The Compost Bin

One of my garden goals this year was to buy a compost tumbler. All of my fall leaves and grass clippings rot away in my compost bin all winter long. By the time spring comes, I can get the pile cooking for a few weeks and have almost finished compost ready for planting time. This compost always goes in the new beds that I add (I’m always adding new beds or borders all over my 1/2 acre property). My beds love it but I usually run out of compost in early spring. I could definitely use a steady supply throughout the growing season and that’s where the compost tumbler comes in.

They say you can make compost in three weeks with a compost tumbler. You have to turn it everyday and keep in moist but that sounds a lot easier than turning the contents of a compost bin. You see a compost tumbler is shaped like a cylinder and it’s usually on an axel or there’s some other easy way to turn it. No more pitch forks, no more back breaking labor. I’ve even seen a compost tumbler that’s shaped like an sphere and you just roll it around the yard. How easy is that? Who's up for some compost soccer?

So I plan on using this additional compost to top dress my plants, make compost tea and I might even add some more beds in the middle of the summer. I’ll report back here when I decide on which tumbler I’m getting and then again after I’ve take it our for a spin.