Best portable composter

[claud]

What is the best small(but not tiny) portable or semi-portable composter at a reasonable price?
I like the tumbler ones that are advertised but are too expensive.

 

[journey11]

I agree, they tend to be too expensive! My husband and I built our own out of a 55-gallon black plastic drum (had soap in it previously). I used to have a pic of it on here, but had to clean out to make more space. I used a piece of plywood to fabricate a lid and 1" steel pipe down the center for it to turn on and built a frame out of scrap lumber to hold it off the ground. Drilled holes for ventilation and cut a door into the side of it and hinged and latched it, and installed metal handles to facilitate turning it. The plastic is easy to work with and I used a drill and handheld jigsaw to make the modifications. It works like a charm and I can cook a batch of compost about once a month during the warmer months of the year. Can't get any cheaper than that! My brother had a pressure washing business, which is where I got my drum, but I hear you can also get them from automatic carwashes.

ETA: !

 

[claud]

I agree, they tend to be too expensive! My husband and I built our own out of a 55-gallon black plastic drum (had soap in it previously). I used to have a pic of it on here, but had to clean out to make more space. I used a piece of plywood to fabricate a lid and 1" steel pipe down the center for it to turn on and built a frame out of scrap lumber to hold it off the ground. Drilled holes for ventilation and cut a door into the side of it and hinged and latched it, and installed metal handles to facilitate turning it. The plastic is easy to work with and I used a drill and handheld jigsaw to make the modifications. It works like a charm and I can cook a batch of compost about once a month during the warmer months of the year. Can't get any cheaper than that! My brother had a pressure washing business, which is where I got my drum, but I hear you can also get them from automatic carwashes.

ETA: !

Thanks! I will research that possibility.

 

[meriruka1]

I have 2 of these & just love them.
http://www.urbangardencenter.com/Composters/EnviroCycle.aspx

 

[lesa]

Can't you just start a pile in a corner of your yard? Maybe surround it with chicken wire to keep it contained?? It really does not need to be fancy to work! Good luck!

 

[desertgirl]

I have 2 of these & just love them.
http://www.urbangardencenter.com/Composters/EnviroCycle.aspx

I was reading some reviews, and there seems to be an issue with the clasp that holds the door shut. Many said it was flimsy-have you found this to be true?If so, how did you fix it?:/

 

[meriruka1]

The latch always strikes me as flimsy every time I open it to dump stuff in. Oddly, they are holding up fine after 5 years, so I haven't had to rig anything up. Should it break, I think an eyehook would fix it. The rollers are spaced so that when you spin it, it won't catch on the base.

Edited to add that these are not good for huge gardening operations. I got them when I lived in town & before I had chickens. So it did just fine for my smaller garden and completely contained any smell while decomposing. Now I have much less kitchen waste because the chickens eat a lot of it, but I like the fact that when I do have a container ready, it light enough that I can just roll the thing over to the area I want to use it and empty it. The compost tea in the base is stinky but very effective fertilizer and the chickens love when I move the base because all kinds of tasty bugs live under it. I have one chicken who stands next to the bins and stares at me until I come over & shift them. She also likes to play 'the brick game' where I move the bricks that surround my herb garden & she snaps up what's under. She also sticks to me like glue when I weed. The other girls are catching on, so weeding is a group thing now & fun but it takes much longer.


Sorry, I seem to have gone off on a tangent.....