skip to main content

Arizona Gardening

Compost tumbler vs Compost Box

13 years ago

I have a medium sized lot in Chandler, AZ. Want to put in a compost pile but really no room. I have seen the compost tumblers ( drum on a stand ) and the Box ( fill the top and compost magically comes out the bottom ).

Any suggestions? Tips? Recommendations?

Thanks!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (5)

nutcr0cker
13 years ago
If you want o be cheap...get a 55 gal drum -around 10$ CL
get a 2"x6' wood frame screw in wheels below it for easy turning you would need around 25$ investment for it cheap easy and not too shabby. Someone sells that of 150$ on CL
CL=craigslist
MaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
13 years ago
To do this right, imo anyway, you really need a three-step system.

One is for the current stuff being added daily.
One is for the stuff still cooking beyond the day-to-day additions.
One for finished compost waiting for the next 'gardening moment'.

Here's what I have settled into after about 3 years of composting.

I found a barrel composter at a yard sale for $75, this is my day-to-day barrel. When it gets full and difficult to 'flip', I empty it out onto the ground and turn it into a couple of plastic garbage cans that we cut the bottom out of and drilled LOTS of holes in.

Periodically, (once a month would be good but I don't get to it that often and frankly weekly would be better), I dump out the contents of the garbage can and reposition the now empty can as close to where it was before but all the debris is now piled up there. Now start shoveling it all back in, watering as you go. In a perfect world I would have first stopped at one or more Starbucks and picked up a bunch of coffee grounds so I could add a layer of grounds and some dry leaves that I always have around as I go.

When you can no longer identify anything in the pile, and it's nice and black and smells earthy, it's ready for the garden. Otherwise, it's still cooking.

Some of the cities around the Valley sell, for $5, recycle bins that they have cut the wheels and bottom section from and drilled a few holes in. I have one of these but never use it. I'm in NW Phx at 43rd Ave and Peoria and you can have this one if interested.

HTH. I think the stacking ones work great but are too pricey for my meager budget.
Related Discussions
washing machine drum + mini bike = compost tumbler
Q
Comments (4)
ahh dcarch if only i could demonstrate the amount of times my friend mike kept wanting to hook up the tumbler to a modded version of the wheel + gear + chain that came from the bike that he chopped up for parts for the tumbler! At one point i was like "NO GAS POWERED TUMBLER!" and he laughed... and mentioned it again 20 minutes later... haha I'm trying to be "green" with this project and the beauty of the slow speed of a turbine powered tumbler is that it would allow the bacteria to do it's job yet turn it every so often enough that it would occasionally flip bringing air back into the mix so that an aerobic process would continue... I must admit that this project is more out of novelty than out of functionality although i would like to keep it a bit functional =P I could make it so that I could turn it by hand... but that wouldn't be fun! I'll look up "graduated multi-diamater pulley" but as of right now I have not a clue as to what that means! I thought of hacking up a 21 speed but the gear ratio doesn't seem high enough ... in that instructable video that I posted, the guy used a 1250:1 ratio gear motor and hacked out the electric motor and just used the gearbox... as of right now I am also trying to avoid having to build a gear box... My knowledge and building abilities doesn't get me there (yet) :) Anyways, thanks for the idea! I will google some more infos and try to figure out if your idea would get me to where I would like to be with this little constantly changing project =P Mike
...See More
Compost vs.Compost Tea
Q
Comments (7)
That is fun to read the old ways of doing things. If you did nothing else, moving from the overly mechanized new ways to the more natural ways of doing things will help tremendously, IMHO. Compost is expensive. In my neighborhood it costs me $34 per cubic yard plus $40 for delivery. One cubic yard covers 1,000 square feet so the cost is $74 per 1,000 square feet. Compost tea can be made from very little compost. Less than $1.00 worth of compost will make tea to cover 5,000 square feet. The magic comes in when you add molasses or other food to the tea and aerate it. Then the microbes in the tea can multiply by a factor of 1,000 and your little handful of compost can cover a lot more area. Thus compost tea can cost well under $1.00 per 1,000 square feet. Then the issue is do you need compost or tea at all? I maintain that unless you have had a chemical spill or flood that killed the aerobic microbes in your soil, you probably do not need compost. If you have an area that historically will NOT grow anything, then you probably need compost. Or worse yet, you probably need to replace the soil. The best reason to use compost is to replace microbes. Microbes eat food. They eat the same food we eat. When you see food "spoiling," there are microbes causing it to spoil. Those are the same microbes that live in your soil. Try this: slice into an apple and see how long it takes to turn brown. Did you have to add microbes to kick off that spoilage process? No. All you did was expose the apple to the air. Normally apple skin protects it from rapid decomposition. Leave some cheese out on the counter and see how long it takes to turn fuzzy with green mold. The green mold came from the air. All you have to do is provide food for the microbes and they will take off. If you want to feed the microbes in your soil, all you have to do is feed them. I like to use ordinary corn meal. If you apply at 10-20 pounds per 1,000 square feet, the cost for that is about $2/1,000. I have never seen compost give results anywhere similar to feeding with corn meal.
...See More
Help with using a tumbler composter
Q
Comments (13)
I have a double tumbler--it is my second year. I am very happy with it. It certainly doesn't give me compost in 6 weeks like the store clerk said. It takes longer as I am constantly adding new materials, as the volume shrinks as it starts to break down. I am not afraid to fill it up full for that reason--it doesn't stay full long! Gives my arms exercise turning it! I saw some steam the other day but mostly it doesn't get that hot. But it still breaks down nicely. One bin gives me more than a huge trash can full of compost. It takes months though. I also have two vertical plastic bins that work nicely. I don't have enough material now to fill the two tall ones, so only one of them is working. I have a relatively small California yard, no room for a free large pile. So, just wanted to add that you shouldn't worry about the temperature or even the amounts of green and brown. I use mainly grass clipping and leaves and flower deadheads, with coffee grounds and household waste (tiny amount) and shredded paper. I rarely add water as the grass clippings add moisture. I do get egg-sized balls of compost that I break up with gloves but I am sure you don't need to do that if you don't want. Hope that helps.
...See More
Cheap brush compost vs cheap manure compost
Q
Comments (6)
The chunk comes from it being sitting around on the outside. If I managed to acquire it when they first deliver it, there are few chunks and definitely weight a lot less than soil. However, the stuff get rained on and becomes chunky. However, even at its best, it isn't as good as the bag of mushroom compost I got, that was fine grain. However, I suspect it had more soluble salt than I would have like. I guess with bag stuff, I wonder if they add fillers. I recall that someone tested a bagged compost once and discovered that it contain less organic material than his soil. I wish consumer reports or some gardening magazine would do an analysis of the bagged stuff so I know what to buy. I think I know to avoid certain products. There was another brand of mushroom compost that smell strongly of ammonia, that was probably unfinished... Paul
...See More
DrynDusty
13 years ago
I have much better compost with a simple pile, within a fence. It gets turned when we feel like it, which might be two or three times a year. That's far better results than when we had a Tumbler or the Box.
Norm
mangledmind
13 years ago
we used 4 pallets:

