Composting is the natural way of recycling. All plants that die at the end of the season can be consumed by living animals and microscopic creatures. The result of their excrement is compost, which is actually a combination of digested and undigested food and is left on the ground to create a rich and soft soil. Composting in your backyard or garden is the willingly controlled decomposition of organic materials in order to produce compost. It is an easy process and environmentally friendly. In fact, you are creating the best additive for extremely productive garden soil.

It reduces the amount of solid waste that would be thrown away into trash collection. Garden trimmings and kitchen trash make up about 1/3 of all your waste. All this amounts to millions of tons that, instead of being wasted can be turned into useful compost. It is also a great way to reduce or eliminate the need to add additional fertiliser to your garden. Compost is a natural way to help your garden thrive.

Compost can be produced with your tumbler in two different ways: 1) The best method: Produce compost in batches, loading up the tumbler until full and leave it to break down until completed. When running two tumblers simultaneously, one can start adding waste to the second tumbler and wait for the first to complete its decomposing process. Refraining from adding more materials to the current batch of working compost will ensure better results. A batch with new waste materials can be started when the first is completed. A second composter required for this method. 2) Another method is continuous composting, where one adds more and more material, mixing fresh waste into the decomposing process. When choosing this method with the tumbler, one should stop adding when the tumbler is almost full, and let the contents decompose. Once this batch is completed you can start the entire process again.

Meat, fish, fats and bones - These could ferment or putrefy causing odours and attracting flies, rodents or other animals that can be pests. Other foods like diary products, sauces, salad dressing and cooking oil - These too could ferment or putrefy, causing odours and attracting flies, rodents or other animals that can be pests. Paper products - Should be recycled. They may contain chemicals that are bad for your compost, however wood ashes may be very useful but in small quantities. Never put BBQ grill ashes directly into the compost mixture. Dog and cat faeces - May cause risk of adding diseases. Moderately adding chicken, horse, cow and rabbit manure may be fine. Perpetual weeds that have turned to seed or diseased plants - Not to be used as they can spread with the compost. Any cooked or canned foods that contain salt - Salt kills the little creatures that do the composting in your mixture. Important: Do not add any part of the Black Walnut tree; it contains a chemical that may prevent the growth of some plants, tomatoes in particular

The compost is ready when the original ingredients have turned into a uniform, dark brown, crumbly product with a pleasant, earthy aroma. Dump the compost out of the tumbler leaving a little bit inside as starter microbes for your next batch.

When and how should I use compost? Compost can be used throughout the season as a garden fertiliser. Simply side dress vegetables and flowers for a slow release food source and improved prevention. Till in compost in spring and fall to improve tilth, increase fertility and aid in water retention for sandy soils or water drainage for clay soils. Lawn Feeding - Screened compost (compost that has been sifted to collect the smaller particles) can be applied as a lawn fertiliser throughout the season, It will provide a wonderful slow-release food as well as assist in lawn disease prevention. Potting Mix - (potted plants, seed starting) - Compost can be added to potting soil to create a nutrient-rich mixture.

Choose a flat, level surface convenient to your source materials (kitchen scraps, lawn clippings, garden, etc) Since microbes work best at elevated temperatures, temperature is key to the breakdown of compost. Although microbes generate their own heat as they work, you can help keep them warm by positioning the compost tumbler out of excessive wind and in full sunlight. In hotter areas of the country a shady location may work as well. The fastest decomposition occurs between 104°F (60°C) and 160°F (71°C), but some breakdown will occur as long as the compost is kept above freezing. Winter - Since the tumbling composter is portable, it can be moved (even when full) by one or two people to convenient locations. In winter, place it by your back door to avoid a long walk to recycle kitchen scraps. Although the microbes stop working when the batch freezes, freezing breaks down fibers in organic material, thus speeding up decomposition in spring. In winter, do not turn the unit, but keep adding waste. When spring arrives the material defrosts, tumble and begin adding materials in the correct portions. You may find you need to add a lot of carbon material to achieve the correct ration, so do not overfill the Tumbling composter during winter. If you do not use the Tumbling composter in winter, move it to a location sheltered from high winds and snow. Ideally, it should be stored in a garage or shed.