How do I manage my compost materials with a compost tumbler?
Question:We bought our first composter recently, the Urban Compost Tumbler. While reading through the directions, I had a bit of confusion. It recommends fully loading the composter and not adding additional compostable materials once you've completed the initial load. I'm hoping to find out what other folks who use compost tumbler do to manage their compost queue.
We only have one compost tumbler, and don't plan on buying a second one. Is this a feasible approach? Do you just add new compost material to the tumbler frequently until you're almost ready to harvest the compost? Do you keep it in a separate garbage can prior to putting it in the tumbler? Some other approach?
In terms of the actual compost material, we're pretty set, and already have our first batch.
Your thoughts and input appreciated!
Answers:
I think I kind of see what the instructions are saying...some of the tumblers can make good, rich compost in about 6 weeks or so, so you need to keep your stuff in there that long. Then, you can start over with fresh compost. Not very practical, since, in the mean time, you are still making "trash" that needs to be put into the tumbler.
What I've always done with my compost is put the fresh stuff on top, then mixed it with the old stuff. And since I don't use it right away, it rests in the heap becoming rich. You can even throw in some fresh earthworms to help the process move along.
Hope that helped?
Thanks for writing about this. I'm wondering the same thing. I just inherited a tumbler and I am not clear on whether we should keep adding to the tumbler or stop at a certain point. If we should stop, then what happens to the existing kitchen scraps while we wait?
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