Tied the pallets together with nylon rope.

wrapped with weed fabric.

wrapped that with 1/2" wire fencing.

We just keep tossing stuff on top (browns/greens etc). Keep moist (water weekly). Pile keeps shrinking, so we know it's working. We want a small chipper/shredder for our big stuff (pruned branches, royal palm, ficus, etc)
softmentor
13 years ago
I just take material that you might want to put in a compost bin and lay it in with the rest of my mulch in the mulch beds. To avoid it looking bad in an area where it could be unsightly, I have 2 solutions.
1) I use an old 5 gallon paint bucket (free from any painter)and cut the bottom out. I use the bucket in an area that is hidden, then I put material in that till it's about full. Then I lift the bucket off, cover the unsightly material with some "pretty" mulch so it's not as visible, and move the bucket to the next spot.
2) Just put the unsightly material down and cover it right away with attractive mulch.
easy, and you don't have to turn and move the material twice.

Related Stories

GARDENING GUIDES Get on a Composting Kick (Hello, Free Fertilizer!)

By Matt Kilburn

Quit shelling out for pricey substitutes that aren’t even as good. Here’s how to give your soil the best while lightening your trash load

GARDENING GUIDES Mid-Atlantic Gardener's January Checklist

Scatter berries while ye may, be kind to your fair-feathered friends and try a time-saving compost trick that will keep you out of the cold

GARDENING GUIDES Houzz TV: Make a Worm Bin for Rich Soil and Happy Plants

By Annie Thornton

A worm-powered compost bin that can fit under a sink turns food scraps into a powerful amendment for your garden. Here’s how to make one

PRODUCT PICKS Guest Picks: Fall Entertaining Favorites

By Laura Gaskill

Make autumn feasts a piece of cake with chic compostable plates, pretty glasses, pie accessories and more

KITCHEN DESIGN Guest Picks: Organizing Your Kitchen for the New Year

By Clara Artschwager

Resolve to find a place for plastic bags, compost and piles of dishes to declutter your kitchen

HOUZZ TV Houzz TV: How to Make and Plant a Veggie Box

By Annie Thornton

See how to start edibles from seed, then transfer the seedlings to a box on stilts to make harvesting more fun

REMODELING GUIDES Nesting Boxes: Houses With Homes of Their Own

Framing one box with another creates a whole new style of modern indoor-outdoor living

FARM YOUR YARD How to Build a Raised Bed for Your Veggies and Plants

By Annie Thornton

Whether you’re farming your parking strip or beautifying your backyard, a planting box you make yourself can come in mighty handy

LIFE 9 Ways to Unclutter Your Holiday

By Laura Gaskill

If piles of gift wrap, boxes and extra items are weighing you down, clear the way to enjoy a serene holiday with these decluttering tips

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: For the Love of a Cat in Philadelphia

By Vanessa Brunner

Pet-friendly features integrated into a mod, eclectic and colorful home mean everyone in the family is happy

Sponsored

A.I.S. Renovations Ltd.

15 Reviews

Custom Craftsmanship & Construction Solutions in Franklin County

More Discussions

What's wrong with my roses?

5

little bumps on rose leaves

1