envirocycle composter | Crazy About Compost

Compost Tumbler Sighting!

Have you ever seen one of these compost tumbler models before? This cute little compost tumbler was spotted in Charlotte, NC. Before I opened it up, I had a feeling it would be filled with sludge, due to what looks like a lack of airflow design...where are the holes? More on that in a moment. Look at that cool little marking on the lid to denote whether the unit was open or closed...nice. While it snapped into place quite easily, I wonder how many times I can do this before wearing it out. If the locking mechanism failed, the tumbler would become useless as it flips end over end by design. How were the contents? The material in here looked pretty nice...crumbly and smelling good. The only airflow design was…

Earthworms in the Compost: It’s a Good Thing.

Back in January I made a brief post about my compost tumbler being full of worms...and by worms I don't mean red wigglers, but earthworms. Who cares? Well, I've decided it's time to pay tribute to earthworms again, because they're often confused with red wigglers and their purposes get mixed up. Red wigglers are super resilient (e.g. temperature changes, crowding), live in organic material and have a serious appetite...they make the most sense in a full-on vermicomposting setup- anything from a super cheap/simple worm bin to the popular Worm Factory or Worm Inn options. Red wigglers aren't a guaranteed solution for your compost tumbler- it just depends on if they can adjust to the habitat. It's getting tumbled weekly and can get very hot- not necessarily hot enough to kill…

What Composting System is Right for You? (video)

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eU4rK-aKoSM What composting system is right for you? There's 4 main methods for composting: dig a hole, compost bin, worms, compost tumbler. They all have their pros and cons, so here we go: Dig a hole - $0 +Cheap +No maintenance -Risk of animals/pests digging it up -Hard to obtain any compost -Might annoy neighbors Compost Bin - $25+ +Cheap, easy to do it yourself for free +Can handle large volumes +Can thoroughly process any and all organic materials -Unsightly? (It's worth it though, trust me) Worms - $30/lb, $100+ +Works year round +Worm castings are a great soil amendment +Fun for educational purposes -They need attention to ensure they're happy -Somewhat expensive to start Compost Tumbler - $175+ +Secure from pests/animals +Turning the compost is easy (although not necessary)…