Tumbleweed Composter Tumbling Compost Bin
By
JeffDavis
Constructed of all recycled materials, including high-impact UV-protected polypropylene plastic, zinc-plated steel fasteners connecting the galvanized steel tubing to a stainless steel central breaker bar, the Tumbleweed Composter Tumbling Compost Bin
sells for about $180 at Amazon.com.
Sitting at 4 feet tall, with a 3 foot by 2 foot base, the Tumbleweed Composter spins on a central axis, turning over and over as the crank is used and tumbling the compost materials over inside. Because the Tumbleweed Composter sits so high off the ground, it is easy to put a wheelbarrow or other container underneath the unit when you're unloading your compost. Another advantage of being so high is that wandering animals looking for what's in your compost tumbler won't be able to get into it.
The Tumbleweed Composter has two animal-proof twist lock vented lids at either end that allow for easy filling and emptying of the bin while producing maximum aeration.
In 2006, the Tumbleweed Composter was featured in a product test by the National Home Gardening Club, wherein 27 club members evaluated this compost tumbler for ease of use, design, durability, appearance and other aspects of its performance. According to the results, published in late 2006, the Tumbleweed Composter received no less than 8 out of 10 points in any category, and it earned an overall average of 8.9 out of 10 across all categories. A few testers commented that they found turning the full Tumbleweed more strenuous than they expected and expressed concern that it might be too unwieldy for older gardeners, but all were pleased with the Tumbleweed's compost production and many were able to obtain quality compost quickly.
The Tumbleweed Composter takes about 15 minutes to assemble and you need a screwdriver handy.
Here is a video from CleanAirGardening that shows you how to assemble the Tumbleweed Composter Tumbling Compost Bin.
3 Comments
November 18th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Just started my first crop of compost — it’s not prepared yet.
I’m just happy to have this to keep lots of food scraps out of the rubbish heap. Can’t wait to use the compost on my garden — hopefully, I can be in a position to stop using chemical based manure.
July 18th, 2009 at 10:44 pm
I am also interested in collecting the “Compost Tea” that develops during the process. Does anyone here know if this unit has that feature? I’m also considering the Spinning Composter from Envirocycle. Thanks.
August 30th, 2010 at 5:24 pm
I’ve had this composter for several years and hate it! It seems like it should be a good idea, but if you think about it, you realize that, once it gets half-full, all the weight is on the bottom. So, now you have 40-50 lb of wet compost and the top half is empty. Just try to turn that over — there are no handles, no foot-holds to help you — you are at risk of having the barrel spring back and break your jaw.
In addition, the lid freezes in place in the winter, so you can’t continue to add to it year-round. The compost “tea” drips out of the equator seam and the bottom, so it is wasted. I’m in the market for a replacement, and I’ll use this one just for leaf storage so I have some on hand to stir into my REAL compost.