Composting is a great way to get free compost to put on your flowering plants and vegetables to get better growth and more fruit and vegetables.
And having a compost bin reduces your own personal production of garbage to go to landfill. Everybody wins with a composter. But which composter is best for you and your needs? And how much will it cost?
Table of Contents
All of the traditional composters were static – that is they were not tumbler composters. They did their job well but took a longer time to make the compost. Does this matter to you? If you want compost as fast as possible then get a tumbler. On the other hand, if you are content to wait a while longer then get a classic composter.
Like most things you buy, composters come in small, medium and large sizes. Why are there different sizes? Well, different families and different size gardens produce more or less waste and you want a composting bin that meets your needs.
The small size is great for a small garden or 1 person household, a medium-sized family or garden suits a medium-size composter and the large size suits a large family or a large yard with lots of leaf fall, hedge clippings or grass mowings.
A traditional or classic composter makes compost in a month or 2. It depends on the mix of waste and the temperature but it sure takes a while. That’s OK if you plan that into your gardening year. But what if you want to compost quickly? Then you choose a tumbler composter that can if filled properly make compost in a couple of weeks.
Some composters are made of steel and others of recycled plastic – we’ll look at the details of this in the individual reviews but some folk just like one material over another so this is something else to bear in mind when making your shortlist.
There are 2 parts to the design of a composter; one is whether you choose a tumbler composter or whether you choose a classic design with no tumbling. The other is to decide whether you want or need a composter where you work at waist height or whether you want a low profile design where you have to bend down to use it.
Lastly, something that is often overlooked is whether your new composting bin arrives assembled and ready to use or is there some assembly involved. If you are a sturdy D-I-Y type this may not faze you.
Why is the Soilsaver Composter made by “Covered Bridge Organic” of Ohio, called a “Classic”? It could well be its simple effective design or because it’s been in production for 25 years and that’s a long time to get all the details of design and manufacturing right!
The Soilsaver Classic Composteris made of 100 percent recycled plastic so just as composting is all about recycling lots of folks want to have a composter made of recycled material. The walls are sturdy and insulated which is important in helping to keep the heat in.
Most composting piles and bins run at a fairly high temperature which speeds the composting process so we get our lovely compost quicker. For example, a standard compost pile in a garden may take a year to produce the finished product; a compost bin may take a month and a well run tumbler composter may take only 2 weeks.
Notice I said “well run”, there is an amount of care involved if you want the quickest results – getting the balance of green and brown waste right; putting the right kind of kitchen waste in the bin and checking that the compost is slightly moist – not too dry and not too wet. Not hard, but some folks think they can just chuck any old stuff in the composter and expect good compost a few weeks later.
Back to the Soilsaver… Let’s look at the facts and see if this Classic composter is right for you…
Is the Soilsaver Classic Composter for You?
This is a simple effective design – a good reason for calling it a classic. The kitchen and garden waste goes in the top and the compost is removed at the bottom of the composter from a large sliding door. This is the easiest, simplest and best way of operating a compost bin. You can fork over or turn the compost but many don’t and still get good results.
If you want the fastest results, get a tumbler composter but for most people, the Soilsaver Classic Composterwill work plenty fast! There are no parts to rust and it is an easy – no tools required assembly, taking less than half an hour. It is a medium-size composter – 12 cubic feet. You may not need this size in a small garden or small family and might need 2 of these sitting side by side if you and your garden need to recycle more.
I could not find anything to dislike – I really tried. The only issue for me is that I prefer tumbler composters. But if what you are looking for is a composter bin of normal design – then this has to go on your shortlist.
For the size of compost bin 85 gallons, this is the best model I have seen. I cannot fault it really –apart from preferring tumblers.
Composters come in all shapes and sizes but they have one thing in common. Even tho’ they may be made of different materials, have different shapes and wildly different sizes they all compost fairly fast due to the high temperatures created in the compost by the bacteria that do the composting. For that reason, we call this “Hot composting”.
Worm Composters are different.
Worms cannot live in a hot composting bin, only the bacteria can stand the heat, so worm composting is called low temperature composting. Worms flourish at temperatures from just above freezing to about 84 F/29 C. In turn that means that worm composters are best suited to indoor conditions where the temperature is regulated.
Many worm composting families live in apartments with no balconies and they have their wormeries (wormery is another name for worm composter) in the kitchen or laundry room.
There’s no smell from a worm composter. And no noise! And wormeries are small, so they are appropriate for the urban composter.
Worm Factory makes quite a range of Worm Composters. All of them have a small footprint and fit into any small space in the home. Let’s look at the details of the DS3GT Worm Composter and see if this is the composter for you.
