Then rake it to make it
bin either sits on the floor or on a central axle that you rotate to speed up the compost process.
Generally, a tumbler composts material down in around three months, but it will need to be pretty much full to get started. And once it is full, you really can’t add any more to it.
Tumblers are a good space-saving choice but if you want to continually add to the compost, I’d recommend a plastic one instead.
As you are tidying up your garden this autumn and preparing it for winter, you’ll probably find you have a lot of materials that you can chuck in the compost bin.
Spread the finished compost over the soil and around borders.
Worms will pull it down into the ground, giving plants plenty of nutrients. Leafmould is a brilliant natural soil conditioner – and raw materials are lying around, waiting to be swept up.
Removing leaves from your lawn is vital or they will block out light and kill your grass within a couple of months. By collecting them now and storing them, you can return their nutrients back to the soil in a year or two.
You don’t even need your own tree. You can collect leaves from your street or park – avoid busy roads because they can be contaminated with litter.
Beech, oak and hornbeam leaves will break down easily, with very little extra assistance. Thicker leaves, such as those from the sycamore and horse chestnut, take longer to break down. Shredding using a rotary mower speeds the process up.
Gather leaves and store in a black bin bag or garden sack. If they are dry, moisten them, tie the bag and pierce several holes in it using a garden fork. Then stack it round the back of the shed and let nature do the rest. Within a couple of years, you’ll have beautiful leaf mould ready to go into the soil.
Once it is ripe, dig it into the soil to build up texture. Or mix with sharp sand to use as excellent potting compost for new seeds or cuttings. quoting or visit