Do you have to stir the compost at all? My mom is looking for something that she could use without too much effort. Thanks!
1779701
I do turn it with a pitchfork every few days, but I don't put a great deal of muscle into it, so it really doesn't require a great deal of effort.
1779702
You are supposed to stir it every week or so....If you are short like me it's hard. It does its purpose but I bought one of the ones that you can tumble and it's much easier for me and I have two piles going. It definitely serves its purpose at an economical cost.
1400396
I took my bin to the compost bin and came in and rinsed it. I was able to pour 3 quarts + 3 cups of water into it before it was running over. I usually empty it when it has about 3 quarts of the ground pre-compost material. It is great!
1345124
There is no cooking involved. Just add water and stir. Some of the things take a few minutes to set up.
2202785
Pretty quick....we live in Chicago so we don't have a full year of composting. But the materials we throw in break down fast. We keep in a spot that gets full sun so it soaks up the heat. I usually give it a good mix when I add some new material. Last fall I stuffed it full with the last grass clippings/leaves/plants. This spring when I opened it up the material was below the half way point. The composter itself is very nice looking in the yard......not ugly at all. Very sturdy...should hold up for years.
1843641
I have a Garden Gourmet compost which looks exactly like this one. I don't if Garden Gourmet still exists but I've had it for 20 yrs (I have two). I live is southern Calif. Our city wanted people to compost so they had a special from a local nursery and I got two. Time has finally taken a toll on one of them so I am looking to replace it with this model. This past summer, a portion of the lower wall cracked so the door doesn't stay closed. The other compost has had no issues up this point, even after 20 yrs. There hasn't been any UV issues.
1942846
This is a difficult question to answer since there are SO many variables in the process (temp, green and brown mix, type of material, how often you are adding to and checking the compost, etc...). I started one side of the composter and kept adding to it for many weeks (the material will break down and take up less space as you go). Once it was about 3/4 full I switched to the other side and let the original side continue to compost while adding to the other side. Once the second side got 3/4 full I emptied the original side of it's composted material. I probably added 2 gallons of material 3 times per week and it took me about 6 months to get to the point of emptying the original side. This is a difficult question to answer since there are SO many variables in the process (temp, green and brown mix, type of material, how often you are adding to and checking the compost, etc...). I started one side of the composter and kept adding to it for many weeks (the material will break down and take up less space as you go). Once it was about 3/4 full I switched to the other side and let the original side continue to compost while adding to the other side. Once the second side got 3/4 full I emptied the original side of it's composted material. I probably added 2 gallons of material... » Read More This is a difficult question to answer since there are SO many variables in the process (temp, green and brown mix, type of material, how often you are adding to and checking the compost, etc...). I started one side of the composter and kept adding to it for many weeks (the material will break down and take up less space as you go). Once it was about 3/4 full I switched to the other side and let the original side continue to compost while adding to the other side. Once the second side got 3/4 full I emptied the original side of it's composted material. I probably added 2 gallons of material 3 times per week and it took me about 6 months to get to the point of emptying the original side. « Show Less
1001946
The three holes through which the material drops are not large, maybe 1" by 1/2" or so. Also, the stirrer inside the bucket is basicallly a cotter key type of device, sort of like a 2" long bobby pen that whirls. So, while I've never tried it, I doubt that it would be a good job of spreading compost. I think it would just clog up.
623317
I don't know. I use newspaper or a small piece of paper towel. All of it goes into the compost.
1171721
Cold temperature will limit microbial activity that will break down your raw materials (this is the very reason why humans invented refrigeration so that food wouldnt spoil so fast), but compost will still happen.. just in a much slower phase. In my own experience, it took me about 3 and a half months to make a useable compost with core temperature reaching 120 F. I could not wait intil spring comes because the process will be much faster. Always remember that microbial activity will peak in warm and moist environment :)
1042375
I keep adding to my compost all winter. I just don't turn it over as often, maybe once every 2 weeks or so. While nothing will "cook" during the winter, you'll have fresh material on standby for when it does start to warm up. I suppose my only tip would be to make sure you add material to it during the daytime and make sure your composter stays in a sunny spot. The door can freeze "shut" at night due to the lower temperatures and any moisture along the track. I've already been through one winter with it and I sincerely had no issues and didn't have to make any changes to the way I used the tumbler.
43988
No, it doesn't mess it up. You just take the bottom most tray out and harvest the compost. The 4 trays stack on top of one another. So, your bottom most tray is the oldest and most composted. Once you remove it, you take out the compost and then you have an empty tray. This tray will be your top tray now. It is like a continuos cycle. The worms like to stay in the upper trays where the food is, so you won't mess anything up removing the tray.
1584456
Yes, I periodically have needed to rinse it, and even wash it gently in soap, rinse again, and let dry outside the compost bin. It dries quite quickly, and then put back in the top.
2202783
If you use a compost starter, keep it slightly moist, keep it in the sun, and turn it every other day, you should have compost within a few weeks as long as you aren't putting a lot of twigs in it. The finer you chop up the stuff, the quicker it will turn into compost. But you also have to put enough into it, to get enough compost out of it, as vegetation is mostly water to begin with and breaks down to almost nothing.
1771717
I don't. I'm careful to layer the material I put in it. After a few days of kitchen scraps and weeds, I add a couple shovels-full of old dead leaves. I aerate it by poking from the top with a metal rod once in a while.
589448
Beware, it is not really 'stir'. It will still 'blend', slowly blend, but much much faster than what 'stir' normally means, meaning it will chop everything up.
274578
You can add grass clippings. It would take about a month to have great compost if everything is just right. I've had mine for 3 months and continually add to it and will do that until it is full. There are products you can buy to speed up the process. I've had luck in years past adding composted manure to compost to give it a boost. This tumbler is awesome but was very time consuming to assemble by the way.
2014867
yes you can use it for compost,i do .i use it in my potatoe patch with the manure,works great the pellets that haven't broken down will help to slowly spread out the urine and phosphates so there is virtually no smell at all.it is untreated and all natural,so you can use it in your organic food gardens.makes great compost.