We bought a Tumbleweed composter a few months ago and are super happy with it.

However, one thing which seems odd. The compost is turning into what I can only describe as “horse poo” shaped/sized nuggets!

It doesn’t appear too wet and it smells fabulous..

Are we perhaps leaving the compost in the barell too long and it is telling us to set it free into the garden?

As always, suggestions and thoughts are very appreciated.

Firestorm

Firestorm said:

We bought a Tumbleweed composter a few months ago and are super happy with it.

However, one thing which seems odd. The compost is turning into what I can only describe as “horse poo” shaped/sized nuggets!

It doesn’t appear too wet and it smells fabulous..

Are we perhaps leaving the compost in the barell too long and it is telling us to set it free into the garden?

As always, suggestions and thoughts are very appreciated.

Firestorm

Rolling into nuggets is a of the process of the tumbling often with a slight moisture imbalance.

Questions:
Have you a science based formulae for filling the tumbler or are you just tossing it in as it comes to hand?
How long do you leave it in the tumbler and how often do you tumble it.?

Roughbarked, please accept my apology for not getting back to you in a timely fashion (been away on leave house painting!).

Answer to your questions: We do not a formula, basically tossing as we go. We have a container inside which we empty every couple of days out in the composter, at which point we turn it a couple of times as well.

Firestorm said:

Roughbarked, please accept my apology for not getting back to you in a timely fashion (been away on leave house painting!).

Answer to your questions: We do not a formula, basically tossing as we go. We have a container inside which we empty every couple of days out in the composter, at which point we turn it a couple of times as well.

Composting is actually a science and compost heaps should number at least three.
One that is new and being filled from daily wastes. Done properly in layers.
One that is sealed up in the process of rotting. Turned over daily will speed the process dramatically.
One that is just about finished and needing digging out..

I’d venture to suggest that though I’ve never used a rotating tumbler, that it should be filled and rotated without any more additions until composting is complete. A bit like a bread making machine.. If you don’t put exactly the required ingredients in, in exactly the same way as per the instructions for the particular machine then the results can be rather different from those expected.

roughbarked said:

I’d venture to suggest that though I’ve never used a rotating tumbler, that it should be filled and rotated without any more additions until composting is complete. A bit like a bread making machine.. If you don’t put exactly the required ingredients in, in exactly the same way as per the instructions for the particular machine then the results can be rather different from those expected.

Now this is in no way an expert comment – I don’t compost scientifically. But my experience with a tumbler is, that you have to fill it up – then go away for a week or two, then when you come back all that stuff has shrunk dramatically, so you put a bunch more stuff in. THEN you stop adding stuff and just tumble ‘til it’s ready.

Actually it may not take a week or two – it’s just that I only get out to the garden once a week or less, so it could be that it only takes a few days, but I don’t have a chance to notice until the weekend.

But anyway, the point is that it will shrink heaps after you fill it the first time, and if you don’t come back and re-fill it, you will be tumbling a very small amount of compost.

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

I’d venture to suggest that though I’ve never used a rotating tumbler, that it should be filled and rotated without any more additions until composting is complete. A bit like a bread making machine.. If you don’t put exactly the required ingredients in, in exactly the same way as per the instructions for the particular machine then the results can be rather different from those expected.

Now this is in no way an expert comment – I don’t compost scientifically. But my experience with a tumbler is, that you have to fill it up – then go away for a week or two, then when you come back all that stuff has shrunk dramatically, so you put a bunch more stuff in. THEN you stop adding stuff and just tumble ‘til it’s ready.

Actually it may not take a week or two – it’s just that I only get out to the garden once a week or less, so it could be that it only takes a few days, but I don’t have a chance to notice until the weekend.

But anyway, the point is that it will shrink heaps after you fill it the first time, and if you don’t come back and re-fill it, you will be tumbling a very small amount of compost.

OK I’d have to read up on using a tumbler.

roughbarked said:

bon008 said:

roughbarked said:

I’d venture to suggest that though I’ve never used a rotating tumbler, that it should be filled and rotated without any more additions until composting is complete. A bit like a bread making machine.. If you don’t put exactly the required ingredients in, in exactly the same way as per the instructions for the particular machine then the results can be rather different from those expected.

