{"id":13017,"date":"2025-10-30T06:29:25","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T06:29:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/odmsolutions.co.za\/gecco\/?p=13017"},"modified":"2026-06-23T16:02:57","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T16:02:57","slug":"compost-tumblers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/2025\/10\/30\/compost-tumblers\/","title":{"rendered":"COMPOST TUMBLERS"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"et_pb_section_0 et_pb_section et_section_regular et_flex_section\"><div class=\"et_pb_row_0 et_pb_row et_flex_row\"><div class=\"et_pb_column_0 et_pb_column et-last-child et_flex_column et_pb_css_mix_blend_mode_passthrough et_flex_column_24_24 et_flex_column_24_24_tablet et_flex_column_24_24_phone\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_0 et_pb_text et_pb_bg_layout_light et_pb_module et_flex_module\"><div class=\"et_pb_text_inner\"><p><!-- wp:heading --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Gardening can never be more sustainable and fun.<\/h2>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:columns --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\"><!-- wp:column --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>Composting practices are thousands of years old and it\u2019s difficult to say when the first tumblers were used. In the 1970s when the back-to-the-land movement was really taking off, a few innovative gardeners offered plans for barrels, \u201ccompost rollers\u201d and other schemes for containing and turning compost. Commercial tumblers have been available for decades and the choices available have mushroomed over the last several years. Plans for\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.treehugger.com\/lawn-garden\/build-your-own-compost-tumbler.html\">making your own tumbler<\/a>\u00a0are also numerous. The commercial tumblers are mostly of two types: horizontal and vertical. Variations include\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetnatural.com\/product\/rolling-composter\/\">spherical tumblers<\/a>\u00a0made to roll along the ground or contained on stands. Sizes vary from large bins capable of holding bushels of yard waste to smaller barrels designed for back porch use. The simplest designs are basically rotating barrels. Some\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetnatural.com\/product_brand\/compostumbler\/\">horizontal tumblers<\/a>\u00a0have cranks to facilitate turning. All are vented to allow in fresh air to fuel the composting process. More sophisticated models use piping to bring oxygen to the centre of the barrel and paddles inside the barrel to help mix and aerate the composting materials when turned.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list --><\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Takes in different materials, from grass clippings to sappy material.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Compost output is faster because of the tumbler's ability to heat up the material in it.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Aeration through tumbler perforations resulting in no unpleasant smells.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Children can even get involve in the process because of its usability.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Helps in the fight against vermin on your yard.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Ease to operate.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:list-item --><\/p>\n<li>Great conversation starter - with people wanting to know how well it is doing.<\/li>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list-item --><\/ul>\n<p><!-- \/wp:list --><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:column --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:column --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\"><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>How do compost tumblers work? Simple. You load them with\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.planetnatural.com\/composting-101\/making\/what-to-use\/\">green and brown waste<\/a>\u00a0from your yard and kitchen. When full, you give them time to work, in other words, heat up. Turning a compost pile \u2014 mixing the organic materials and the organisms it contains with heat-producing oxygen \u2014 is the traditional method of keeping the process going full steam. A tumbler does this more simply than the old strong-back-and-garden-fork method. By turning the tumbler, the organic materials are mixed and infused with fresh oxygen. When a check reveals the compost is complete \u2014 and this can happen in a matter of weeks \u2014 the same access that allowed you to fill the tumbler lets you empty it.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:image {\"id\":13018,\"sizeSlug\":\"full\",\"linkDestination\":\"none\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><picture><source srcset=\"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1.webp 540w,https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-480x480.webp 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 540px, 100vw\" type=\"image\/webp\"><img src=\"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1.png\" height=\"540\" width=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1.png 540w, https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/image-1-480x480.png 480w\" sizes=\"(min-width: 0px) and (max-width: 480px) 480px, (min-width: 481px) 540px, 100vw\" class=\"wp-image-13018 sp-no-webp\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  > <\/picture><\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:image --><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:column --><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:columns --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:columns --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\"><!-- wp:column --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\"><!-- wp:embed {\"url\":\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/oOj1Z7nI768\",\"type\":\"video\",\"providerNameSlug\":\"youtube\",\"responsive\":true,\"className\":\"wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"} --><\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/youtu.be\/oOj1Z7nI768\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<p><!-- \/wp:embed --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:heading {\"level\":1} --><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">TURN! TURN! TURN!<\/h1>\n<p><!-- \/wp:heading --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>How you turn your compost also has an effect. Swing it back-and-forth several times after each spin to shake up the materials then spin it again. The axle on which the barrel rotates goes through the centre of your tumbler and help breaks up the compostable material as it\u2019s turned. This should be done a minimum of twice a week and three or four times a week isn\u2019t too much. While it doesn\u2019t take long for heat to build inside a properly filled tumbler, too much tumbling dissipates heat and defeats the purpose. At their most efficient, compost tumblers and bins can generate temperatures as high as 200 degrees. Naturally, you\u2019ll want to position your tumbler strategically so that the finished product is unloaded close to where it will be used.<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:columns --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns\"><!-- wp:column --><\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-column\"><!-- wp:quote --><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\"><p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am afraid of rats, I hope this does not attract them.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><!-- \/wp:quote --><\/p>\n<p><!-- wp:paragraph --><\/p>\n<p>As an afterthought, do not add any cooked food or meat to the compost tumbler as this will attract vermin (rats). Composting works better in hot weather than cold, but it\u2019s amazing how much heat can be generated inside even in the winter \u2013 if there is enough compost in the drum. Ideally, buy two of these, so when one is full, then you can start filling the other, and when the full one is fully composted, you can either bag it up for later use or put it straight on the garden. I hope this helps for those that know little about gardening<\/p>\n<p><!-- \/wp:paragraph --><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:column --><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:columns --><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:column --><\/div>\n<p><!-- \/wp:columns --><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":13019,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13017","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-curriculum-practice"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13017","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13017"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13017\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13885,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13017\/revisions\/13885"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/13019"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13017"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13017"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gecco.org.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13017"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}