I unloaded my first batch of finished compost from my new compost tumbler last week. I started loading it up back in February. It took me several weeks to fill it because this thing is huge! I kept filling it as the kitchen scraps and yard waste started decomposing. It was really hard to stop and just walk away to let it do its job. It was probably finished a good month ago but it took me a while to get to it. So, from start to finish it took about 6 months but I probably could have shaved off a month or two if I had worked at it a little more proactively. I’m using the Lifetime 80 gallon compost tumbler. I wanted something big but let’s see just how much finished compost I got from it.
Lifetime 80 gallon Compost Tumbler half emptied
At first, I was a bit disappointed with how much was in there. It didn’t look like much at all. I forgot to take a picture of it before I started but this is when I was about half way done. Most of big chunks that look like rocks were really hard to break apart so I soaked them in water before putting them back in with the next load of materials.
Sifting compost with 1/4″ screen
Even though it didn’t look like much at first, it ended up filling a 70 quart tote after I shifted it through a 1/4” screen. That’s 2.7 cubic feet. That’s far more than I expected! Not bad at all for my first time with this monster. I put 6 gallons of unfinished material back in the tumbler for the next round.
Finished compost after sifting
The finished compost! In the screened compost, you can still see some larger pieces. I might have done a better job at getting those pieces out if it weren’t so hot outside. Even still, that’s a much finer screened compost than anything I’ve bought locally.
I’ve tried composting several different ways but this was my first successful time with anything other than vermicomposting. I love my worms but I’m so glad to have found a way to compost my extra kitchen scraps and yard waste instead of sending them to the landfill. I’m quite pleased with how it turned out!
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