Comments on Please Come Flying: How To Compost: Sun-Mar 200: Starting All Over Aga...

Well, so far the TumbleWeed composter seems to hav...

2008-11-25T12:26:41.784-05:00

Well, so far the TumbleWeed composter seems to have done well. Granted, most of the matter I put in it a few weeks ago had been sitting in a compost tub that I'd made and was partially composted. I'll be emptying it this week and fulling it wih lots of ground up leaves and other matter and see how it goes. It's winter, so we may not get much activity until the spring. Still, I like the composter. It doesn't take up much space, doesn't look too out of place and is easy to turn. The bar on the pivot point runs through the middle of the composter, which helps keep the compost from clumping.

Hi, I'm glad I came across this post. An avid gard...

2008-11-10T04:04:34.655-05:00

Hi,

I'm glad I came across this post. An avid gardener with "Green" tendencies, I thought Sunmar 200 was my answer to reducing my contribution to the landfills while getting a steady supply of compost for my Garden! I'm based in India, and the unit, which isn't exactly cheap to begin with, would have cost me an almost equal amount to ship to my location. I was on the verge of placing my order, but am now having second thoughts... I can be patient as long as i know the compost will eventually come, but this unit doesn't appear very sturdy... Even getting a replacement is not a viable option for me coz shipping will be a huge cost. Do you guys suggest I shouldn't get too adventurous & give up my plans of buying one? I'm amazed Sun mar is able to command the sort of premium over other composting products in the market without having a reliable/ effective product. My decision, was based on their reputation, and the impressive & logical product concept. Is it all an eyewash?

Just walked outside to add compost to my Sunmar an...

2008-11-01T17:22:21.625-04:00

Just walked outside to add compost to my Sunmar and found it coming off the hinges. Found your post by Google. I'm going to contact the company! I also appreciate your suggestions...we've had this thing for about 1.5 years and haven't gotten anything out yet! I just figured we weren't adding enough and it would take a long time to get going. But Ill try your ideas about watering the inner drum because we get exactly the same thing you described - dry, uncomposted stuff. Thanks, better luck with yours, and wish me luck!

Hi Hugoer.Sun-Mar ended up sending me a brand new ...

2008-10-31T13:45:04.770-04:00

Hi Hugoer.
Sun-Mar ended up sending me a brand new composter, so we're back at square one. And with winter coming on here in Maine, it won't be warm enough to get much composting action. So we'll fill it over the winter and see what happens in the spring!
-j

Well, the Tumbleweed composter has been up for abo...

2008-10-29T12:47:22.227-04:00

Well, the Tumbleweed composter has been up for about a week. I presume that it's doing it's job well because the gnatts seem to be busy and the compost is looking pretty good. I realize that this is not exactly a fair comparison because most of the material was partially composted when it went in. The bin turns pretty easily and it doesn't look bad in the yard.

Josephine, did you ever get your SunMar working correctly?

Hi Hugo.I'd love to hear how you like your Tumblew...

2008-10-25T08:34:14.041-04:00

Hi Hugo.
I'd love to hear how you like your Tumbleweed. I've heard varying reports about paper, too. Some people have good luck with the newspaper & paper bags. Personally, I've found that putting those in whole doesn't work very well.

Instead, we invested in a cheap paper shredder & we have it right in the kitchen where we sort our mail. I put all my junk mail & other used office paper (minus the envelopes with the plastic windows) through the shredder & use that in our compost. It works great! We just recycle our newspapers and paper bags at the recycling center in town.

Ok, I have a question... We decided to try one of ...

2008-10-24T13:51:55.107-04:00

Ok, I have a question... We decided to try one of the Tumbleweed Composters. We just got it, so stay tuned for reports. This first one might not be quite accurate because I filled it mostly with partially composted material that we had going in a plastic tub.

Anyway, my question relates to composting paper. In the past I'd heard that it was possible to compost newspaper and paper grocery bags. I've found some various opinions on the net. What has yours been? I initially added some paper to the mix, but took it out today because this was a pertially completed mix and the paper didn't look like it was doing anything. In defense to the paper, it's only been in there a few days.

