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Creating a DIY compost tumbler will enable you to transform kitchen waste into a usable product for the garden. Compost is an organic, nutrient rich product that feeds vegetable plants and flowers so they can produce their best.
A DIY compost tumbler will provide you with organic plant food so you won’t have to use chemical fertilizer in the garden. Composting is the ideal way to recycle food scraps and keep them out of the landfill, so a simple compost container like one of these will help you reduce your carbon footprint on the planet.
Check out these 16 homemade compost tumblers to find the one that is right for your composting needs.
You may also like to see homemade compost bins , homemade worm composting bins and guide on how to make compost.
1- Cheap and Efficient Compost Tumbler
This is a diy compost tumbler made out of a barrel which retains only a little heat. You only need a barrel, a 36”X18” board, four non pivoting wheels, two hinges and two pin locks. The first thing to do is to make a door using the board and the hinges. Drill a few holes to aerate your compost container. Next, mount it in a wooden frame and fill it with kitchen waste. Remember to turn your compost barrel frequently.
2- Drum Composter
Easy on the back and very efficient, this drum compost design is one of the best compost tumblers for the home gardener.
The 55 gallon drum is mounted on a frame at just the right height to make loading, turning and unloading easy to accomplish without bending over. The black plastic drum heats up quickly and allows the kitchen scraps and yard waste inside the drum to heat up and decompose very quickly.
The ease of turning this DIY compost tumbler will encourage you to turn it often and keep the interior waste products well aerated.
3- Recycled Kitchen Composter
No need to invest in new materials to build a DIY compost tumbler, just use what you have on hand to create one.
A used metal or plastic 55 gallon drum, a few pieces of recycled lumber and a steel rod are the main components of this rotating compost bin. All these items are often left over from other DIY projects or can easily be bartered for from a friend.
These free plans will show you how to use recycled items to make an efficient kitchen composter so you can keep your garden plants well fed throughout the growing season.
4- Garbage Can Composter
You can make a diy composter with the use of a garbage can and a few nuts and bolts. A 35 gallon garbage can will cost just $14.99. For making the frame you will need a few pieces of 3”X4” wood which will cost less than $10.
5- 55 Gallon DIY Compost Tumbler
The next one is the best composter for a large family that have lots of waste as it is made out of a barrel with a capacity of 55 gallons. This container needs to be of food grade. You need a few more items such as nut and bolts, latches and wood for the frame. However, the entire lot of items will not cost anything more than $30 to $35.
6- 50 Gallon Compost Tumbler
The following is the way to make another rotating compost bin. Here also you use a food grade 55 gallon barrel for making it. Other items you need are nuts and bolts hinges and wood for the frame. You need to create a door that will allow a shovel to pass through. For aeration you need to drill holes in the barrel. Finally, you mount it on the wooden frame and start using it.
7- Double Decker Composter
If your family produces a lot of kitchen waste, but you don’t want to dedicate a large part of your yard for composting, check out this double decker composter.
This design only takes up a small space in the backyard and will turn out a large amount of compost in a short amount of time. Two 55 gallon plastic barrels are placed on a vertical frame to provide two compost bins in one space.
These rotating compost bins are easy to build, easy to rotate and easy to empty.
8- Spinning Composter
Small, easy to build and fun to use, this spinning composter will transform food waste into plant food very quickly.
The small wood stand and 55 gallon plastic barrel are light weight and can be moved as needed. The design makes scraps easy to put in and compost easy to get out. Your kids will want to get involved with composting with this DIY compost tumbler since it’s fun to spin. Kids will also be amazed to watch how vegetable peels and other food waste transform into black soil inside the spinning composter.
9- Garbage Can Compost Tumbler
Transform an ordinary plastic garbage can into a DIY compost tumbler, then transform kitchen and yard waste into plant food with this great idea.
A store bought model that is similar to this design can cost close to $300, but this DIY version will cost less than $20. If you have an old plastic garbage can on hand, then it will cost almost nothing to make.
Just make a few air holes in the garbage can, then layer in organic material until the garbage can is full. Secure the lid on the can with a bungee cord and roll the can around for a few minutes. Roll the can around in the yard each day to keep the organic material aerated and promote decomposition, and in just a few weeks you will have nutrient rich compost for your garden.
10- Rotating Drum
Follow these free detailed instructions for building a garden composter and keep your plants well fed. This is an ideal composting design for those who use sustainable gardening practices. This idea uses the rotating drum over the large compost pile so everything is in the same location.
Add grass clippings, leaves and other yard waste to the bottom pile until there is room inside of the composting drum. The larger organic material will begin to decompose before it goes inside the rotating drum along with smaller kitchen scraps and decomposition will be mush faster.
11- Bucket Composter
This design uses two, twenty gallon buckets instead of a 55 gallon barrel. The rotating compost bin will be smaller and is good for households that don’t generate a lot of kitchen or yard waste.
These free, step by step instructions will take you through the building process with ease so you can build this in just one weekend.
The wooden frame is a simple design and will eliminate bending over to help make composting easy on your back.
12- Low Down Composter
If you would prefer a composter that is low to the ground, then this design is for you. Some people prefer a rotating compost bin that is just inches off the ground so it can be loaded and unloaded easy. And that is what this model does.
A 55 gallon plastic barrel is the main component of this DIY compost tumbler, along with four wheels and a piece of plywood. The height of the compost container does not impact the rate of speed at which the organic material decomposes, the aeration provided by the turning determines that. This low down composter does the same job as a composter that is several feet off the ground.
13- Small Kitchen Composter
Keep scraps out of the landfill and create nutrient rich soil for a small garden with this composter design that uses a 7 gallon bucket.
Ideal for small households and small gardens, this small kitchen composter will turn out big results.
Use these instructions to build a small wooden frame and attach the 7 gallon bucket. Fill bucket with organic scraps and start turning. It won’t be long until those scraps turn into usable plant food.
14- Chicken Manure Tumbling Composter
If you have backyard chickens, then you have an abundance of chicken manure. The manure is an ideal soil ammendment and organic fertilizer, but it does need to be broken down before it can be utilized by plants.
Use these free building plans to construct an efficient and practical DIY tumbling composter for manure generated by your backyard chickens.
15- Cheap Composter
A black plastic trash can and a bungee cord is all you need to make this rolling composter. Load the trash can with organic scrap material, secure the lid with a bungeee cord, then roll it around daily until the material decomposes.
16- Inexpensive 30 Gallon Compost Tumbler
Finally, we have yet another diy compost tumbler made out of a 55 gallon food grade barrel. Since there is a picture tutorial on how to make it you will find it easy to make it. The cost will remain around $35. This is also a large compost bin tumbler that could accommodate a lot of waste material disposed from the kitchen.
Since you have seven compost bin plans which will guide you on how to make them, you have ample opportunity to choose the one that suits your household. Not only you could save money but also you will have the satisfaction that you made it yourself. On top of all, you will get the compost necessary to get your plants to grow well.
