Product Review: Forest City Yimby Tumbling Composter

Composting is one of those things that all gardeners know they should be doing, but a lot avoid. Most say they don’t know how to set up an area to compost, they don’t know what to do, or they simply don’t have anywhere to set up a compost pit. One of the easiest ways to compost is with a tumbling composter.

A tumbling composter is basically a canister on its side. You put all of the things you want to compost in there and you can mix it by spinning the chamber. With a normal composting bin, turning your compost is by far the most unpleasant part of the entire experience. 

I have an Envirocycle, but I don't think they make these anymore, so I wanted to find one I could recommend to our readers, and this one seems to be a highly-reviewed model.

Features of the Forest City (Yimby) Tumbling Composter

Dual canisters mean you can start using your compost sooner. Once you start seeing good soil in the first canister you can start putting your vegetable matter in the second canister. By the time you finish up using the first batch the second will be well on its way to being ready.

A sturdy steel frame means you don’t need to worry about it falling over as you fill up the barrel.

Easily remove the compost by opening up the door of the chamber that’s ready and turn it so it can pour out into your cart, wheelbarrow, or bucket. (I do wish my Envirocycle had this feature - since it's not on a raised frame, it gets very hard to empty when it's full and heavy.)

This one can hold up to 37 gallons which is enough for the average family even if you eat a lot of vegetables.

Adjustable air vents mean you can control how much airflow is going through the compost.

The tumbler is built to resist rodents. No one likes rats in their compost! Raccoons shouldn’t be able to get in either.

Are There Any Downsides?

You will need to do some assembly. It’s mostly just setting up the legs and then attaching the barrel. Some people say it’s difficult, others say it was a breeze. It probably depends on how good you are at putting things together based on paper instructions.

I’ve noticed some people complaining about an odor from the composter but I doubt it’s actually the tumbler. Any compost will smell if you’re only using food scraps and not also adding enough yard clippings, shredded paper or leaves, and stuff like that. 

While you won’t have issues with rodents, this composter isn’t water proof. A little rain won’t hurt your compost but a lot of rain will slow it down because it won’t be dry enough to decompose. Make sure you put it somewhere sunny so if it does get rained on it dries quickly and can get back to doing what it needs to do.

Conclusion

If you live somewhere where it rains nearly every day this might not work to well for you, though if it rains that much you may have trouble composting no matter how you do it. Otherwise, this is a great tumbler that doesn’t take up much room.

The dual chambers are something that sounds really cool. Being able to load up one and just let it decompose while I’m still adding to chamber two would be a great asset.

As an added bonus, the Forest City (Yimby) Tumbling Composter is priced just right for someone getting into composting for the first time or just looking for a more efficient way to make enough compost for their own gardens. I wouldn't see why it couldn't provide a lifetime of composty goodness for your garden!