spread it in my garden beds.

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

Frankly, I am disappointed. The door is supposed to snap into place via two latches and two clipper-hooks. The latches are pretty much set, and any adjustments to door closing are via the clipper hooks. My experience is that the nuts that should help tighten these hooks are virtually inaccessible when the composter drum is empty; and totally inaccesible when it is loaded. So the clipper-hooks cannot be tightened sufficiently to secure a tightly closed door.

The first time I loaded the composter and tried to spin it, the door flew out and contents of the tumbler spilled out all over my patio. It took me more than two hours to clean up the mess. On my second try, the same thing happend. OK, lesson learned. So now I tighten the hooks after each turn, and this seems to be helping. But at this price point, this is a downer that quickly dissipates enthusiasm for composting.

Also, the composter has not really gotten hot. The day after first loading the temperature was only 60 degrees. On the second day, it was 65 degrees, and after four days I have not really noted any heating at all, even though I added several cups of compost starter and two bags of dehydrated cow manure to the load. But April is a cool month in my area, and I am hoping that things will heat up with rising temperatures.

One more thing. The manufacturer recommends locating this composter on level ground, which at my house can only be the patio. So my composter is in a corner of my patio, and I am already beginning to see that it will make a big mess, mainly because the door does not close, flush.

No, from my experience so far I will not recommend this unit to a friend or foe. But I am open minded and if the compost tumbler acquits itself, I shall rush to these pages to make ammends.

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

Directions were clear, composter is installed on level ground in the garden. It turns very easily, although not much in it yet as weather is still too cold for effective composting. Appreciate the booklet with different ways to build the compost.

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

I love the idea but my compose never got started. It never got "hot" enough to decompose the grass, leaves, and table scraps. I even bought the mix to get it started, and it never did.

Comments about Compost Tumbler:

All cuttings from garden are shredded and composted. Great way to build up the soil.