If you’re looking to make your own garden compost, you have two choices.  You can either make your own compost bin or buy one of the many types of compost bins available in the market today. 

Whilst homemade compost bins can be perfectly adequate, for the best results you can’t beat a professional compost tumbler.  Compost tumblers allow great air circulation through your waste, which accelerates the composting process and produces rich, quality compost.

If you don’t want to go to the trouble of making your own compost barrel or bin, here is a quick guide as to the types of compost bin you should consider buying. (Many composting supplies can be found in our Compost Shop).

Basically when you fill your compost bin or tumbler with organic waste, the waste will decompose over time in to nutrient rich compost that will help your plants and vegetables to grow.

Ideally the compost bin you buy will allow the composting process to occur quickly by allowing good air circulation and will help the waste maintain moisture without allowing the mix to become too wet.  Air and moisture are vital ingredients in the composting process.

The compost barrel you choose should contain lots of slits or holes to allow air to circulate through the compost, because most of the micro-organisms that actually break the organic matter down require oxygen.  Therefore the more air circulation there is, the faster the organisms will break down the matter.  Now the real key to accelerating the process is to regularly break up the compost by turning it over several times a season.  This loosens the compost allowing better air circulation.  There are two ways to turn your compost over.  One way is to use a fork, which obviously needs a lot of effort, and also needs a compost bin with enough access to get your fork in and turn it over easily.

The second way to turn your compost over is to buy a compost tumbler (Available below and in our Compost Shop).  A compost tumbler is basically a barrel that sits on a pivot frame, and has a handle that allows you to rotate the compost barrel around the pivot, in effect turning the compost over inside the drum.  A compost tumbler is far easier to use than the manual method of turning with a fork. It’s highly recommended that if buying a compost bin, you pay a little extra for a tumbler and reap the longer term benefits.

Finally, when you buy a compost bin, buy one with a lid.  The composting process needs moisture, but if too much rain soaks in, there will be no room in the compost for the air to circulate.

One final point to consider.  Make sure the holes or slats in your compost bin or compost barrel are too small for rodents to get through, otherwise you’re likely to find a few unwanted surprises in your compost when you come to empty your bin!
Here is some guidance on specific types of compost bins to help you choose the right typr for your garden.

Covered Compost Bins

Basic covered compost bins are generally low cost and are therefore the most popular composter for new gardeners. The cover helps  to keep heat in and to keep the rain and animals out. As long as you buy a bin of a reasonable size, getting the compost in and out is easy enough to do.  Some bins of this type have doors on the side to help get the compost out.  The downside is that it can be awkward to turn the compost over with a fork.

A Slatted Compost Bin

The slatted design can be more attractive than a standard bin and allows lots of air circulation. The removable slats make it much easier to access the compost. Not all slatted bins come with lids so the compost can get too wet, which means the compost will need a lot of manual turning over to aerate it.  The slats readily allow unwanted rodents in!.

Compost Tumblers

The efficient design makes it easy to turn the compost barrel and it’s contents. There is no need for a fork or aerating tool, all you need to do is turn the handle. Because you can turn the compost over frequently with little effort, the decomposition happens much more quickly. The sealed barrel protects the compost inside from the rain and the unwanted rodents.  The only negative to buying a compost tumbler, is that generally they are more costly than the covered and slatted bins, but at the end of the day, you get better results and a lot more convenience when you decide to buy a compost tumbler.