It seems to me all those compost units are kinda like all those kitchen gadgets you see on late night telemercials - they're novel but not any better than what you have.

I bought the Compostumbler on a local consignment sale for 20 bucks. This is the big one. From what I've read and heard from friends, the small compost orbs and tumblers just aren't big enough to generate anopugh heat to make decent product. It's possible I am using it wrong but I have yet to make a decent load of compost. My pile, however makes very nice compost.

My advice to you would be to make a pile somewhere on your property and buy a good book on composting.

I personally would be interested in buying one of the commercially available compost tumblers if I could find a deal on one, but failing that I plan to build one (a drum-style preferrably)from a set of plans. Does anyone have a set of plans they'd be willing to share? Any pros and cons to different types of home-built units?

IMO, a self built 2' by 2' 2 or 3 bin setup is the better way..
Just turn the compost now and again with a shovel.

Compost is not concrete which must be continuously

turned..And the mass of compost can become great, but with leaves, grass, manure with straw..

Bari_sax,

Thanks for the compost link. I have bookmarked it. I don't have a specific recommendation, because all of my compost piles are conventional "piles", but I do have a question and a comment. How level is your yard? If it is at all sloped, that is going to complicate rolling a heavy compost "ball" around.

Also, most rodents can gnaw through plastic quite easily and, if you compost any leftover "goodies" (potato peels, etc), they are likely to smell them and chew a hole in your plastic to get in. That's a reason for choosing a metal enclosure.

MM

Google search turned up this building plan for a tumbler.

Here is a link that might be useful: Homemade compost tumbler

I was looking for reviews on compost tumblers as well and found the one at Mother Earth News to be the most informative. Here is the link to their article.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/Nature-and-Environment/2003-04-01/Compost-Tumblers.aspx

I'll admit that they are kinda "gadgetie" .We have both a Mantis twin and a large Compost Tumbler courtesy of Craig's List. We like ours as they are neighbor friendly no matter what you compost. That would be also an advantage of the ball type. Judging by how heavy these get, I wouldn't want to be rolling one of the others around the yard too often. If you want perfect consistancy compost, it seems as tho you need to finish it in a metro type bin or stack. Or maybe being more religious on turning it everyday would help. The compost is perfectly usable to mix into the top few inches of your garden beds however. There also have been several threads on these on GW over the years. Vermiculture is great for families with small yards also. Mmmm, worm tea. ..

From what I've read on universtity extension service web sites, I don't see how a compost ball could possibly make good compost. Here's a sample:

"The pile must be big enough to hold heat. A hot pile decays much faster than a cold pile. Small piles are usually colder, because they have small cores that hold less heat. Small piles also dry out faster. A pile of about one cubic yard is big enough for year-round composting, even in cold-winter areas. Collect enough material to make a pile at least 1 cubic yard in volume (an open pile 5 feet wide at the base by 3 feet high holds about a cubic yard)."
"To achieve high enough composting temperatures to kill parasites, bacteria, and weed seeds, a pile must be at least three feet high. Otherwise, the heat generated in the initial stages will quickly dissipate before the pile can reach high enough temperatures. For best heating, try for a pile five to seven feet square on the bottom rising to three or four feet high."

I think if you are concerned about the neighbors and keeping a small yard attractive, a bin made of decorative concrete block might be a better investment. Your compost pile shouldn't stink unless it gets too wet.

Here is a link that might be useful: Backyard composting

So it's been a year and a half since my original post, and I have some more info.

I bought two Bio-Orbs so as to have two batches. It is true that once the orbs get full, they require some manhandling to roll around. But they also seem to work better than many have given credit for (albeit not like the 14 days that some manufacturers claim). Between February and June 2007, I was getting a good load of compost every 3 weeks. Keep in mind this is with two tumblers and alternating batches, so the cycle for a single tumbler was 6 weeks.

The slightly smaller size of the orbs didn't seem to have any problem getting up to temperature. They routinely get up to 80 degrees, typically up to 100 at some point in their cycle, and occasionally up to 120+, mainly depending on what I've put in there lately. They get up to 80+ within 24 of being loaded (from empty). BTW, a good winterizing trick: Roll your 80 degree compost ball next to your most tender plants to keep them warm overnight.

For my garden, it's not particularly hard to unload, as I just upend the whole thing in one spot and mix things around by hand. If I have a small area to spot, I'll just reach in and grab a handful.

The other tools that were invaluable were (a) a compost thermometer and (b) a Grizzly G0595 chipper/shredder.

Again, my selection criteria included that I be able to move the compost tumbler to an area out of view--not something that can be done with a stationary pile. Others may not have this restriction.

FWIW, the link below goes to my collection of composting articles.

Here is a link that might be useful: Favorite Compost Links

Personally what has turned me off about the balls is that, well, they're balls your roll on the ground.

I'm 6'5, I don't like bending over to push something around the ground. My back has enough problems as it is. Maybe if I had kids I could conscript into helping the ball would be a neat idea.

They also seem too small to do any reasonable volume.

I have one bin, one tumbler from the place linked to below, and am getting a second one (tumbler) this week to expand my capacity. The tumbler is pretty big, and while it doesn't have the volume of a large freeform pile, it does get really hot (I've seen it steam, literally), is easy (for me anyways) to turn, and the black plastic really attracts the sunlight. Plus, with a lid, it retains water, so it is waterwise as well.

The smaller tumblers that sit low on their stands, or those balls, just always screamed slipped disc to me.

Here is a link that might be useful: Organic Compost Tumbler