…But I asked for a compost bin!
It was a landmark birthday for me this September. I turned the big four-OH.
And all I really wanted for my birthday was a compost bin. Call me crazy.
I grew up around the old-school, out-in-the-open compost heap, to which was added a continual supply of kitchen and garden scraps. However, after considering our backyard set-up and doing a bit of research (OK, ALOT of research) we decided to go with a drum/tumbler style compost bin, which is designed to create compost in batches.
In a nutshell, “green” and “brown” scraps are added in the proper proportions until the tumbler is filled high enough to make a nice batch without being too hard to turn. Then, you stop adding scraps, and simply turn the drum once a day or every other day for 2-3 weeks or longer while it composts. Eventually, you have yourself a finished batch.
We are still in the process of adding to our bin, and so far we are making good progress. I figured even though we are moving into colder weather, I could still get things started. if things slowed down in the composting department as the weather cooled, so be it. I can wait for my first completed batch. And as luck would have it, we had a stretch of very warm weather in the high 80’s the past week or so, and that’s gotten things percolating nicely.
Clover and Thyme 
AWESOME! I usually ask for potting soil.
Perfect! 🙂 I’m putting potting soil on my Christmas list!!
First of all…Happy Birthday! Hope you had a great one! 🙂
I have a compost bin also, but we didn’t get the kind like you got, so it’s a bit of a challenge. I haven’t given up on it yet, but I haven’t gotten a great batch from it yet either. I would love to see a picture of the final batch from your bin when it’s done. I have a question though…during the time period when you stop adding the scraps to the bin, what do you do with those scraps? I’m wondering if it would be best to have 2 bins going? What do you think?
Hi Becky! I will definitely add a photo of my first finished batch. It may be while coming though, since the weather has gotten much cooler this week. To answer your question: Yes, some folks recommend a second tumbler so one can be added to while the other is composting. I don’t think we have another tumbler bin in the budget though, so we might have to figure out a cheaper solution. I’m thinking maybe a very small “Dalek” style bin to go alongside it.
Thanks for the birthday wishes!
OH MY … can’t wait to try this faijta recipe!