Let’s look at the facts…
First of all, this is a wormery. Worms don’t need much attention but you need to keep an eye on them, maybe once a week. They can handle you being away for a week or two but prolonged absence will mean that the worms will run out of food.
Small amounts of scraps added fairly often is best. Too much can overwhelm the worms – too much waste or too much water.
Second, this is low temperature composting which means that the composting is slower than if you had a regular compost bin or tumbler composter. The rate the worms produce compost from your food waste varies with the type of food they get and the type of worm too! But they will speed up as they multiply in the composter.
Third – this is a great science project, so any kids in the household can learn a lot. Any kids?
Fourth – wormeries are compact so where space is limited a Worm Factory DS3GT could be just right.
Fifth – if you plan to compost a high volume of waste you will need more than one Worm composter or perhaps a tumbler composter as well.
Pros
Cons
Overall the compact and modular design makes this a serious contender if you are looking for a Wormery. If you are unsure then perhaps get a compact tumbler composter and consider the DS3GT later.
Making compost can be hard work. With a big pile of compost in the garden facing you it may be hard to summon the enthusiasm to turn it with a pitchfork or shovel. And even with a shop-bought compost bin you still need to turn the compost over – again this is hard and can be painful too if you have e back problems.
That’s why tumbler composters are so clever – because you can turn the compost simply by giving the tumbler a spin – and that is usually very easy.
There are small tumblers such as the Envirocycle which sits on a small base unit that even collects the liquid fertilizer made by the composter.
There are huge tumblers like the ComposTumbler which sits on a stand at waist height and is turned by cranking a handle round.
And there are middle range tumblers like the Tumbleweed 200003 which is supported on tubular steel legs and tumbles or rotates end over end – I’ll show you how in a video below.
Let’s look at the Tumbleweed 200003 Composter in some detail.
Features and Facts on the Tumbleweed 200003 Tumbler Composter
First of all the barrel or tub is made of a sturdy recycled UV proofed plastic and the legs are tubular steel galvanized to keep them rust-free. The barrel has a large removable lid on each end making it very easy to get waste in to and out of the composter. The lids rotate or screw-on easily – you’ll see in the video.
It is also easy to assemble. Yes, you do have to get the tools out but a screwdriver and pliers are all you need. That and 15 minutes. The 20003 is one of the easiest composters to put together –just fit the 2 halves of the barrel together – put 16 screw and washers on and slot the legs on. Done! When you hear of the problems so many folks have assembling other composters that’s a big plus.
Now to the tumbling itself…
The 200003 rotates around a steel axle that goes through the bin and helps to break up and mix the compost when you tumble it.
This helps to get air into the mix which is essential because composting works better with better aeration.
The lids also let air in – they screw on but they are designed to let some air in, so they do not make a tight fit.
Lastly, we get to the legs which are made of galvanized steel and are formed out of tubes which slot together to make a frame to support the bin and allow it to rotate or tumble.
I was impressed by how simple the assembly was and how easily the composter tumbled. Time to sum up…
Fact Round-Up:
Pros
Cons
I’m sure the legs are sturdy enough but it might be useful to anchor the legs into the ground for greater stability.
Who is This Composter For?
If you don’t want a tumbler composter then this is not for you! There are good non-tumbling compost bins available already, but if you are open to buying a tumbling composter and you need a medium capacity composter then this has to be on your shortlist.
I started to write this review with a dislike of this composter. I had seen other tumblers such as the ComposTumbler and really liked the tumbling action. But the more I looked into this compost tumbler the more I liked it. Make sure you have seen the tumbling action in the video above to make sure you know what you will do doing if you go ahead and buy this compost tumbler.
Compost Tumblers are composters that speed up the normally slow composting process. Nature might take a year to produce fine compost for your ornamental plants and a well-run compost pile will with some hard work reduce that to a few months but a good well run Tumbler Composter may do the job in 2 weeks.
That appeals to most of us in our busy lives with way too many things to do, so tumbling composters are very popular.
That being said why should we buy the Lifetime 60021 tumbling composter rather than any other? The only answer has to be that it fits our needs. So let’s look under the hood and see what the Lifetime 60021 is and does and then you can see whether this composter is for you.
Features and Specifications of the Lifetime 60021
First of all, you can see in the picture on the right that the composter consists of a black tub mounted on a metal frame. The mounting allows you to turn the tub and tumble the food and garden waste inside the tub.
Some people say that you need to do this only once a week but I believe that it’s best to tumble your composter every day. It speeds things up and only takes a few seconds.
