Compost Tumblers

Tumbling composters ease turning the pile

Compost tumblers make turning your compost pile easier. Instead of manually turning the pile with a pitchfork or shovel (or by restacking a unit like the Biostack), tumbling compost bins use a crank or gears. However, these types of compost bins don't usually hold as much organic waste, and are more expensive per cubic foot of capacity. In addition, it can still be hard to turn the crank.

The Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker (*Est. $140) is popular in several reviews. This is a drum-shaped plastic tumbler with a lockable lid and a capacity of 7 cubic feet. The Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker comes in black or green, which is noteworthy primarily because it allows for temperature considerations: a green Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker will retain less heat than a black unit, and may therefore be more suitable for warmer climates. Conversely, black will retain more heat for owners in cooler areas. Perhaps the most useful feature for gardening enthusiasts is this model's ability to collect compost tea, the nutrient-rich liquid runoff that drains away during composting. The base of the Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker can hold up to five gallons of this compost tea, which makes excellent fertilizer for indoor or landscape plants, but owners have the option to let the runoff flow directly into the ground if they choose. The Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker's compact dimensions (30.5 inches tall by 25.5 inches wide) can be an asset or a liability; it holds less than most tumblers and is best suited for those with limited outdoor space and little yard waste.

Those who say they've used the Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker tumbling compost bin praise its ease of operation and its portability in comparison to other composters. Some do caution, however, that it can take considerably longer than the Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker's advertised timeframe of approximately four to six weeks to produce high-quality compost, particularly if the unit is exposed to temperature extremes. Many users should be able to avoid this complication by storing the Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker in the garage or under the eaves in inclement weather.

In spite of a low score in one comparison review, the Tumbleweed Composter (*Est. $180) is well liked by most users. One professional reviewer criticizes the Tumbleweed Composter for design issues and slow, low-quality compost production, but many other expert and non-expert reviewers seem to disagree. The Tumbleweed Composter was featured in a product test by the National Home Gardening Club, wherein more than two dozen club members evaluated the compost tumbler for ease of use, design, durability, appearance and other aspects of its performance. According to the results, published in late 2006, the Tumbleweed Composter received no less than eight out of 10 points in any category, and it earned an overall average of 8.9 out of 10 across all categories. A few testers commented that they found turning the full Tumbleweed more strenuous than they expected and expressed concern that it might be too unwieldy for older gardeners, but all were pleased with the Tumbleweed Composter's compost production and many were able to obtain quality compost more quickly than in that one professional review.

The Tumbleweed Composter also made the cut at People Powered Machines, where the proprietors claim that they conduct their own product testing before deciding which models to offer. The Tumbleweed Composter has a similar width (26 inches) and capacity (7 to 9 cubic feet) as those of the Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker tumbler, but stands 46 inches high. The compost container is plastic, has a lid on each end and sits on galvanized, tubular steel legs, which makes it virtually critter-proof. The unit requires assembly, but the manufacturer claims that the Tumbleweed Composter can be put together in 15 minutes with the aid of a screwdriver.

Rounding out another avid gardener's blog list of the top three tumbling composters is the Urban Composter Tumbler UCT-9 (*Est. $260). This tumbling compost bin is similar in operation to the Tumbleweed, but it has a larger capacity of 9.5 cubic feet. It's also made of 100 percent recycled food-grade plastic and is suitable for composting both yard waste and kitchen scraps. Another advantage of the Urban Composter Tumbler UCT-9 over the Tumbleweed Composter is its available 6-quart compost tea catcher. The Urban Composter Tumbler UCT-9's tea catcher is smaller than the Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker's, though, and costs around $30 extra.

The Urban Compost Tumbler UCT-9 has only five customer reviews at Amazon.com, with two users wholeheartedly giving it a five-star rating. Three owners give it one star, one stating that in using the composter for over a year, it never did a good job, another stating that the composter produces nothing but "goo," and the third complaining of a cockroach infestation. The Gardening Tips 'n' Ideas' blogger praises the unit for its durability and unique central aeration system, but mentions as a potential drawback to the design the possibility that the aeration system (essentially a hollow, perforated rod running through the center of the drum) could impede the removal of the finished compost. On the other hand, this appears to be a hypothetical issue, not mentioned in any other evaluations. While the Urban Composter Tumbler Urban UCT-9 is not nearly as well-represented in reviews as are the Envirocycle Composter/Composteamaker or Tumbleweed Composter, its increased compost capacity (as well as the enthusiastic quality of the reviews) make it worthy of consideration.

If you need even more capacity and still want a tumbling compost bin, the Mantis ComposT-Twin (*Est. $500) features two internal chambers that together hold up to 25 cubic feet of material. This dual-chambered design allows owners to "cook" one batch of compost while using the other side as a holding bin, or to maintain two compost batches at differing stages. A handle at the side of the unit can be cranked to rotate the barrel and mix the contents. AskToolTalk.com's reviewer notes a number of advantages to the Mantis ComposT-Twin, including ease of assembly and turning. Several potential improvements are outlined, however, which highlight some of this model's drawbacks. The reviewer reports difficulty rinsing the interior of the Mantis ComposT-Twin's barrel completely, as well as problems with paint flaking off the housing and door design flaws that make the container's opening a bit too small to easily dump in lawn clippings.

Reviewers at Amazon.com for the Mantis ComposT-Twin also note problems with the doors, though these are related to issues of durability and cumbersome operation rather than their size. Still, almost all say they appreciate the fact that the Mantis ComposT-Twin is mounted high enough on its tubular frame to make emptying the finished compost exceptionally easy, since most wheelbarrows can simply be rolled directly under the barrel's doors. This tumbling compost bin is certainly more expensive than most, and its price, along with its dimensions (well over 5 feet in height and width), render it less suitable for those with limited space, less material to compost and stricter budgets. Mantis does advertise a one-year, risk-free trial of the ComposT-Twin for customers who order this compost bin directly from the manufacturer, however.