Feed: Envirocycle Composters: Review of the Envirocycle Composter and Compost Teamaker - AggScore: 14.0

Envirocycle Composters: Review of the Envirocycle Composter and Compost Teamaker

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[caption id="" align="alignleft" width="160" caption="Emvirocycle Tumbler Composter"] [1][/caption] All composters make compost and some composters are tumblers – meaning you have to give them a turn or tumble a few times a week. But the Envirocycle composter is the only composter I know of that collects the liquid fertiliser that the composter makes in its base. This built in collector is ingenious and seems to be a unique feature of this design. ( If anyone knows of any others that collect liquid fertiliser / compost tea, do please let me know by leaving a comment below, thanks). Envirocycle as a company are serious in their commitment to the environment. The composter is made of recycled plastic and shipped in recycled cardboard or other recycled material. They even print the packaging using water based ink so that when the packaging is composted it will not poison the ground with toxic dyes. This is a committed company. Since this is a tumbler composter you might expect to see a handle to turn or an axle or a frame that holds the composter but it sits on its base and will easily tumble on its base which has small rollers built in. The barrel of the composter can be rolled off its base to any part of your garden allowing you to open it and put the new compost exactly where you want it. This saves you having to empty a standard compost bin into a wheelbarrow and pushing the wheelbarrow to where you need it. Let’s look at the details now Features of the Envirocycle Composter and Compost Teamaker Compact tumbler composter A tad over 18 inches long and 20 inches high (knee high for me) Holds 2.3 cubic feet of compost Also contains up to 10 litres of liquid fertiliser or “compost tea” ( about 17 pints) in the base unit Small air ports in the drum allow oxygen into the composting process Lockable lid to stop animals – pets or pests accessing the compost There is no assembly at all. The barrel simply sits on little rollers on the base unit – just pop the barrel on the base and you’re good to go. Some composters require you to get your tools out to assemble them because they arrive in a flat pack. The Envirocycle composter arrives as a barrel and base unit. You can be using your Envirocycle Composter within seconds. Is the Envirocycle Composter the Right Composter Tumbler For You? There are many good composters on the market and they serve different needs, so is this the right composter for you? First of all the unique feature of this composter is the collector in the base which acts as a reservoir of liquid fertiliser. This can be empties at any time and the liquid poured into a container and diluted with 10 parts water and I part compost tea. You can water your flower beds or fruit trees or vegetable plots with this precious liquid. Compost tea is liquid gold for gardeners and this composter makes quarts of it. It is quite a small volume container so this is not for someone with a big plot unless they want a composter purely for the ability to make compost tea and they have a large composter already which handles their solid compost. Like all compost tumblers you have to stop filling the compost3er for a couple of weeks as the composter works its magic. In this time your green waste can be stored in another container. So you might end up buying 2 of these – several folks have simply because they love the design and the simple tumbling action. This is just below knee height so you have to bend down to tumble it – if you have problems bending this could be problematic. The tumbling is easy however. Envirocycle say that the tumbling should be at least 3 times a week – in my opinion, it should be every day – so if you are the kind of gardener who wants to dump your waste in a compost bin and ignore it for a month or two this is not the compost bin for you. Tumblers work fast but they need our help to work! What I Liked About the Envirocycle Composter The design is unique – it is simple with almost nothing to go wrong The container in the base to collect liquid compost tea Compact size and low profile Made with recycled material by a company that seems to be fully committed to the environment What I Disliked About The Envirocycle Composter Envirocycle put instructions on their website so do not expect an instruction book in the shipping container. Yup Envirocycle are determined not to waste paper so they put instructions on the website. Final Thoughts on the Envirocycle Composter [caption id="" align="alignright" width="160" caption="Envirocycle Tumbling Composter"] [2][/caption] This is a composter for a small garden or at least for modest quantities of green waste. Like any other composter it has to be used properly, Throwing any amount of green waste, food waste and brown waste in there and expecting sweet smelling potting compost in a couple of weeks is unrealistic. Used properly this unique design can enrich your garden and if you grow vegetable can enrich your diet too. You may find you like this composter so much that you end up buying another one to use in tandem with it so perhaps factor that into your thinking. If the Envirocycle Composter is for you then check out the latest price and shipping options at Amazon right here on this link. [1] http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31K17689YFL._SL160_.jpg [2] http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/411HwEQhVOL._SL160_.jpg