Now this is in no way an expert comment – I don’t compost scientifically. But my experience with a tumbler is, that you have to fill it up – then go away for a week or two, then when you come back all that stuff has shrunk dramatically, so you put a bunch more stuff in. THEN you stop adding stuff and just tumble ‘til it’s ready.

Actually it may not take a week or two – it’s just that I only get out to the garden once a week or less, so it could be that it only takes a few days, but I don’t have a chance to notice until the weekend.

But anyway, the point is that it will shrink heaps after you fill it the first time, and if you don’t come back and re-fill it, you will be tumbling a very small amount of compost.

OK I’d have to read up on using a tumbler.

I would guess it depends on the freshness of the stuff you’re putting in. But as I said, my composting is all trial and error based, so I don’t pay too much attention to the finer details :)

bon008, agreed, considering the amount of stuff we’ve put in, it has shrunk dramatically … however, we have been adding as we go and I guess it makes sense to have filled it, then simply left it. Perhaps during summer we will have a quicker turnaround as it would be warmer, ergo quicker decomp.

In order to fill the tumbler then, am I able to add lawn clippings ?

Firestorm said:

bon008, agreed, considering the amount of stuff we’ve put in, it has shrunk dramatically … however, we have been adding as we go and I guess it makes sense to have filled it, then simply left it. Perhaps during summer we will have a quicker turnaround as it would be warmer, ergo quicker decomp.

In order to fill the tumbler then, am I able to add lawn clippings ?

I will leave that one up to RB when he is around. I just compost with whatever I’ve got (usually some fresh weeds, some old weeds, some manure, some shredded newspaper and a bokashi bucket or two, sometimes some fine woodchips from the mulcher). I fill the tumbler, come back a while later and fill it again, and then just wait. In fine weather I may tumble twice a week or more, but in winter it can go months without being so much as looked at. So I’m not one of those people who aims to compost in the most efficient and effective way possible.. :D

I have tried once or twice to talk my husband into tumbling the compost when he’s out in the garden to play with the dog, but no luck thus far.

bon008 said:

Firestorm said:

bon008, agreed, considering the amount of stuff we’ve put in, it has shrunk dramatically … however, we have been adding as we go and I guess it makes sense to have filled it, then simply left it. Perhaps during summer we will have a quicker turnaround as it would be warmer, ergo quicker decomp.

In order to fill the tumbler then, am I able to add lawn clippings ?

I will leave that one up to RB when he is around. I just compost with whatever I’ve got (usually some fresh weeds, some old weeds, some manure, some shredded newspaper and a bokashi bucket or two, sometimes some fine woodchips from the mulcher). I fill the tumbler, come back a while later and fill it again, and then just wait. In fine weather I may tumble twice a week or more, but in winter it can go months without being so much as looked at. So I’m not one of those people who aims to compost in the most efficient and effective way possible.. :D

I have tried once or twice to talk my husband into tumbling the compost when he’s out in the garden to play with the dog, but no luck thus far.

We used to use a tumbler and yes we used lawn clippings and manure and whatever else we had. The lawn clippings break down very quickly and are an excellent choice IMHO. Our tumber rusted out, so we now use bays. We have 4 bays, although when this picture was taken we had only made the 3. We also have some old drums behind the bays where MrS puts a lot of stuff to start. Then once a week (roughly) he moves everything along one bay. So every four weeks or so we have a bay of compost. Our compost has a greater percentage of manure and grass clippings than other nitrogenous stuff cause most of our scraps go the chooks first.

Firestorm said:

bon008, agreed, considering the amount of stuff we’ve put in, it has shrunk dramatically … however, we have been adding as we go and I guess it makes sense to have filled it, then simply left it. Perhaps during summer we will have a quicker turnaround as it would be warmer, ergo quicker decomp.

In order to fill the tumbler then, am I able to add lawn clippings ?

Absolutely…Lucky has a “lawn mower man” who supplies her with a trailer load of lawn clippings and she puts these in her tumbler…you might have to ask her what else goes in, tho’…

I’ve got termites in my compost…

Dinetta said:

I’ve got termites in my compost…

You aren’t turning it often enough ;)

Lawn clippings are fine. As long as they layers are never very thick.

I generally prefer to turn compost every day. However most of us haven’t got the time to do it. Myself included. It will only occur when I am not working full days. Once a week is usally sufficient however.

As always, thank you all for your contributions and suggestions.

Firey

As always, thank you all for your contributions and suggestions.

Firey