Best Dual Chamber Compost Tumbler for a Healthy Garden/Lawn

Advantages of the Dual Chamber Compost Tumbler

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i) Sufficient Composting

It takes over a month to get high-quality compost. For this reason, it is better not to interfere with compost already on its way to curing. For example, mixing a 5-week-old compost and fresh vegetable scraps might slow the composting process.

Dual chambers allow you to start over in a new chamber when one is curing.

ii) Capacity

Most dual-chamber compost tumblers have more capacity compared to single-chamber composters. A large capacity can serve a whole yard more efficiently.

iii) Two Compost Types

A dual-chamber compost tumbler allows me to come up with different types of compost simultaneously. There are two types of compost; brown and green compost.

Brown compost can consist of long-held materials such as grass clippings, dead wood, twigs, etc. On the other hand, green compost is made of fresh vegetable scraps, grass clippings, fruits, manure, and more.

Dual-chamber compost tumblers allow the two types of compost to go simultaneously, widening my scope of use when making compost manure.

Dual Chamber Compost Tumbler Buying Guide

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When buying a compost tumbler, there are some features I look at before making a purchase. Here are some features I consider before buying a tumbler.

a) Capacity

How much organic waste you produce will determine the size of the compost tumblers you get. The sizes of the tumblers are measured in gallons; that way, you can know the amount of food waste the tumblers can take.

Tumbler size will also depend on the area you want to use compost fertilizer. For example, if you have a tiny kitchen garden, you do not need a large-capacity tumbler because you will have more compost than you need.

b) Type of Waste

The type of waste you will put in the tumbler bin will determine the type of tumbler you go for. For example, using the tumbler composter for yard waste will be slightly different from using a tumbler for kitchen scraps. Yard waste can be more than kitchen scraps in amount and composition, hence a need for an appropriate tumbler size.

c) Material

Different tumblers are made of a different materials. For example, there are tumblers made of plastic and steel. A plastic barrel will have some advantages over steel and vice versa.

Steel might have challenges of rusting and temperature changes, and this is why I tend to go for plastic tumblers instead. However, the temperature is a big factor in composting kitchen or garden waste.

d) Pest Control

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Wherever there are food scraps, you can expect to find rats and other insects like roaches and flies. Pests can discourage you from using the tumblers because they are unhygienic. Tumblers with good pest control are one you should go for.

e) No Leakage

During the composting process, fluids and smells can come from the tumbler. To avoid unpleasant odors and leakages, look for a watertight tumbling composter.

A bin that is not sealed also has a high probability of letting in pests and attracting more due to odors and leakages.

f) Location

Where you place the compost tumbler will determine the size of the tumbling composter you will be going for. A backyard has a larger space than a porch or balcony. There are differently-sized tumblers, and the location should not be your biggest worry.

g) Weight

If you live in an apartment and you have to carry the tumbling composter in and out of the house once every while, it is wise to get a light tumbling composter. The weight of the tumbler will depend on how much gallon capacity the tumbling composter has.

h) Wheels

I am personally not comfortable carrying the tumbler around. Wheeling the tumbling composters from one location to the other is easier and safer. If a tumbler has no wheels, the chances of spilling the contents increase.

i) Frame

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While I tend to go for plastic tumbling composters, I prefer a steel frame over plastic chambers. A zinc-coated metal frame or steel is better than plastic, which might not be as sturdy.

j) Offload Method

How the compost comes out of the tumbler matters to me. I do not like handling compost or waste, and how I remove it from the tumbler is a huge factor in the type of tumbler I will get.

k) Aeration Holes

The micro-organisms in the compost tumblers need to breathe to break down the nutrients better. A tumbler with no aeration holes will have smells you can not be comfortable with, especially if the compost tumbler is in the house or porch.

