Compost Guru Compost Bin Reviews and Comparisons
Outdoor compost bins are used in the traditional method of making compost, and they are an excellent complement to your garden, whatever size they may be.
Outdoor compost bins contain allows you to store food scraps in your garden so that your kitchen does not emit a foul odor. The compost produced in these bins help improve the quality of the soil in your garden, as well as the flowers and vegetables you have planted, and even the window boxes you placed over in your garden.
Looking for and nailing the best compost bin is all about discovering which one fits and functions the best in your home, matches up with your lifestyle, and keeps well within your budget.
A city dweller is going to prefer a solution that matches his or her situation and urban environment, and this solution is going to be a lot different when compared to a person who lives out back in the country – someone who is more likely to have a bigger yard.
With that said, let’s talk about the different time of outdoor compost bins.
Compost Tumbler
A compost tumbler is a kind of container that has a mechanism for turning over its contents, which allows the decomposition process of many organic material to happen faster and in a much easier way.
Compost tumblers comes in all sorts of sizes and shapes, and are offered in many designs and styles. While many compost tumblers are used outdoors, usually in the garden, there are also many compost tumblers designed for indoor use.
Compost is a decomposed matter that comes from organic material, that enhances the quality of the soil, which then improves the growth rate of plants in many different kinds of environments – from farms, to gardens, and even in trees.
Compost tumblers are made in such a way that the user does not have to touch or make direct contact with the decomposing wastes. The compost tumbler has a crank that one can use to turn the waste over and over.
The compost tumbler is usually fully covered, in order for it to keep the generated heat inside. This in turn accelerates the decomposition process. Compost tumblers were intentionally made not only with the acceleration of the decomposition in mind, but also to simplify the whole decomposition phase.
Compost tumblers are a type of compost bin, and they have four (4) major distinctions:
- The base rolling drums, which are subject to manual rotation and are fixed on a horizontal base.
- The manual crank-operated drums, with the crank positioned on the outer surface, and are fixed in a horizontal manner above the ground.
- The rolling spheres, which are circular balls that were made to be rolled on the ground in order to mix the contents.
- The center-axle drums, which are similar to the crank-operated drums – the only difference is that center-axle drums are fixed vertically on the ground, while crank-operated drums are fixed horizontally.
Worm Compost Bin
Worm composting is a effective and easy method for recycling food scraps and waste, transforming them into excellent, fine compost – complemented by worm castings – that you can use either for your potted plants inside your home, or outside in your garden.
Worm compost bins are usually made out of plastic and are preferred in many cases, because they able to compost food scraps and waste from the kitchen at a much faster rate – compared to the more common aerobic process that is used for composting in most backyard bins.
One of the best perks of the worm compost bin is that it comes in an all in one complete self-contained package. You can throw all your scraps from fruits, vegetables, and other food stuff, and even shredded paper inside – and when you check back on it only a few weeks later, the compost and worm castings are all ready for use in your garden or potted plants.
Barrel Composter
A barrel composter is another kind of outdoor compost bin. It is shaped like a barrel that you can rotate for effective composting. The barrel composter produces small bunches of compost in a much faster way, via rotating or turning the barrel. Barrel composters are usually made out of recycled plastic material, and is used to store waste from the kitchen and other organic material collected from the yard. The process of composting is entirely contained inside the barrel.
The organic materials inside the barrel then break down, just like the compost heap process, by millions upon millions of microbes and many other types of tiny living organisms, stimulated by oxygen. Rolling the barrel two or three times a week keeps the barrel’s composting process maintained at its fastest pace, which also mixes the microbes with the other organic material stored inside, while refreshing the whole scene with fresh bursts of oxygen.
The barrel ensures that the organic material is kept well and safe inside, and also the generated heat borne out of the whole process is kept inside. Around a month from when the process begins – and less time is needed if the barrel is turned frequently and is made out of optimal material – the lid is pulled out from the barrel, and very rich and fresh compost can be found inside, all of which was made by you.