Worms or Compost Tumbler

Hi there.. I'm having a hard time deciding what would be the best choice for me to get some good compost to fertilize my garden with. My garden is not very big, I have 2 4x4 boxes and 1 1x10. We are a small family of 3 and have began eaten fruits and veggies a lot more now that we make green smoothies daily, and I hate to let all the veggie and fruit scraps go to waste. It gets very hot here in the middle of summer, sometimes up to 110 degrees, which is something I think about when I'm considering a worm bin. Could someone recommend one of those two systems for me?

Thanks!

Why not do both?

You can keep a small worm bin inside (so the temps don't get too much for them) and use a little bit of your scraps to feed them. They don't seem to "eat" too much so you'll have scraps left (if you use alot of fruits and veggies in a week).

The rest of your scraps could go into the compost tumbler with dry leaves and other "browns".

Then you would have two really nice "composts" to use in your gardens.

If you can't do both, then try the compost bin. You'll get more compost than if you have a worm bin.

I had a sorry excuse for a compost area for 2 seasons, but it got little to no sunlight and things just weren't breaking down as they should be.

This season I purchased the worm factory and ordered some local red wigglers so I could begin vermicomposting. The system is in my basement where the temperature is very consistent year round and I was surprised yesterday looking at the amount of casting already in my first bin! I am just 3 weeks into it and learning. I fed them a banana peel, an old piece of bread, along with a side of last years fallen leaves.

As Quiltbea was saying, it is much faster! I am going to be able to place some compost in my garden from my old scraps by May! Mid summer I should be able to open the spout and get some very concentrated tea which I am going to water down, aerate, and then spray near the base of my crops.

You can purchase a worm and worms-bin for roughly $110 (shipping included) or make your own for real cheap. The internet has a wealth of free information on how to make your own worm bin and maintain them. This method seems to be very efficient. For your family of 3, you'll be able to feed your worms the daily scraps every few days and the red wigglers are going to be happy and efficient for you.

I'd create a small compost pile and let the worms do their thing.

You can also dedicate one of your squares to worms. Something as simple as an upside down pot ought to work. Just tuck your scraps under the pot n let the worms do the work.

My pallet board compost bin is sooo much more productive than the compost tumbler. In fact, all I use my tumber for anymore is stockpiling the compost from my bin (yes...i'm one of those folks that almost makes more compost than i can use).