Aeration can be in the form of holes, fins, vents, or small doors.

l) Shape

The shape of the compost tumblers will determine how the food scraps will “tumble” in the bin. If the shape is flat, the scraps in the bin will tend to slide. If the shape is more hexagonal or any other shape than a circular cross-section, the scraps in the bin will topple and roll, making them mix better.

m) Ease of Assembling

Putting together the bin after purchase should be an easy task. Most bins come with a user’s guide, and it is a walk in the park most of the time.

When the compost tumblers are not well assembled, they can have leakages and flaws that make them harder to use and less effective.

n) Adjustable Air Vents

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Weather changes and the amount of compost in the tumblers may require that you play around with the air vents once every while. A tumbler with controllable air vents gives me more control than one without.

The vents can be a way to monitor the compost without having to open the whole lid. Then, after many rounds of composting, you can tell when you are ready to use compost.

o) Compost Tea Reservoir

You do not want to be wiping the fluids coming out of the tumbler from the floor or have it flow to the ground. To avoid this, double-chamber compost tumblers have reservoirs that collect the compost tea for other uses or disposal.

Dual Chamber Compost Tumbler Tips

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What are some things you can do once you have bought a dual-chamber compost tumbler to get the best out of the composting process?

a) Chop the Vegetable Scraps

Just like chewing before you eat, the body breakdown the food faster; chopping down and shredding the compost helps the bacteria decompose the scraps faster.

When the composting process happens faster, the chances of the compost attracting pests and bugs are reduced. Furthermore, since organic waste is produced constantly, more space will be created for new waste when the composting process happens faster.

Hot-Tip: I use the blender to break down items like stalks and peels. This saves me the time I would use to chop the items.

b) Activate Your First Ever Compost Tumbler

Sometimes bacteria and fungi need to be activated. For yogurt to be made, bacteria must be introduced to milk to kickstart the process. The same happens to the compost pile in your tumbler.

When you buy the tumbler for the first time, it is still sterile as the plastic or metal does not have the appropriate bacteria on the surface to kickstart the process. So I did, for the first time, activate the compost tumblers by adding cow dung into the mix.

You can use horse manure or buy a readymade compost activator to kickstart the process in the tumbler.

You can heat the compost…

c) Re-Use the Compost Tea

I never dispose of the compost tea after collecting it as I can use it as fertilizer. To make it useful, I mix the compost tea with some water using the correct ratio for the plants to absorb the fertilizer without getting a fertilizer burn.

Suppose you can avoid getting the compost tea from excess moisture, the better for you. However, there are instances when getting the compost tea is inevitable, depending on the compost piles in the tumbler.

d) Avoid Adding Animal Products

Vegetable compost is not as harmful as having meats in your compost tumbler. However, the pathogens from meats and other animal products are very harmful, and I would not recommend anyone to have them in their bin.

Avoid adding bones to the compost because they do not break down and may harm people or pets once used in the yard or garden. In addition, bones can cause nasty pricks and cuts.

c) Other things to Avoid Putting in the Compost Tumbler

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Not all kitchen waste has to go into the tumbler. Some items to avoid include pet waste, ash or charcoal, plants with diseases, and oils. I stick to using the normal kitchen veggie waste.

d) Balance Carbon and Nitrogen Ratio

If the ratio of carbon and nitrogen is not balanced in the tumbler, the compost might not turn out as expected. The carbon and nitrogen ratio needs to be better balanced; you might end up with either a slimy substance or a fluffy and useless outcome.

One way to create a C/N balance is by adding shredded newspaper. Be careful when adding paper, as some can contain harmful inks. Go about it with moderation.

e) Fertilize the Lawn at the Right Time

When you fertilize the lawn or garden at the wrong time, your efforts to make the compost will go to waste. I use the right amount of fertilizer and identify the right time to fertilize my lawn for the best outcome.

Final Thoughts

Since kitchen waste is a constant supply, it is good to find a compost tumbler to handle the pressure. Please find the best compost tumbler among the ones we have highlighted above.