Compost/Composters?

I just have a bin type of compost container and one I made w/ chicken wire and fense posts. It would do better if I stirred it often but I'm too lazy. I would love to have one of those tumbler types. You'll have to update how it works if you end up buying one. BTW how much does one of those run?

DH just ordered one of the fancy tumbler ones. I wanted him to just build some sort of bin, but he said he'd rather spend the money and not use what very little free time he has to build one. It will be nice to have the compost quickly.

DH just sent me a pic of a ton of pallets at work asking how many I wanted - there are 4 newer looking ones in the middle I'm going to try using for a composter. I saw some where they have three solid walls, then the 4th is held in by metal t posts so you can move it out of the way to turn the pile or shovel it out. The slats allow got good air circulation. I guess I'm just impatient and the thought of good compost in a matter of days/weeks sounded so nice!

And Renee, have you read anything like John Jeavons (bio intensive)? I'm reading "Mini-Farming"  (by another author) now, it's a good sythenthesis of the "best of" square-foot, Jeavons and other methods that involve close plantings. He had a nice section on composting. He goes for an open three pile system, starting a new one each spring from cover crops -- then letting the others age a bit more. And there's some issue of cold vs. hot methods (more added soil -- Jeavons-- is cold) but hot sounds better to me in terms of killing pathogens. But I'm not sure how you avoid racoons and such with open piles doing it his way, so i'm sticking with my more enclosed set-up for now. We've got very clay-ey soil here too. I'm looking forward to "double digging"  (and amending) an 4" x 18" plot soon -- we'll see just how far I get. Digging just *one* 2.5" wide hole for the first of my four blueberry plants almost wrecked my body last weekend. (had to be a big hole so I could amend w/peat for the acid Ph).

I made a compost "bin" using scrap wool stacked to make a 4'x4' square. They can easily be taken down to stir the compost, but honestly I have just been dumping all winter. We started in November with pumpkins and all winter have been dumping. The kids (and I) are very curious to see what is happening down low in the pile. I guess I better turn it all soon.

I always thought this idea was pretty simple and neat too