There are many options and considerations when it comes to compost tumblers and bins. They all work, so it comes down to budget and your personal preference. However, some composters do work better than others.
“Composting really is a gardener’s best kept ~dirty~ little secret.”
~Connie Oliveaux, gardener
Year Round Composting
Tending the compost in winter helps set the stage for success in spring through harvest. And well… it gives a gardener a change to connect with the soil and microbes… and to dream of the seeds to be sown and plants to be tended.
“The gardening season begins on January 1st and will end on December 31st”.
NOTE: We do not know which Marie Huston originated this quote. If you know, please send us a note so we may give proper tribute.
~Marie Huston, gardener
Fact is we do miss our gardens during the off-season. It’s not just cabin fever-but “gotta get back in the garden-itis”. It’s a lot about being out in nature and connecting with the earth and soil… plants and growing things.
Winter composting is one way to fill the tedious time between the end and the beginning of our growing months. After all, compost is the black gold of the garden!
Nature is food for the soul and psyche.
Even when our gardens have gone into animated suspension for the winter, there’s still a lot we can do to get ready for the upcoming growing season. While the snows come and go along with the freeze and thaw cycles, one way to keep our garden momentum going is to continue making the compost that will kick start our veggies come planting and seeding time.
Wintertime Composting Tips
A member of the Planting for Retirement Facebook community recently asked for tips and shortcuts for managing the flow from kitchen scraps to the compost bin. The community had lots of great tips for Laura.
“I’m in Maine, during the winter months, what do you do with household compost stuff, when your compost bins are way down in the backyard and you don’t want to wade that far in the snow every day? I’m thinking of getting a trash can next year to keep near the house. Thoughts?“
~Laura Stubbs, gardener, soap & candle maker
Shortcuts for Processing Scraps to Compost in Winter
I use two big buckets with lids. I transfer my in-house container of compost to these buckets on the back deck. When they are full I make a trip out to the compost pile.
~Vivian J Gedeon
I used to do the 3 bucket method. 3 5/10 gallon buckets, one has sawdust or straw. Put in compostables, cover with sawdust until container full. Move that one to side, start on #2. When #2 full take #1 out back to the big compost pile and dump. Repeat. It works fine, but my big pile isn’t too far away, so I just keep a small container on the counter now and take it out back when it is full every few days.
~Cris Fellows
See more tips from the community at the end of this article.
Compost is the black gold of the garden.
The Ideal Composting Method
In a previous article, we covered how to keep your composting microbes happy through the colder seasons. In another article, we looked at all types of compost bins from store-bought to DIY models, from kitchen counter compost containers to outdoor tumblers.
We built our own 3-bin system and were a little skeptical of the fancy rotating compost bins, but our readers who own them have commented how the ones they had worked great.
One of our reasons for skepticism is the issue of composting in a single container. When you dump in and mix fresh refuse in with the old so that there’s never a complete breakdown. With a multi-bin pile system, such as the 3 Bin Organic Composting Method, you can segregate the fresh, the mostly composted, and the totally composted material.
How to Make Compost Tumblers Work Well
However, we learned, this issue with the store-bought “machines”, can be solved in two ways.
For the single batch composter, just cease loading in fresh material for several weeks so as to allow it all to break down. Rotate the drum now and then and let nature do its thing.
The other approach is to procure a two-chambered compost maker that allows material to be filled in one chamber and then left to decompose while fresh material is loaded into the other chamber. The process then alternates back and forth.
The Pros and Cons of Compost Tumblers and Bins
We love our home-built three bin system, however, not everyone has the same needs and wherewithal to construct it, or to heap compost on the ground. Another drawback is that these open bins do sometimes attract wildlife.
Compost tumblers definitely solve the wildlife, space and simplicity issues. There’s often no one size fits all, to that’s why we’re all in favor of considering alternative systems. Here’s what we came up with in our survey of compost tumblers.
The Pros
- Can be moved about-especially the ones on a wheeled frame
- Takes up less space
- Easy to load
- Easy to keep out pests
- Minimal odor when closed
- Some allow for liquid “tea” to drain out on demand
- easy to turn and aerate
- dark colored units can absorb solar heat (speeds the decomposition)
- moisture level can be controlled more easily
- generally does a faster job of composting (BUT not in 2 weeks time like some makers claim)
The Cons
- Leaks at the seams
- Too small
- Hard to rotate when full
- Hard to assemble for some – bad instructions
- Difficult to empty
- Hard to move when full
- Unless insulated these stand=alone tumblers more suited to composting during warmer months
We perused our go-to resource (Amazon) and read up on every rotating, tumbling composter they had to offer. Our selection was based on a minimum number of 25 reviews, and a maximum 25 combined percent of 1 to 2 Star (bad) reviews. This is the way we buy for ourselves, but we strongly recommend you do your own research as a follow up to the recommendations cited below.
Dual Chamber Type
The BEST we could find in the dual chamber category- The JORA 70 GAL – was also one of the most expensive models. This higher stand saves a lot of backache by making it easily accessible for adding scraps and removing compost.
One of the more moderately priced (and better reviewed) was this Good Ideas Dual Tumbler – appears to be of good quality, American made, recycled materials.
Single Chamber Type
The Spin Bin tumbler pivots vertically. The design should allow for easier dumping of the contents.
The BEST we found in this category was the Mantis CT02001 (sounds like a hot rod) recommended by contributing writer, Kathie Chambers Underwood. In her article on fermentation, Kathie shares how they love their Mantis compost tumbler.