Suggestions/ideas for harvesting compost from my tumbler composter

[Bonita]

Hello! I've had a tumbler composter for a few years now, and I always struggle with this. We add food scraps daily to the tumbler. I add browns (leaves, brown paper, etc). The tumbler fills up, but obviously, because we're constantly adding new material it never matures. At the end of the season (October/November) I empty it into a large aeriated bin, and start again with the tumbler. In spring I empty the bin, stir the 90% completed compost, and put it back in the bin. Then once it's "compost" I add it to my garden beds.
My question is - is there a better way? I'd love to hear how others use their tumbler and how they harvest the compost.
Thank you!!

 

[DirtMechanic]

Use hardware cloth to make sieves of decreasing siz and tilt the tumbler such that the rolling motion also serves to move the processing compost along into the ever decreasing mesh of finished product. The first screen can be larger, even 1 inch (2.54cm) . Screens are useful even if it is a static composter like a barrel. Tilted, you can also catch the dripping tea and use it for fertilizer.

 

[Meadowlark]

...My question is - is there a better way? I'd love to hear how others use their tumbler and how they harvest the compost.
Thank you!!

I don't know if my way is "better" but it works for me.

I don't use a tumbler for household stuff. Rather I run two piles out in the garden. I apply compost from the "old" pile while building a "new" one. The size is such that they stay in balance, one always building and one always supplying. No work turning, although that does speed things up. This works for me so just throwing it out there for you to consider.

By the way, my main source of compost is cow manure which is in totally different place. I pile it up with a dozer, turn it occasionally and get tons and tons of tremendous compost annually.

 

[Bonita]

Use hardware cloth to make sieves of decreasing siz and tilt the tumbler such that the rolling motion also serves to move the processing compost along into the ever decreasing mesh of finished product. The first screen can be larger, even 1 inch (2.54cm) . Screens are useful even if it is a static composter like a barrel. Tilted, you can also catch the dripping tea and use it for fertilizer.

Thank you!

 

[Bonita]

I don't know if my way is "better" but it works for me.

I don't use a tumbler for household stuff. Rather I run two piles out in the garden. I apply compost from the "old" pile while building a "new" one. The size is such that they stay in balance, one always building and one always supplying. No work turning, although that does speed things up. This works for me so just throwing it out there for you to consider.

By the way, my main source of compost is cow manure which is in totally different place. I pile it up with a dozer, turn it occasionally and get tons and tons of tremendous compost annually.

Thank you!

 

[oneeye]

Those tumblers a suppose to make compost in 4 to 6 weeks and be the fastest way to make compost. You need to make sure you have the right "green-to-brown ratio" for the fastest breakdown.

It's best to fill it up the tumbler one time and wait for 4 to 6 weeks before adding any more to it. Put your weekly scraps in large trash cans with lids or five-gallon buckets and wait until the tumbler finishes before adding any new stuff. When its finished dump it then add new fresh stuff and start your tumbling again.

 

[Bonita]

That’s a great idea. I will give it a try! Thanks!