One of the most beneficial materials a gardener can use is compost. This organic material is full of nutrients and beneficial materials that can help plants thrive.
In the past, I would buy bags of this black magic from big box stores lugging it back and forth from the car to my garden.
Not only was this tedious work, I was never really sure what was in the bag. I’d find pieces of plastic or other unknown materials. I needed to build my own composting pile and I needed to do it quickly.
If you too are interested in composting but don’t have the space for a compost bin? A compost tumbler might be the perfect solution!
You’ve probably already have heard that compost is a powerhouse for growing vegetables, flowers, and any plant in general. But how does one go about starting a compost tumbler and what exactly do you need to add to activate it?
Compost tumblers are a great way to compost food scraps, yard waste, and other organic materials quickly and easily.
In this blog post, we’ll be exploring the ins and outs of composting with a tumbler so that you can get the most out of your composting experience.
Helpful Products from Amazon for Composting With A Tumbler
What is a Compost Tumbler?
A compost tumbler is an efficient tool used to create compost for home gardeners. It’s designed in a way to be compact and easy to use so that you can to turn kitchen scraps, and garden waste like grass clippings or weeds into the nutrient-rich soil amendment we all need to enrich our soil.
When composting, we need to think in terms of “brown matter” (high in carbon) to “green matter” (high in nitrogen). Our goal is to create the right ratio for optimal composting results.
Compost tumblers are easier to turn than regular compost bins and require less effort.
Plus, they come in a variety of sizes and orientations, with the most important feature to consider being a dual chamber.
A dual chamber allows for continuous composting, while a single chamber requires waiting for the compost to mature before adding more scraps. This means you will have to wait for the compost in your bin to decompose and once that compost is harvested, you can start anew.
Compost tumblers provide an effective and efficient way to produce compost without the mess of a traditional compost bin.
The Benefits Of Using A Compost Tumbler
Compost bins come in various shapes and sizes, such as wire, wood, cinder blocks, barrels, and tumblers.
This helps to aerate the compost pile and raise the temperature inside, which should reach between 130° to 160° F.
Additionally, the tumbler can be rolled around to mix the contents of the bin and help ensure that the material is being broken down.
Depending on how well it’s maintained, the compost can take anywhere from three to five months to break down fully, or up to a year if left untended.
How to Use A Compost Tumbler
Compost tumblers are an alternative to compost bins and are designed to help create compost in a quicker, more efficient way.
Compost tumblers come in a variety of sizes and designs. Generally, they consist of one or two chambers that allow you to fill one chamber while the other is breaking down.
How Do You Activate A Compost Tumbler?
When starting a compost tumbler for the first time, you will need to activate it.
Activating means introducing the beneficial bacteria needed to break down the materials you will be adding to your tumbler.
There are a number of materials you can use to activate your tumbler.
They include horse manure, compost, bone meal, blood meal or rich organic soil.
How to get the most from your compost tumbler:
Examples of Brown Material and Green Material for A Composter
Some examples of brown material for your tumbler are: straw, hay, wood chips, sawdust, shredded paper, cardboard, and dry plant stalks.
Some examples of green materials are: vegetable and fruit scraps, grass clippings, garden waste such as freshly cut weeds, leaves, and plant trimmings, coffee grounds, tea bags, and egg shells.
Final Thoughts
Compost tumblers are a great way to create a nutrient-rich compost for your garden in an efficient, low-maintenance manner.
While tumblers offer many benefits over traditional composting methods like compost bins, there are some considerations to keep in mind when using one. For example, the tumbler needs to be emptied regularly or else the compost can start to smell or become anaerobic.
Also, if you are using a large tumbler with multiple chambers, you will need to switch them out every few months or risk having unbalanced compost.
Finally, if you live in an area with lots of animals, you may need to cover the tumbler with a mesh or netting to keep out critters.
Overall, though, compost tumblers are an excellent option for anyone looking to produce large quantities of compost quickly and conveniently.
