I want one. I know they don't hold enough for you guys, but my SIL, who has a large garden, has used one for years and it works great for her. I am looking at this one:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01MR4QE9K/

What I cannot tell is how large the vent holes are. It says they are "adjustable." I have had mouse and rat problems before, when I had a chicken house, and it took a lot of work to live trap the ratties who were living under my home and rehome them (yes, I did!). So I would rather not repeat that. Will the presence of manure in the composter mask the smell of veggie waste? And if not, are the holes adjustable down to the point where it is unlikely that the composter will attract ratties?

Thanks!

Well, ordered it. Got feedback from elsewhere that the holes are very small so it should be OK.

Would be interested in hearing about how well the tumbler works. Not really considering one, but still interested. I have four bins in the garden. Yes I have mice. Yes I have been live trapping them. Yes I didn't know I had mice until something kept eating my seedlings and I got a live trap. Getting a second live trap because I figure catching two mice a day is better than one mouse a day. Can't believe how many mices I caught last year.

Well, I know there are mice in the toolshed. They mostly mind their own business. The rats, though, were in the house walls and that wasn't gonna fly. I set up a whole release place at an abandoned barn 5 miles from human beings--there was a creek nearby and I left them with a month's worth of food to give them time to get set up. But would rather not have to go through all that again LOL!

I will report back!

I've had two compost tumblers similar to that, lasting 2-3 years each. The weak point is the plastic around the steel axle, which eventually cracks from the weight shift if they are loaded to capacity. We have very cold winters and the kitchen waste, etc. builds up and freezes, so that when I start turning the composter after the spring thaw, it needs to be gradual.

My newest compost tumbler has no axle, but rotates on rollers set in the base, which also collects the liquid that drains, for compost tea.

That is a fancy looking compost tumbler.

@subarctic, how much does it hold? Have you used it and is it effective? My compost issue is probably the opposite of yours: summers are so hot and dry here that my open bin dries out too fast and needs constant water. Given that we're also in severe drought, not good. I also have limited space but have read so many bad reviews on tumbling composters I've been reluctant to invest in one.

It holds about 50 gallons. Works fine. Since compost holds water, if you give it a bucket every few days, that should keep it moist enough to work well. You have a longer composting season and should be able to manage 2-3 loads each year.

I have another composter that I love, a sphere with a hatch that rolls on the ground. It cracked, ten years along, and I patched it with epoxy and hope it lasts. Looked for a replacement, but it's no longer available.

Thanks for the info, Chip

subarctic said:I've had two compost tumblers similar to that, lasting 2-3 years each. The weak point is the plastic around the steel axle, which eventually cracks from the weight shift if they are loaded to capacity. We have very cold winters and the kitchen waste, etc. builds up and freezes, so that when I start turning the composter after the spring thaw, it needs to be gradual.

My newest compost tumbler has no axle, but rotates on rollers set in the base, which also collects the liquid that drains, for compost tea.

I saw a similar tumbler at the Franklin Park Conservatory. I liked the one I saw, but it was considerably different than this one. If I was going to get a compost tumbler, these type of compost tumblers would be the ones I'd get. If I was going to design one, I'd made it similar to these where you roll the tumbler instead of turning it with a handle. I'd have two openings though, one on the side for adding material and have one of the entire ends come off for ease of dumping the finished compost out.

I could see the advantage to that. Looking at the design above, I wonder how awkward it would be to remove the finished compost. Thomas, with all of your composting experience, you could probably design and market a great composter. Especially now, with the increased interest in home gardening. I'm convinced that many (most?) of the products on the market are designed by entrepreneurs who know basic theory but have no practical experience.

Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'm a firm believer that a compost pile is a pile that is connected to the ground though. I don't have a problem with anyone having a different opinion, but I just want soil organisms to be connected to the pile. Sure you could toss in a shovel full of dirt but not the same to me. I suppose there are some HOAs that require a 'pretty' piece of plastic, that will crack and break and end up in the landfill, to contain 'smelly' unsightly compost.

I spend a lot of time on reddit and I believe you're right about the entrepreneurs with no practical experience. Not just in gardening but other areas. I see so many polls on what would work better for this or that... and I think... they're trying to solve a problem that isn't a problem! Or they have no clue about T2 diabetes but they're wanting to make an app that they can sell to people by the questions that they ask.

I agree, Thomas's barrel design would be really "legit' . And I still like my bin on ground.
And I like how Chip's barrel gets away from the axle problem, but also wonder how to get the stuff out.
There's just no way around compost taking a certain amount of time and/or direct human management to try and reduce the time. With time reduction meaning less space devoted to unfinished piles of compost.

Entrepreneurs exhibiting the classic- "there is more to things than you would think, when you know nothing about something."

I must give entrepreneurs credit for their innovations and inventions and their willingness to ask questions and try to educate themselves.

If I remember correctly, I think the compost tumbler at the Franklin Conservatory was a sphere. The support that the sphere sat in allowed the sphere to be pushed any direction. Also it was about 18" off the ground so I imagine taking off the door and spinning the tumbler so the door was positioned down would get most of the compost out.

Similar to this http://www.hamptons.com/galler... but the one I saw was still slightly different. Looks like there are several spherical shaped tumblers. My design job is not needed.

Seedfork said:I must give entrepreneurs credit for their innovations and inventions and their willingness to ask questions and try to educate themselves.

Seedfork, I have no beef with entrepreneurs generally and in fact admire innovation. My frustration arises when I purchase a product that looks like a terrific idea, then discover some fundamental design flaw that anyone who'd actually used the product would have spotted right away.

And yeah, I'll probably just use my old on-the-ground open compost bin again this year

I use the on the ground system, just without the bin.

That's the best kind, but I built bins a long long long time ago and the bins were build to last. Sad thing is that I was more concerned with the air getting to the pile so the sides are open fencing and it lets out too much moisture. I've been using cardboard on the sides this last season and that seems to help maintain moisture better.

We can't use open piles or sheet composting here, as it attracts black bears and raccoons.

Unloading the composter is inconvenient: you position the thing on its side and do it shovel by shovel. The sort that can be dumped onto a tarp, etc. is simpler, but I got tired of having to buy one every couple years.

My favourite is a geodesic orb thing that rolls on the ground. I'll shoot a pic. Don't thinks it's available now.

I imagine the orb getting rolled around periodically by the bears.