Looking at the details…
The composter is made of a black plastic called High-Density Polyethylene. This means that the tub itself is totally rustproof and weather resistant. The fact that it is black means that it heats up faster by absorbing sunlight. The higher temperature of the tumbler warms the waste and speeds the composting up.
The tub of the composter is double-walled. This helps to keep the heat generated by the composting inside the tub. Even on a cold day, the compost will be warm or even hot.
The 60021 has a capacity of 10 cubic feet and holds 75 gallons. This is a really healthy amount of compost!
The lid of the tumbler is really large and slides off completely making it easy to shovel large piles of leaves or lawn mowings into the tub. There is also a locking pin that keeps the tub steady as you load it up.
Running right through the tub is a ventilation tube that has air holes in it and helps to get air and essential oxygen into the composting waste.
Who is this for? Is the Lifetime 60021 Composter for You?
First of all, this is a Tumbler Composter and needs a little attention. You need to spin or tumble the tub to speed the composting up. Like all tumblers, they work best when you have finished loading it up. In other words, you need to stop loading it up and allow it to work for let’s say 2 weeks. In that time you’ll have to have another container – maybe an old bin or bucket to put your garden and other waste in while the compost “cooks”.
This is why folks often buy 2 tumbler composters. One is filling up while the other is “cooking”.
This is a tumbler so some thought has to be given to the ground on which it stands. You want a good stable performance from the tumbler so it needs to be on flat ground.
This is a medium to high capacity composter so it will suit a large family or large plot of land – although as said above you might find that you’ll need 2 tumblers if you really like the process!
One last point – liquid fertilizer is produced by all composters which usually runs out into the ground under the composter. That’s true here too and my advice is to catch this liquid gold with a small garden trough or similar. You can dilute this and water your borders with it.
Make sure you read my review of the Envirocycle Composter if you want a small compost maker that has a special container built-in that catches the Compost tea.
Pros
Cons
The lifetime 60021 comes over as a well designed, sturdy composter suitable for medium to high volume composting.
All composters make compost and some composters are tumblers – meaning you have to give them a turn or tumble a few times a week. But the Envirocycle composter is the only composter I know of that collects the liquid fertilizer that the composter makes in its base.
This built-in collector is ingenious and seems to be a unique feature of this design. ( If anyone knows of any others that collect liquid fertilizer/compost tea, do please let me know by leaving a comment below, thanks).
Envirocycle as a company is serious in its commitment to the environment. The composter is made of recycled plastic and shipped in recycled cardboard or other recycled material.
They even print the packaging using water-based ink so that when the packaging is composted it will not poison the ground with toxic dyes. This is a committed company. Since this is a tumbler composter you might expect to see a handle to turn or an axle or a frame that holds the composter but it sits on its base and will easily tumble on its base which has small rollers built-in.
The barrel of the composter can be rolled off its base to any part of your garden allowing you to open it and put the new compost exactly where you want it. This saves you having to empty a standard compost bin into a wheelbarrow and pushing the wheelbarrow to where you need it. Let’s look at the details now
Features of the Envirocycle Composter and Compost Teamaker
Compact tumbler composter
Is the Envirocycle Composter the Right Composter Tumbler For You?
There are many good composters on the market and they serve different needs, so is this the right composter for you? First of all the unique feature of this composter is the collector in the base which acts as a reservoir of liquid fertilizer. This can be emptied at any time and the liquid poured into a container and diluted with 10 parts water and I part compost tea.
You can water your flower beds or fruit trees or vegetable plots with this precious liquid. Compost tea is liquid gold for gardeners and this composter makes quarts of it. It is quite a small volume container so this is not for someone with a big plot unless they want a composter purely for the ability to make compost tea and they have a large composter already which handles their solid compost.
Like all compost tumblers, you have to stop filling the composter for a couple of weeks as the composter works its magic. In this time your green waste can be stored in another container. So you might end up buying 2 of these – several folks have simply because they love the design and the simple tumbling action. This is just below knee height so you have to bend down to tumble it – if you have problems bending this could be problematic.
The tumbling is easy, however. Envirocycle say that the tumbling should be at least 3 times a week – in my opinion, it should be every day – so if you are the kind of gardener who wants to dump your waste in a compost bin and ignore it for a month or two this is not the compost bin for you. Tumblers work fast but they need our help to work!
Pros
Cons
This is a composter for a small garden or at least for modest quantities of green waste. Like any other composter, it has to be used properly, Throwing any amount of green waste, food waste, and brown waste in there and expecting sweet-smelling potting compost in a couple of weeks is unrealistic.
