Compost Tumblers - A Look At The Types Of Compost Tumblers

Compost Tumblers

If you are looking for a good way to make compost quickly, one of the best solutions is a compost tumbler. A tumbler has many advantages, but the one that most folks are aware of is the ability to make compost quickly and easily. Any compost pile will work faster when you turn it regularly, but a tumbler makes the process of turning the pile about as easy as it can get. When you start looking at either building or buying a compost tumbler, its good to have an understanding of the different types of tumblers available today.

Types of Tumblers

Center-axle Mounted Drums.

As the name suggests, this is a style that has the drum sitting above ground, with single pole or axle that runs through the middle of the drum. The drum rotates freely about this axle, with the barrel standing vertically when the tumbler is at rest, and to turn the pile you simply rotate the drum. This is usually not too much effort, but as the compost finishes you may get it sliding to one end as you rotate, with a resulting thump. Look a the height to make sure it will work for loading and unloading for you. Some units have doors on both ends, making it easier to load and unload the unit. The Urban Compost Tumbler is an example of this style.

Easy Composting - The Benefits Of The Compost Tumbler

Compost Tumblers

Composting is no easy task. It requires hard work, dedication, and persistence-unless, of course, you own a compost tumbler. In that case, composting requires little work, some dedication, and not much persistence at all, all while mixing compost the same way you would with a giant compost heap in the backyard. How easy is that?

Although open composting has its advantages, using a compost tumbler saves time and keeps your compost pile aerated with little effort. Instead of manually turning over your compost pile, a compost tumbler does the work for you in its internal chamber. There's no need to turn over your compost with a pitchfork; you simply turn it-no fuss, no muss. By keeping it aerated with just a few turns every few days, you can rest assured that the microbes are actively eating and decomposing the matter. All you really need to do is carry your kitchen scraps out to your compost tumbler, throw them in, and turn.

Compost Tumblers - Gardeners Love Them

Compost tumblers

If you're looking to turn your garbage into gardener's gold and do it in a hurry, then you should try a compost tumbler. If you have a compost bin then you know how great it is to add compost to your flower beds and vegetable garden. But making compost takes time and it's usually in short supply. A compost tumbler is a great time saver when making compost.

Some gardeners believe that compost is better than fertilizer because it doesn't just feed your plants, it also improves your soil. Improving your soil keeps your plants healthier so they grow stronger and more capable of fighting off diseases or beating droughts. Compost is decomposed organic matter and is high in nutrients that plants love. Bacteria and other micro organisms help break down that decomposing organic matter and their short life cycles become part of the process itself. When they reproduce their offspring continue the process while the parents bodies break down and add to the organic matter. It's nature's way of recycling.

Compost Tumbler

Compost Tumblers

Compost tumblers can speed up and eliminate at least part of the harder work of fast or "hot" composting. The microorganisms that do the actual composting work can be considered the livestock of the compost ranch. Like all living creatures they have three requirements for survival, food, water and air. The food is the organic material to be composted. Water is supplied by hose, bucket, or the original moisture contained in the organic material. Air is the hardest to get to the center of the pile as it slowly compacts under the pull of gravity.

A compost pile starts out as a mixture of large and small materials and air can often make its way to the center of the pile by way of pockets that are left open by the larger pieces of matter. However, as the microorganisms continue their work of composting, the larger pieces get broken down and the smaller ones compact so as to close off the air. The pile can go anaerobic as the microorganisms die off and a new type take up space. These new ones will continue the composting work but it will be slower and the pile will have an odor that most people do not like.