Which Composter?

We started composting sometime around 2000. Unfortunately, we usually didn't stay in one place long enough to take advantage of the finished compost. When we first started, our compost pile was just that - a pile of mostly grass clippings behind the back fence. Occasionally we would throw our vegetable kitchen scraps in the pile Later, in 2004, we graduated to a plastic bin-style composter. I was always amazed at how quickly the grass would decompose in a week's time!

Well, our plastic bin-style composter was on it's last legs after two moves and being hit a few times by the riding mower. It was held together with copper wire and duct tape and looked pretty sad out in the back yard. We have been looking for a replacement for a while but didn't want to break the bank.

There are many styles of composters. They come in many shapes and price levels. I had been coveting a Joraform JK400. The JK400 is a top-of the line, tumbler-style composter that sports insulated walls in order to maintain heat. Unfortunately, a top of the line composter comes with a top of the line price and at this point in our lives, it was neither practical, nor affordable, to buy one. I didn't like the plastic, flimsy bin composters we found at the local Lowes, and the tumbler-style composters we found were all too small for our purposes. Since nothing was really meeting our needs, we decided to make our own... I mean, it's only composting. How hard can it be?

We will keep you up to date on our construction.