Many people favor composting tumblers, or stationary composting containers. The compost pile will be neater if its contained in some sort of tub, with a top. Since the size of the pile is limited by the size of the tub, you might not achieve a warm temperature. I think you have to pay more attention to the ration of greens to browns with one of these. We have an open pile, about 5 feet in diameter. It always has some brush in it, as well as all sorts of garden refuse, and in the fall, many bushels of shredded tree leaves. I move the pile and dig out the pit in April or May. Then the process repeats. So, I don't spend much time fussing with the pile, it is a convenient place to put organic refuse from the yard and garden. Our pile is hidden from the street, and we haven't had any complaints from the neighbors. It does not produce any odor.

if anyone is interested i said why not and went forward with the MACHINE... its weird but i am kinda excited for this additional experiment.. i fig it is in my hands for a reason and it would be wrong getting cash for a drawing prize :/

i am in the process of starting the culture which lasts a week... the pro unit that i have was manufactured this month so i am hoping some of the faults have been solved and i can have 5+ years of weird composting... and if not hey i have the warrenty...

"I can take a dump in a box and slap a warrenty on it" tommy boy

any one interested in this at all chime in otherwise i will be adding my next update and this goes along..

The NatureMill Pro-XE is a self contained, plug in, indoor composting machine. It has a small heater to maintain the ideal compost temperature, and it has a tray or drawer under the compost tumbler to collect finished compost. It appears to be intended for kitchen food waste only, it is not meant for anything and everything that some of us would throw into our outdoor compost piles. The owner is expected to add sawdust or similar wood shavings as needed, to maintain the compost mixture. This machine is not supposed to smell, an essential feature since it is intended to be stored and used inside the house. As this is a new product, there may not be any experienced users out there who can respond to this post.

thanks for both of the informative responses ericwi... do you personally/professionally have experience with a naturemill or is your knowledge strickly from advertisment/testamonials?

I don't see this as being the primary source of my composting, however a possible supplement to my outdoor compost or just a way for me to compost during cold nebraska winters... who knows it seems to early in my experiment to say.

The addition of sawdust shouldn't be a problem.. i have plenty of woodshavings for my chicken waste trays to add to the mix when needed (no droppings just shavings :) I use the chicken poo for my outdoor compost)

I think maybe you have the first "plug in" indoor composter in Nebraska. I have never seen one of these, much less actually used one. I am curious regarding how well it works, and how much maintenance/cleaning it needs.

Well, Day two and the looks of the sludge inside is unrecognizable and it smells exactly like it looks... like 8 week old trash that has been sitting in the sun during a humid summer... needless to say my garage smells like dead rats.

Wow, I think that's great if it's free. Since it's a totally new concept in the compost arena, I think it would be fun to experiment with. Do keep us posted.

I'd never buy one, but a free gift is a gift. Have fun.

Karen

I think that if you add some sawdust, and maybe a little water, you can suppress the odor coming from the compost. Its a good thing that you have it in the garage. The web-site I visited shows this unit being used in someone's kitchen. The happy couple were smiling!

I added some wood shavings and a bit more baking soda... it isn't as sharp of an oder today and i just wish i would have waited to add that few bits of salmon to it night 1... i figured i should test it to the max and see the capabilities ... its really not as bad as it could be but hopefully by friday the smell is gone. :)

If it stinks then it's too wet or too much nitrogen. Add sawdust/shredded newspaper or any other carbon material and the smell will go away quickly. Definitely don't add water to a stinky composting system.

Well the smell has been eliminated!! JOY! I scrapped the sides of the container to make sure the salmon/potatoe/apple compost was all it a pile then i added a bag of old lettuce and another potatoe that went bad... some sawdust and then today i added some snap peas and an apple core... and a handful of sawdust.. all i have is a nice earthy mushroom odor which i tend to enjoy and that is only when i have the top open while i look at whats going on... elswise no smell other than my normal garage scent... I am amaze to see how fast the materials i add turn to a nice fluffy brown compost.. so far this machine is a nice addition to the home... wouldn't pay $400.00 dollars for it but maybe if i had a lot of cash and lived in S.F. or N.Y. or someplace like that..

have a great weekend and thanks for listening!