Composters Buying Guide

In some ways, composting is an ancient, even natural tradition. In any forest, marsh, or even desert, animals wastes and dead plants will decompose over time, returning their nutrients to the soil. It's the natural cycle of life.

Composting is simply helping the process by creating ideal conditions for kitchen and yard waste to break down. This speeds the process, making it quicker and more efficient.

People have probably been composting for as long as we have been farming. There are references to the practice in the Bible and ancient Roman texts. In the United States, the pilgrims were known to add fish to their compost heaps. George Washington used compost heaps at Mount Vernon.

In the twentieth century, agricultural practices divided into the scientific, chemically enhanced methods and organic gardening and farming. While most people still prefer to buy their fertilizer, some prefer to create their own through composting.

One of the advantages of composting is knowing that you are lessening the amount of waste put into landfills. Current estimates put yard waste at 20-30 percent of the waste stream. When yard waste is put into landfills, it decomposes at a much slower rate and tends to produce noxious by-products, such as methane gas. Composting yard waste is safer, healthier for the environment, and saves space for other waste materials.

Although composting is an organic, natural method of creating fertilizer, that doesn't mean that it hasn't been studied and improved in the last century. Several systems have been developed over the years and the technology of composting has benefited from that.

In the early seventies, your choice of composting system was probably like my father's--a set of wooden bins he knocked together, some old window screens, and a couple of rakes. Today's gardener has more choices. Which one you choose will depend on your garden space, time, gardening plans, and budget.

Holding Bins A holding bin is the most basic composter you can find. Made from wood, wire, plastic or vinyl, it is simply an enclosed area in which you can pile yard and food waste.

Holding bins can be circular or square. They can have one area, or several. Some people believe that open slats or air holes are necessary to allow oxygen to reach the materials, others prefer closed bins that help contain odors.

Another consideration is the portability of the bin. One technique is to let the compost sit in the bin for a time, then to move the bin a few feet and aerate the compost as it's transferred back into the bin at the new spot.

Because the compost sits for long periods of time in a holding bin, this system is slower than the tumbler method or worm method. Composting can take from six months to over a year.

Tumbler Composters Compost is most effectively aerated by turning the material--just like clothes are dried more quickly when they roll around in a dryer. Some compost containers are designed to roll.

These tumblers can be barrel shaped or spherical. The more frequent turning of the compost create higher temperatures, high enough to kill off fly larvae, harmful microbes, and weeds. They are also quicker than holding bins. They can produce compost in as little as two months. They can be easier for people with back problems, since the compost can be turned without using a rake or shovel. There is a disadvantage to tumbler composters compared to worm or holding bins. With other systems, you can add food to an existing heap. With a tumbler, you'll need to save up the waste until you have enough to fill the tumbler.

Worm Composting Systems As their name implies, worm composting systems use live worms to eat food scraps. As they work through the waste, they leave behind nutrient-rich worm castings that can be added to your garden. Compared to other composting systems, worm composting is fairly easy. Many models feature stacking trays, which makes it easy to add new compost and harvest the castings after all the waste has been consumed. They usually also feature a bottom compartment that collects compost tea.

Think about the size of your yard. Do you have room for a large bin? Some holding bins are small enough to use in small yards or even apartments. Worm composting systems are even more contained and convenient for small living spaces.

The biggest problem with composting is that you may attract unwanted scavengers, such as rats. You can avoid that by keeping fats, bones, and other animal waste out of the compost bin. You might also want to use materials, like plastic, wire, or even brick, that can't be gnawed through.

Don't forget about aesthetics. You are going to have that compost heap in your garden for months or even years. There is a wide variety of looks available in composters, including some that look like houses and some that resemble stone wells. Instead of being an eyesore, your composter can be a pleasing addition to your garden d‚cor.

If you do choose a wooden compost bin, make sure the boards are finished with non-toxic material.

Along with composters, there are many accessories can help create better compost. They can also make the process easier or more pleasant for you.

Compost Holder You'll need something to collect kitchen waste in before it is taken out to the compost heap. Compost holders are designed for this purpose. For practical reason, they are made to be airtight. This keeps odors in the bucket and out of your kitchen. But, since the bucket is kept in the kitchen, you should consider the aesthetic aspects and choose something you enjoy looking at as it sits on the counter.

Compost Filters Filters help keep your kitchen odor free by using charcoal to trap smells within the compost holder.

Compost Tea Kits Compost tea is nutrient-rich liquid made by brewing compost in water. Compost tea can be made through various methods of brewing. In one method, microbes are added to compost and water in order to create a liquid teeming with helpful bacteria. In another brewing system, the water and compost are actually fermented. Depending on what method you choose, you can make your system more effective with a compost tea kits, which may provide buckets, filters, and micro-organism mixes.

Starters and Accelerators Starters and accelerators add helpful bacteria to your waste. Starters are helpful in making the process begin, while accelerators are designed to speed up the decomposition of material, once it has begun.

Aerator An important part of creating compost is to aerate the material, or, in other words, to make sure that enough oxygen is available to the compost. Aerators are tools designed to punch holes into the heap, oxygenating the compost material.

Compost Thermometer In order for composting to happen, the material needs to be kept at specific temperatures. A compost thermometer measures the temperature, helping you to maintain the optimal conditions for producing fertilizer.

Compost Sifters and Screens Sifters and screens can be used to separate finished compost from twigs and other bits of uncomposted material. Sifters are smaller and may be handier if you are composting in small quantities. If you are producing a lot of compost, you may prefer to use a screen, which covers more space.

Composters do not have to be expensive. There are plenty of holding bins available for under $50. Tumblers cost a bit more, but only the most expensive composters cost more than $150.

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