Tumbling compost bins allow you to mix the material by “tumbling” or rotating everything in a large bin. This is nice, because it eliminates the need for a compost fork or a compost aerator, and really just makes mixing up your compost a quick and painless ordeal. Here is an overview of some different tumbling compost bins/styles:
The Traditional Compost Tumbler:
Tumbling compost bins such as the Tumbleweed are your traditional compost tumblers. Some these composters only have space at the top, while others (such as the tumbleweed) have spaces at the top and bottom to load in your material – leaves, grass, banana peels, apples, carrots – you get the picture. The nice thing about a bin like this is that all you have to do is just load the material in, seal the lid, and give it a few spins. That’s it. The overall compost time will be sped up and you will be on the path to righteous compost quicker than you can imagine. These bins are usually elevated off the ground as well, which is a totally nice feature. By resting off the ground, you don’t have to worry about animals getting into your compost and bringing havoc upon your life and lawn.
Spinning Composter
Photo found on Flickr.com courtesy of Estacey.
A spinning composter, such as the Envirocycle is another excellent way to get your compost on. This style composter is circular and spins on metal rods, so there’s an air of fun to it, and it’s not that bulky. As mentioned in the product review, the Envirocycle in particular is nice because you can just roll it to other areas of the lawn, and it produces up to 5 gallons of compost tea. Quite the nutritious, tasty treat for your plants, vegetables, fruits, and lawn. Because of the spinning nature of this style of composters, compost is also produced quickly – typically in a range of 3-6 weeks. In just a short time, you will be ready for some finely composted material for your gardening needs.
Dual Chamber Compost Tumblers
These bins come in handy because they have two chambers. While one of the chambers is being filled with organic material, the other chamber can be used to mature the material into rich compost. When your material is ready to compost, you can empty out one cycle of the bin and then begin anew. This is perfect, because essentially there is a continual cycle of compost. In addition, these bins often sit off the ground, and are good if you are looking to resist attack from rodents, animals, or various other pests.