Review of Composters: Bin, Tumbler or Build your Own?

Summary of Post
I review the options available to would-be purchasers of composters, compare prices and suitability. Which bins are built to last? Which ones have glowing reviews? Which one offers a 25 year warranty? These reviews are based on feedback from heaps of composter owners, and my own opinions where relevant.

Compost Crazy
I love composting. I've always been enthralled by the idea of it and everywhere I lived, have left little piles of well rotten plant material as my legacy. I in fact wrote and presented a paper on Composting back in university where I studied agriculture. I could go on about the science of composting but I'll summarize it into one para below.

The Science of Composting: Optimum Compost Composition = Rapid Decomposition
Compost comprises a mix of carbonaceous stuff (like dry leaves, straw, wood chips), nitrogenous stuff (like fresh grass clippings, vegetable peels, juicier plant parts, chicken or horse poop), and some soil. My first compost pile, built on my tiny patch of yard in 1994, measured 3 x 3 feet and was layered with 3 parts dry leaves to 2 part horse manure, then sprinkled with a few handfuls of good rich earth. I added layers to reach a height of 3 feet. Good topsoil contains heaps of bacteria and other microbes that will greatly speed up decomposition. Like all living things, these microbes need air and sufficient water to digest the mix into compost. The dry layer provides air pockets, the nitrogenous stuff provides lots of protein for the lil microbes to make more microbe babies with, and a generous sprinkling of water keeps the babies hydrated. How much water? Well, enough that you could pick up a handful and it would feel moist, and if you squeezed, some juice would drip off. Not so much that it would be soggy and sodden - remember, the aerobic microbes need to breathe! If you drown these ones, then the anaerobic decomposers take over, producing extremely malodorous gunk that will make you very unpopular with your neighbors.

What I look for in a composter
Cold composting is fine by me. That's where I dump kitchen scraps as and when, and let it do its thing over a period of 6 months or more, then harvest the compost. If you wanted compost faster, you could get the tumbling composters (see left for an example of what a tumbling composter looks like). I've read rave reviews about them, and I've also read no-so-hawt reviews. Some say that once the tumbling composter is fully loaded, it becomes really heavy and difficult to turn (turning aerates it and speeds up decomposition). Also, you'll need to collect enough material to load it up with, and let it compost at one go. Otherwise you'll end up with a load in all different stages of decomposition.
I also wanted something that would keep out the critters. I don't want to be responsible for an epidemic of obesity amongst our neighborhood squirrels, groundhogs, mice, raccoons and what have you. Plus they are very messy eaters and have horrible table manners. In my previous compost piles, they would drag out choice pieces (they seem to really enjoy pineapple tops), and leave everything strewn all over my yard. Maybe that's why my neighbors give me dirty looks. :p

Build Your Own?
I long debated the proposition of building my own. Afterall, I do have a little know-how. But after calculating the cost of the wood needed to build it (no access to free wood pallets), and weighing it against its portability (it wouldn't be lightweight like plastic), and lifespan (wood would eventually rot, what more when used to contain compost, even more so those wood pallets), and so forth. I decided to purchase a plastic composting bin instead. I do feel kinda bad - I really don't like to buy something if I can make it myself, but I just haven't been very successful keeping out critters from my home-made composters. The wood falls apart after one or two seasons, and the bins aren't pretty. So for now I'll invest in a manufactured one. If that doesn't work out, I'll go back to the drawing board, maybe pick up Storey's Country Wisdom's pamphlet Easy Composters You Can Build.

Composting Bins: What did Gracie Pick?
When I shop online, I sort my search by popularity plus high ratings. Geobin by Presto was wildly popular as far as composting bins go (87 reviews). I wasn't too keen on the Geobin because it has no lid. My friendly neighborhood critters would go to town on my kitchen scraps every night if I got this composter. So I had to pass, even though it was attractively priced at $30. Besides, one reviewer rightly pointed out that $10 worth of wire fencing wrapped round in bin-like fashion a couple times would achieve the same result. I guess if you wanted a cheap composting bin and were willing to put some care into assembly, this would suit the purpose just fine. 

The second most popular composting bin was the Soilsaver Classic (65 reviews), and from what I see, this is a sturdily built bin - not flimsy plastic that reviewers of some other bins mentioned. It has a lid that really locks and it has a 25 year manufacturer's warranty. (Who the heck gives out 25 year warranties nowadays anyway?) 

I guess the warranty sold me, and I now own one of these things! I dump kitchen scraps in there daily, and it keeps things tidy. Whenever it starts to look too wet, I throw in a bunch of dry leaves to help aerate it. I don't bother turning the pile, but I read that some people do. Oh ya, I should mention that I lined the bottom of the bin with chicken wire mesh so Rats & Co wouldn't be able to dig in and get at the goodies. :)

If I hadn't gotten this Soilsaver Classic, I might just have shelled out $40 more and bought the Bosmere K676 11 Cubic Foot Composter instead. This was one of the highly rated (although only 9 reviews) composters. A reviewer, who signed off as 'David, Master Composter 25 yrs' said that this was the best of more than 50 composters he had owned and used. If that isn't a glowing testimonial, I don't know what is. :p

Well, we'll see how well the Soilsaver works for me. Stay tuned for my update!