Do the round black tumbling composters REALLY work?

I have heard good things about them. They are pricey, and I don't know if they provide much space if you will be composting a lot of yard waste, but if you keep up on the, cranking them to stir them up, they should work pretty well

I'll go for the waste of money.

I use mine continuously but earth worms cannot get into it and don't survive if they are introduced to it. Winter the whole thing turns into a block of ice so no composting occurs. It's close to the house so I keep using it for kitchen waste but it is not the best.

Deterioration of yard and kitchen waste occurs much more rapidly if the compost container is contacting the soil. I use round cages made of fence in my garden for composting, planting tomatoes around them during the growing season then turning them over in the spring. Because it is difficult to turn during the growing season they don't get mixed and it does slow decomposition but they are a good place to tie up the tomatoes.

They definitely do work, but you can make your own out of a new garbage can or anything dark with a lid. Just rotate and keep adding compost to it regularly, make a way to turn or just roll it on the ground. The store bought ones are very handy.

the tumbling ones make your job easier.Just be sure to pay little more for a heavier one

We have had a green tumbling composter for years and are very happy with it. It would a bit slower than our composting box but is much easier to empty and can be moved to other locations without emptying. We do add grass clipping at times to get the compost working.

Yes they do work. But they don't hold as much composting material as a compost pile does. You need to get the water/compost ratio right and turn often but not too often (usually 3 times a week is good). Also if the composter is made out of plastic material remember that sitting out in the elements can warp it. And that can cause the door to not fit snuggly.

here in New England, we have a problem with the black plastic handles freezing in the winter and breaking off