How to Use a Compost Tumbler

By DebDavies | 1 Comments | Rating: 0 | |

Compost tumblers come in a variety of styles or are hand made. No matter the style, compost tumblers mix composting materials by a crank handle, a turning handle or rolling the compost tumbler barrel.

Things You Will Need

Compost tumbler
Green materials
Brown materials
Garden hose
Garden gloves

Either buy or build a compost tumbler in the style you prefer. Set it up in a sunny area. The heat from the sun will help composting material stay at the needed temperature.

Add nitrogen containing green materials to the barrel. Examples of greens are grass clippings, kitchen scraps and disease free plants. Do not add meats, dairy products or animal droppings. To assist in faster decomposition, shred everything before adding to compost.

Add an equal amount of carbon containing brown materials to the barrel. Examples of browns are dead leaves, wood chips, and paper. Shred everything as small as possible and add. Add enough water to ensure everything is damp but not soggy. Keep in mind also that the green material contains some moisture.

Turn, crank or roll the compost tumbler to mix everything thoroughly. Peek inside to ensure that everything is well mixed.

Turn, crank or roll the compost tumbler a few times a day to introduce the oxygen needed for composting reaches all of the materials. Aeration of the composting material prevents odors and because the materials are enclosed in the compost tumbler barrel, animals will not get into it. In approximately 10 weeks, the compost will be ready.

Flag this Article

Flag Type: Spam/Inappropriate/Duplicate Grammar/Spelling/Formatting Flag Severity: 1 2 3 4 5

Reason for flag - be as descriptive as possible

Comments

Oct 7, 2009 1:44pm

WriterGig
A compost tumbler is a great way to speed up composting -- much faster than a regular compost heap.