Any suggestions on how to "prepare" paper for composting? Soaking or anything?

Hi HugoER.I obviously have the same question. Luck...

2008-10-14T10:55:50.334-04:00

Hi HugoER.
I obviously have the same question. Luckily, Fred Horch, a local retailer of sustainable goods has agreed to write a guest post on composters he recommends. So that should be coming in the next few weeks. In the meantime, if you come across anything, please let us know. :)

Hm, can anyone out there recommend a good compost ...

2008-10-14T10:31:36.703-04:00

Hm, can anyone out there recommend a good compost tumbler? We would prefer a continuous model as well.

So does ANYONE have a solution for continuous comp...

2008-10-14T09:55:36.251-04:00

So does ANYONE have a solution for continuous composting. I was also ready to purchase the SunMar 200, but after reading the posts here, I have second thoughts.

I don't use grass clippings. They're definitely gr...

2008-10-04T12:37:33.924-04:00

I don't use grass clippings. They're definitely greens (even if you dry them), and I have plenty of green waste already. I leave my grass clippings on the lawn as mulch, but you can use them in the composter if you like. Just make sure you put in lots of shredded paper (or leaves) to make up for it.

As for the inner drum falling out...I'm pretty sure it's only a problem with a particular batch of the Sun-Mar 200s. I would definitely keep my eye on the inner drum and see if it starts slipping at all. Mine started tilting and working its way out of the inner drum, pushing the arm out. (See the pictures above.)

You might consider calling Sun Mar or the place where you bought your Sun-Mar to see if they might be able to tell by the date and location of your purchase if yours is likely to be from one of the defective batches. I certainly hope yours isn't, but if it is, Sun-Mar sent me a brand new composter, so I'm sure they'd do the same for you. Now, what to do with my old, defective one?

Hi Josephine,Have you added grass clippings to you...

2008-10-03T17:33:09.346-04:00

Hi Josephine,
Have you added grass clippings to your composter? I let the grass sit and dry out before adding it, hoping it can be used as browns. But it started to really stink and muck up the insides. That's why I changed to the newspaper shreddings.

Also, should I expect my composter to break down like yours, once I reach full capacity? It's close to half full, and already groaning against the weight of the bin when I rotate it.

Thanks,
Ben

Hi Benjamin.I've been shredding all our junk mail ...

2008-10-03T17:03:48.728-04:00

Hi Benjamin.
I've been shredding all our junk mail & office paper and using that for browns and it seems to work really well. I probably put in a whole garbage can full (the medium office-size bin) of shredded paper for every 8-12 small compost pails. I also make sure to compost things like paper towels, tissues, napkins. I think you'll notice a big difference when you start adding more browns.

I would also suggest trying to spray water in the inner drum. Supposedly, that's going to help a lot.

Hi, I purchased a Sun-Mar 200 in July 2008 and so ...

2008-10-03T16:12:13.580-04:00

Hi,
I purchased a Sun-Mar 200 in July 2008 and so have been composting with it for the last 3-4 months. I was very happy to find your blog and discover that it wasn't only me who has been having a hard time with getting compost! It definitely has not been as easy as advertised. I've read through your entire blog and alot of the "challenges" that you encountered, I have also faced. It's eye-opening to find out that you need a full bin before the composting really starts forming- I had no idea.

One thing that really bothers me is the number of fruit flies (I'm assuming that's what they are: really small flying insects) that have infested the composter. When I open the hatch, it's like a little black cloud that rises out and they start swarming all around me. I've read that the cause may be too many greens versus browns and I should try to cover the greens, so I've started bringing home newspaper from my work, shredding it in a paper shredder, and then dumping handfuls with each compost pail. My problem has always been having enough "browns" as where I live, I don't have piles of leaves to add. Since starting this about a week ago, I'm not sure if I've noticed any decrease in the numbers of these tiny flies. I know you probably need these bugs to get the composting process done, but it's kind of disgusting, and my wife and kid won't come near the composter! I battled with regular house flies early on, and managed to eliminate them by covering the composter with a tarp (that also increases the temperature of the composter), but these little guys are relentless. What has been your experience with flies and keeping their population down?