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As an avid organic gardener, the most perfect gift for a gardener to me is a tumbling compost bins that accelerates making compost with less effort. Ask any organic gardener what their biggest asset is in the garden and they will tell you compost, it is black gold for the garden.

The problem with composting is that it can be a very unsightly endeavor in the garden, depending on your space and the composting method chosen, but the biggest pitfall is that it is very labor intensive. A tumbling compost bin makes turning and aerating easy and also accelerates decomposition.

There are many models on the market with additional features. A tumbler that caught my eye comes with a base to collect and store liquid compost tea draining from the heap. Another has a compost sifter screen available to replace the door, allowing finer compost to be harvested for potting or seed sowing, leaving the courser debris to either be left longer to decompose or harvested separately for mulch. Those are just a few examples of the additional features available.

Price range depending on the complexity of the design . . . the very simply designed tumblers are no more than an aerated barrel that can be rolled around. With an ordinary heap turning being the labor intensive effort that it is, compost making is slow . . . at least it is for most of the gardeners I know since we don't work the pile as often as we should. With a tumbler you can turn the heap in 10 seconds without opening the lid.

Learn more about this author, Gina Alfani.
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