Compost Bin - Good or Bad

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts are regarding this compost bin menards has on sale this week.  Do you think it is worth it?  My first though is I would have to put it on top of cinder blocks to raise it up a bit.

http://www.menards.com/main/outdoors/gardening/lawn-plant-care/120-gallon-composter-bin/p-1858479-c-10116.htm?utm_campaign=38A-2014&utm_content=Fall-Catalog&cm_mmc=wishabi-_-flyer_hosted-_-38A-2014-_-Fall-Catalog&utm_source=wishabi&utm_medium=flyer_hosted

Hard to tell much about it from the ad.

Youtube has a bunch of clips rating composters. I think I saw one like this rated, but not highly. Worth checking out.

Judge for yourself.  Follow this link.  The Menards link you supplied said it was built by Keter and Model # 17186362.  Putting that information into google led me to Amazon.  Here is a link to the reviews on Amazon.  But for the price being offered by Menard's, it is very tempting.
http://www.amazon.com/Keter-17186362-E-Composter-Discontinued-Manufacturer/product-reviews/B001TADOFS

I tried making one on the same principle.  Top feed, bottom shovel out the "black gold."  Roll around on the sides. The metal screen was to let the gold fall through.  Dec 12, 2012

Ha!  Removed the screen and have used it as storage bin since spring of 2013.

At that price, you could try it and if it doesn't work, you can use it as a storage bin, even if you have to duct tape it together as a reviewer did.

OK, here goes...


All that is is a $30 plastic bin for holding organic scraps. You will still have to agitate the contents or turn it out and shovel it back in to make compost.
See that nice looking stuff coming out the bottom?
My guess is they poured a bag of storebought compost in for this shot.

Save your money, make your own for free out of pallets.

sanderson wrote:I tried making one on the same principle.  Top feed, bottom shovel out the "black gold."  Roll around on the sides.  The metal screen was to let the gold fall through.  Dec 12, 2012

Ha!  Removed the screen and have used it as storage bin since spring of 2013.

At that price, you could try it and if it doesn't work, you can use it as a storage bin, even if you have to duct tape it together as a reviewer did.

Now if you had  a new black bin like that and inverted it , cut out the bottom so you leave a lip about 1/2 an inch  ( gives strength to the bin  ) you would have some thing very similar to my seven Daleks  which work very well indeed.

Don't drill holes or cut any doors in it , the conical shape helps the rotting down of material for it's difficult to over stuff it because as it rots it slides down the inverted cone leaving an airspace that is nice and moist all the time.   The heat is also contained along with decomposition gases and these gently escape via the lid clearance tolerances  .

 Getting the bin off the heap is a doddle for those conical sides come to your aid, simply remove the lid grab the 1/2" thick rim and gently rock the bin North to South  & east to west ,  it comes loose very easily.  

Then it's just a case of lifting the bin off the nice tidy conical pile . If your going to turn it , the cone makes it very easy to slice off the outer faces wwith a spade  , drop some of the inner stuff  on the bottom of the newly sited bin  ,add the outer slices and then turn the rest of the heap into the bin giving it a spray of water every three or four inches of turned material .
 Give it 24 hours and the temperature  will be ideal , no need to add bone meal or dried blood or new materials .
 I found that seven bins condensed into five , five into four and four into 3 by the time the compost was fully finished. So you can guess that i was combining teo partly finished bins at a time .


I only have one bin for all new compostable material these days  and this is a continuous run of adding things .
 After a while I'll take the bin cover off , remove about half from the top and add the bottom of the pile to  the next youngest bin in the composting cycle .

Composting is a continuous operation cycle once you get the rhythm it's as easy as breathing  to keep going at it .

camprn wrote:OK, here goes...


All that is is a $30 plastic bin for holding organic scraps. You will still have to agitate the contents or turn it out and shovel it back in to make compost.
See that nice looking stuff coming out the bottom?
My guess is they poured a bag of storebought compost in for this shot.

Save your money, make your own for free out of pallets.

You cynic, camprn. I agree about the pallets. They can be made to look very neat.

Plantoid, I actually searched for info on the Daleks. I can see why you like them.

Camp, Oh, no! They wouldn't do something like that!

Kelejan wrote:

camprn wrote:OK, here goes...


All that is is a $30 plastic bin for holding organic scraps. You will still have to agitate the contents or turn it out and shovel it back in to make compost.
See that nice looking stuff coming out the bottom?
My guess is they poured a bag of storebought compost in for this shot.

Save your money, make your own for free out of pallets.

You cynic, camprn. I agree about the pallets. They can be made to look very neat.

I know someone who used to shoot photos for garden mags. Yes, they would do that. Lol.