My new composting toy

 

For years, my compost pile has consisted of a three-sided bin created by wooden pallets and placed in an out-of-the-way part of my property. My methods are simple: throw leaves, grass, and kitchen scraps out there and let Mother Nature pretty much do the rest.

She watered it, and I turned it on occasion. Okay, hardly at all. But it worked just fine and I shoveled out some of the richest black gold compost that anyone could ask for. Heck, my mom’s compost pile doesn’t even have any walls; she just throws her compostables on the pile and lets nature take its course (I learned well). Her compost has produced as healthy and prolific a

garden as you’ll ever see.

But I’ve always wondered what it would be like to have one of those fancy tumbler composters. Problem is, I wasn’t willing to spend the money they were asking when my plain-and-simple method did just fine.

Until a friend was having a moving sale.

She  had two Urban Compost Tumblers — the company bills itself as the World’s Best Compost Tumbler — that were just a couple years old and she was willing to let both of them go for the price of one. A co-worker took one, I took the other, and we split the cost. A composter for half price! Score!

Now, I’ve read up on these and know that creating compost in an artificial setting will require a little bit more work on my part. I have to tumble this frequently and be careful to keep the correct ratio of green stuff to brown stuff so it doesn’t get all  gross and gooey in the bottom of the barrel. The trade-off, hopefully, is compost in a fraction of the time.

I got the composter just a few days ago, and I’m ready to start using it. Do you have one? If you have any tips on how to use it successfully, please share!