ComposTumbler

[OhJeeez]

anyone have experience with this product? wondering if it's worthwhile.

thanks

[larry spellman]

We bought one new about 5 years ago. Actively used it for one year, and then decided to go back to our time-honored method of just throwing compost material into a pile (actually, a raised bed), and letting time and nature handle it.

Compost tumblers are well built and easy to turn, but... way overpriced. Also, unless you are very meticulous about adding the exact correct balance of well-shredded carbon vs..s. nitrogen materials (brown vs..s. green), you will end up with a product more closely resembling chunks of wet horse manure, rather than the sweet smelling dry crumbly rich brown stuff shown in the advertisements.

Also, if you want the best compost, you can't routinely add material to the batch. In the best of worlds, you would have 2 compost tumblers, fill one up with well-shredded material, and let it do it's thing. While that is happening, start filling up the second one with material as you accumulate it.

Or, you could do as we have decided to do: have a lot of raised beds, fill one up with compost one year, another one the next year, and grow plants/vegetables in the ones that have turned back into soil.

Sold our Compost Tumbler this summer for $150. If you must have one, and are willing to put up with the detail work, shop around for a used one; I can't recommend paying the full price.

[OhJeeez]

thanks, all.

[roz]