Compost Tumblers - Are they any good?

I'm contemplating getting one of these for my work place and wondered if anyone else had one that they used and if they were any good.

I've heard they are difficult to turn once they are filled up but are there any other problems with them? Also do they really make compost in 4 weeks.

 

I don't think any grass clippings will go in it ever. My workplace has a tea room which has a tearoom which serves about 500 people a week on average and is growing. So things like teabags, coffee grounds, banana skins, apple cores, cardboard, paper and tons of salad that customners neglect to eat.

I'm not sure if this would be enough to produce compost as it's missing lawn mowings.

 

You could try a compost activator? My Mum and I used one when I was a youngster called "QR" (which I think stands for Quick Results); one of the Organic mailorder shops sells it (sorry, forgotten which one, but if a quick Google doesn't find it give me a nudge and I'll dig out the details)

I don't use it now as I don't do "proper composting", I just chuck everything in a pile and leave it a year or more ...

 

I was planning to stick some comfrey leaves in at the beginning as I have a lot at my disposal.

Talking of activators, has anyone heard or tried using washing up liquid mixed with sugar? Someone keeps telling me to try this, saying "it's the best activator" but when I looked on the internet I couldn't find no mention of this "magic mix" anywhere.

 

Doesn't sound right to me. Unrefined sugar (e.g. Molasses) will help the bugs to grow I expect ... but the main thing that is needed is Nitrogen, and I'm pretty sure you aren't going to get that from Sugar and Washing up liquid!

Ammonium Sulphamate (used to be sold as a, very effective, weedkiller for Mares Tails. Sold by "Dax" or some name like that) is sold as a compost accelerator - an advantage of it as a weedkiller was that it "broke down" to [basically] Nitrogen, hence it is effective on the compost heap.

Garotta is Nitrogen and ground limestone:

http://www.william-sinclair.co.uk/gardening/products/home_composting
"J. Arthur Bower’s Garotta is made from natural materials selected to help improve the structure of home-produced garden compost, maintain a neutral pH and speed up the process of decomposition. It provides food to promote bacterial growth which in turn encourages the temperature in the compost heap to rise, kill off weed seeds and hasten the conversion of garden and kitchen waste into a rich compost ideal for enriching garden soil.


Garotta is harmless to children, pets and wildlife and its fast acting nature can help you produce your very own natural garden compost quickly and easily."

Two birds with one stone opportunity there I reckon Shiney?!!

Perhaps siteing the compost tumbler on the patio outside the cafeteria would not be the best ploy?!!

 

Had one..........................sold it a year later, you try turning the thing when its full!!

But to be fair it works well as a compost maker but gets harder to operate the more it
get filled. And getting the compost out is not easy either. 5/10

 

Dunno if they are any good, but you can get ones your roll along the ground (like a barrel) if "tumbling" is going to be too difficult.