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As long as you maintain the proper C/N ratio, you can have great flexibility in
how you select and mix materials for your compost.
As you become comfortable with your ComposTumbler and experiment with
the materials available to you, you will find the mixtures and combinations
most suited to your needs. Common sense and experience will help you produce
superior compost quickly and easily.
CAUTION: Do not add soil or sand to the mixture in your ComposTumbler. It
will add unnecessary weight that will pack down other materials and make the
drum harder to turn, which can damage the drum.
14-DAY HOT COMPOSTING AND
YOUR
ComposTumbler
The ComposTumbler’s design speeds the breakdown process by
giving you an easy way to manage your compost pile. By following
the simple and successful steps outlined below, you can have
compost in as little as 14 days.
A. LOADING THE DRUM
1. Remove the door completely.
2. Establish your ratio of fresh nitrogen and carbon materials using either a 4:1
ratio for vegetation (four parts of fresh green materials to one part of a dead
brown material), one of the sample recipes on page 17, or by figuring out your
own ratio using the formula on page 15.
3. Choose something to be your “measuring spoon” – a bucket, a basket or a
shovel. Using your ratio, begin loading your tumbler. For example, if you are
using a 4:1 ratio of fresh grass and kitchen waste to dead, shredded leaves and
wood shavings, you should put in four measures of grass and kitchen waste
(in any combination) and then one measure of leaves and shavings (again, in
any combination). Repeat this process until you are finished. Several times
during the loading process you should stop, put the door on, and tumble the
materials. This will give you a really good “mix” from the very beginning.
Remember, you need to fill the Original ComposTumbler at least 2/3 full and
Compact, Back Porch and Easy Spin ComposTumblers completely full all at
one time to do the 14-day composting. After the drum is filled, keep the door
closed and securely latched except when inspecting or unloading.
B. PROCESSING THE LOAD
1. Once each day go out to your tumbler, slowly rotate the drum so that the door
is facing you and remove the door.
2. Once each day take the temperature of the materials by inserting the
thermometer in several different places. You are looking for the hottest
spot–the heat core. Be sure to remove your thermometer before tumbling.
WHY TAKE THE
TEMPERATURE?
The Compost Thermometer may be
the most important tool in helping
you complete your compost in 14
days, for the temperature of the
composting materials will tell you
if everything is working properly.
Remember, if it is not, you will be
able to make adjustments in the
first few days.
Always take the temperature
before you tumble the drum.
The chart on page 11 graphs
the temperature taken from a
typical batch of 14-day compost.
Individual batches will vary
depending upon the materials used,
the C/N ratio, and other factors.
However, this example shows the
heating and cooling that takes place
during the decay process. Note that
the temperature is the highest in the
first few days, with gradual cooling
during the rest of the cycle.