So you have purchased your compost tumbler, excitedly unpacked and put it in the ideal spot. You have thrown in your garden and kitchen waste only to come back two weeks later to a smelly stagnant mush or a drum of twigs.
What went wrong?
Composting is a natural and simple process, but there are a few things you must remember. Here are 5 composting tips to help you get the best from your tumbler.
1. Tumbler composting is a batch process.
It's like baking. When you bake a cake, you mix all the ingredients, put it in a tin and then into the oven. You wouldn't dream of opening your oven part way through baking and adding another egg or some more flour would you?
So, the fourteen to twenty one day cycle with a compost tumbler begins when you stop adding your compost ingredients. You may choose to buy two compost tumblers or a dual compartment tumbler.
However, you can simply store your garden and kitchen waste in an enclosed container. Put your waste in a suitable container and cover with some shavings or shredded cardboard so that it builds up in layers. Add the mixture to your tumbler once the current batch is "cooked".
2. Turning the tumbler is critical.
To make compost quickly you do need to turn the tumbler every day or every other day. Air flow in your composter is the secret ingredient that assists the materials to break down. The microbes that break down the kitchen and garden waste need air to work well.
When you buy a compost tumbler keep in mind the ease of turning. The tumbler barrel can get very heavy, particularly if your compost mixture is too wet. A strong man wouldn't have any issues turning any tumbler, but some of us may need a bit of help. A smaller tumbler or geared turning facilities may be a better choice.
3. You need the right mix.
Follow the instructions that come with your compost tumbler. A good mix of varied material is essential, your composter won't work if you only add one main type of waste.
For example:
If you have mowed your lawn and are adding lots of grass then make sure you add some dry matter too. Shredded card or paper, shavings, straw or woody prunings are ideal.
Similarly, if you are adding lots of dry material such as paper or woody plant matter, balance it by mixing with veg peelings, grass cuttings or other soft plant matter.
4. You will not get compost in two weeks on the first batch!
Not only will you need a little practice in tumbling, your new composter is a pretty sterile environment. Composting relies on microbes, bugs and mini-beasts to decay and break down the ingredients.
There will be bacteria and fungi on the kitchen and garden waste you add to the drum, but they take some time to get settled in and start reproducing. On a traditional compost heap, bugs, worms and bacteria naturally move in and start working away. Please don't add worms to your tumbler! It is a closed system which generates too much heat and they have no way of escaping.
Add material that will kick-start your composting. This can be as simple as a handful of good quality compost, or even soil or horse manure. If you have none available you can buy compost activators to use in your first few batches.
Do not clean out the composting drum between batches! The residue will activate your subsequent batches of compost.
5. Chop up your compost ingredients
It stands to reason, the smaller your ingredients the faster they break down. Chopping or shredding your kitchen and garden waste provides a larger surface area for your friendly bugs to work on.
Remember that woody materials break down far more slowly and you will still have some present in your finished compost no matter how small you chop. Even commercial compost producers have this issue, they invest in huge machines to filter their compost into a set particle size. Sieve out any larger pieces and put them back into your compost drum to help activate the next batch and continue composting.
A compost tumbler is a great tool to make your own compost fast. They do have to be used correctly, I hope these composting tips help you to avoid the common mistakes.
