Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

It was great for a few months, but now the fabric is stretched a lot. The whole thing is leaning to the point of not being usable. I attached a picture to illustrate the problem. That picture is not retouched in any way, the bin really tips that much and there is no simple way to keep it upright. We've not had long term luck with any commercially made composter we've tried. I'm going to replace this composter with two 55 gal. heavy duty poly barrels previously used for liquid food products. I'll modify into becoming composters. They cost $20 each used, guaranteed never to have contained any toxic materials. ==================== The barrels are great and cost only $35 each (more expensive than expected because they're food grade). They held sugar before being sold as surplus. I removed the bottoms with an electric saber saw and drilled some 3/4" holes in the top and around the barrels near the top for ventilation. Though an ugly bright aqua color, they are strong as can be and should last longer than me. They hold the heat well. With periodic turning of the compost with a Yard Butler Compost Turner ( amazon link http://www.amazon.com/Yard-Butler-CA-36-Compost-Turner/dp/B000RYL1BQ ) they are doing an excellent job of composting. ========================================================================================= I just set it up two days ago, and transferred compost from my old falling apart compost maker. Pros: - Very easy set up - Seems well thought out, well engineered, heavy enough duty for an urban garden. - Light weight for easy handling movement. - Great price. Cons: None yet. I'll modify this review in a few months. What follow is my comment on a 1 star review of this product. They complained about the compost stinking. Good compost smells sweet. I hope the comment can help others: To make good, sweet smelling compost, you can't only use kitchen scraps, and you must keep the compost properly moist and aerated. - Add plenty of yard trimmings and/or some newspaper (only use if printed with soy ink, as most are now). "Official" recommendations are 1/2 kitchen waste plus 1/2 "brown" waste such as dried leaves, newspaper, clean sawdust, and yard trimmings. I do a bit less brown waste. I add one section of newspaper strips with my plant based kitchen waste every day. Brown waste should be chopped up before adding, like run over with a lawnmower. The more brown waste, the better. - Turn and aerate the compost every few days. I use the Yard Butler CA-36 Compost Aerator, available on Amazon. - Do not put ANY animal products except eggshells in the compost. Meat scraps stink as they decompose and attract flies. Pet poop can harbor parasites, the eggs and larvae of which can become part of your garden...not a good thing. - Keep the compost about as moist as a wrung out sponge or wash cloth but not wet. If it's too wet, the heap turns into sewage instead of compost. If it's too dry it won't properly decompose. If the heap is dry, use a hose to moisten before turning . If the heap is too wet, don't add water before turning and it will naturally dry out. The heap should be open to the ground for drainage, and to attract worms and soil microbes. DO NOT place on a concrete slab. - When the compost reaches about 3/4 of the height of the bin, I transfer about 1/2 of it to a 30 gallon trash can to finish composting for a couple of months before adding it to the garden. The remaining half is full of good microbes, worms, pill bugs, etc. that speed up decomposition, so you want to leave it to keep the process going with the new waste you add. It sounds like a lot to do and a hassle, but it quickly becomes automatic and sort of fun. With me, it's just part of my morning chores of filling the bird feeders, feeding my pets, dumping kitchen waste and tending to the compost pile, then feeding my wife. BTW coffee grounds and used tea bags are the absolute BEST compost material. If you do the above, I think you'll find the compost heap will smell sweet and earthy and you'll feel you're doing something good for Mother Earth. Nothing is better for your garden and your growing veggies than a 3" layer of home made compost.