Used properly this unique design can enrich your garden and if you grow vegetable can enrich your diet too. You may find you like this composter so much that you end up buying another one to use in tandem with it so perhaps factor that into your thinking.
The ComposTumbler Compact is in the middle of the range of compost tumblers that ComposTumbler makes – the smallest being a cute little 5 cubic feet and the biggest being a whopping great 22 cubic feet!
So the Compact is for people who are committed to composting but perhaps do not have the volume of vegetable or leaf waste needed for the bigger model. The first thing that strikes me is the construction – it is made of galvanized steel.
So Why Do They Use Galvanised Steel for the Compact?
Galvanised metal has been used for a long time to provide rust proofing. Steel will rust when exposed to the weather unless coated in some way. One of the traditional ways of protecting steel is to provide a coating consisting of a layer of zinc. This weatherproofs the metal and it is now called galvanized steel.
Will it ever rust? If the coating is damaged or pierced then the rusting will start around the place that is damaged and will slowly spread from there. Galvanized steel is an alternative to plastic, which of course will not rust either.
And Why Mount the Compact on Legs?
Some compost tumblers have legs and some don’t. Having the tumbler on legs allows you to use it without bending over and perhaps giving yourself backache.
It also comes down to your preference on how you want to turn the compost bin. The 02001 has a handle mounted at waist height Having a handle is the best for some folks – a few revs of the handle every day is all it takes. Other tumblers take more effort. Having the ComposTumbler on legs makes the tumbling easy.
Composting is a natural process where nature works hard to make compost for you with no effort at all on your part. But if you want fast compost then you have to join in the process and do some work too.
And that means turning the compost!
The old fashioned way to do this with a compost pile is to dig the pile over and over and mix it thoroughly. This is of course quite hard work. This might be fine if you are fit enough but perhaps you have hip or back problems so digging is out. Or perhaps you just don’t like digging!
Then a compost tumbler is the solution to the problem. You can do your bit to help the environment and help to speed up your compost simply by turning your compost tumbler.
Imagine the clothes whirling and tumbling around in your washing machine – well that is happening with your compost at a much slower speed when you turn your compost tumbler! The tumbling mixes the leaves, weeds, dog poop, coffee grounds…etc. so that the composting does not have to work on a big mass of one particular material.
One thing the ComposTumbler does have in common with some washing machines is fins to help mix the compost as it turns. We want to get as much air into the bin as possible and to break up any big globs of compost sticking together. The turning and the fins help.
Let’s look at the features of the ComposTumbler Compact 02001
Who is the Compact ComposTumbler For?
This is a medium-sized composter and will suit a small or medium-sized family and their garden. If you have a lot of waste then consider getting the ComposTumbler Original 01001. If you want a composter mounted on legs at waist level, and clearly for gardeners who want a tumbler
Pros
Cons
Altogether this looks like a well-designed product that has seen the test of time. It sells all around the world and comes with a 5-year guarantee.
Composting is like baking a cake. It takes time for the cake to bake and the right temperature too.
Patience is needed when you compost. It can take anywhere from a month to one year for your first batch of compost or humus to be ready to use although using the best methods can get this down to around 2 weeks.
The time it takes depends on the size of your bin, if you are using cold or hot composting, whether you are turning the compost over with a garden fork or using a tumbler composter, what you are putting into the compost as well as the weather.
Another factor to consider is what you will be using the finished product for. Different uses can utilize the compost at different stages of the process.
Here’s why…
The longer a compost is allowed to decompose the finer, darker, sweeter and richer it becomes – but you do not have to wait until it reaches this ideal state to use it.
If you want to use the compost as mulch for your flower beds or other areas of your garden you can use it earlier than this when it is still in a chunkier state.
The mulch is used to keep an even temperature for the soil and discourage weed growth.
The earthworms and beetles and other denizens of the complex ecosystem in your garden will finish the composting for you. And that allows you to start your next batch of compost!
If you are going to be using the mature compost to add to your planting pots, the compost should be at the final stages of the process.
Things to look for to know that your compost is ready are: The amount of waste that is in your bin is reduced to less than half of the original contents. And when you look at the finished material, you can not tell what it used to be – no parts are recognizable. The pile will no longer be as hot (if using the hot composting method) The compost is dark in color and looks very much like a rich top soil.
In order to have a steady supply of mature compost, it is recommended to have a two-bin system going.
With a 2 bin system, you fill one bin while the other is “cooking”.
Once your first container is full, you can continue to compost with the second bin until you can use the material from the first.
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