Hello! My name is Bethany and I grow things in my rooftop container garden in Chicago, zone 6a. I’ve been container gardening for four years and am by no means an expert, just someone who enjoys sharing their garden journey.
I’ve wanted to start composting for awhile and finally took the plunge and got a composter tumbler for my garden. If you have any tips on starting to compost, let me know in the comments below!
Compost Instructions: https://build.dfomer.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/SMG-105-70ChamberComposterMetalLegs-Manual-Eng-Rv3.pdf
For daily updates, follow me on Instagram @chicagogardener
19 Comments
Gran trabajo
I was going to recommend Bertha but since she's going to be hard working how about Rosie, for Rosie the riveter. And it goes along with your first knockout miniature rose. It will actually take a while to fill up 18 gallons. As you put in your garden waste and your food scraps it will begin to break down and make more room, especially with the heat. You can throw your junk mail in there, I recommend taking out a little plastic windows on envelopes. I love also see if I can find a video I watched recently of composting in place. She had a very recent video about starting seeds that I would like to try.
Good for you! How about naming her Camilla?
This video came at the right time for me because I have been thinking about composting for awhile but wasn’t sure about spending hundreds of dollars on something that I was not sure would work for me. Thanks for the inspiration!
A few things I’m wondering about: should I fill the tumbler all at once instead of adding material over time? Should I avoid adding all weeds or just weeds that have gone to seed? Do I need to add water to the tumbler when I fill it up? Thank you so much for the help!
We were just thinking about adding a composter so please keep us updated! Name idea Terra.
Composting is so much fun! I'm doing it now I'm my backyard. Here's a few tips: Everyone knows the browns and greens and aeration rules, but in a tumbler isolated environment, the bacteria can take longer to grow so adding some fungally rich material into the mix to get it hotter and active faster, like damp white dry mildew grass clippings, chicken poop, equine poop. Consider a heavy duty paper shredder (12+sheet), quality scissors to cut, then shred cardboard more completely and efficiently. I look forward to paper bags now, when I buy groceries at the store. Good pair of scissors to cut your wastes. The smaller you cut material, the faster and more complete it mixes. Remove tapes and plastics, avoid heat transfer receipts which contain BPA, and avoid colors and dies in your composted materials. A short shovel or fork, to move the material around in your tumbler works wonders.
I use a box cutter to remove the tape. After doing it a few times you'll learn the quick tricks to peeling it away with that box cutter.
I have a compost can on my island but I find it's easier to use a gallon ziplock and keep it in the fridge. That can will stink in a while. But try and see. Also regarding the composter starter… I just use some old soil. But never more than 5-10 percent of the volume. Save coffee grounds separately and you can use them towards the end to get it to heat up.
Have fun with your new project! I would name it ferris as in ferris wheel. 🙂
She looks like a Hulda to me 🤷🏽♀️ it’s the first name that came to mind when you said it needed to be named
Green goblin🤢😁
One of the wonderful things we like about our "Chicago Gardener" is how brutally honest she is about herself. I know that when you set your mind to accomplish something, you usually succeed. And if not,,,Oh well.😀 pbh
I have that same one with the 2 chamber. I bought it in 2019 since then it has basically turned into a bin for cultivating black soldier flies. They were naturally attracted to it so now I have an unlimited supply for my chickens!
Let me know how the compost bags work, I was reluctant to try because I think they are more for industrial scale composting.
We have the same tumble composter and I've learned that composting at this scale just doesn't get hot enough to kill seeds and stuff, so we're careful what we put in there. I'm looking into bokashi or takakura composting as a pre-treatment.
OT but I love your dress! I'm very curious how this goes because I also didn't want to pay >100. $60 is cheap! I'm also curious if this draws rats in any way and how long it takes to compost because it's smaller.
Hi. I just started growing for the first time this year. Hardcore novice, but I chose watermelons for my first time😂they are growing right now and there’s a bunch of little wateremelons on the vines. Hopefully they stay alive. Definitely needed a gardening buddy who knows what they are doing though so I think I’ll stick around here for a while😂🤌
Ms pac man or just pac man