Jora JK125 Outdoor Winter Tumbler Composting - Yes You Can

[pbleic]

I had a simple goal - compost kitchen scraps (including meats, cooked foods, stringy vegetables, etc.) all year round with a minimal amount of work, no risk of rodents, and no worms. I got started from the WSJ article last fall and read everything I could on the web. I initially settled on the NatureMill XE Pro from Costco which seemed perfect (albeit with mixed reviews related to jams). In fact, it did work very nicely for about a month. It "just" about kept up with our family of 3 1/2 at home, and seemed to make nice compost. It made too much noise (and smelled just a little too much) for the kitchen, though so it went down to the basement. Then it jammed open. The jam was a mess and the fix included parts from the manufacturer, and emptying incomplete (and too wet) compost. I returned it.

I thought that was it for composting, but soon got forlorn looking at my shiny, new, empty composting crock in the kitchen. I scoured the web again and found the Jora JK 125. This seemed to have everything I wanted. It had two bins so that kitchen waste could be added every day, but still be able to mature for 4 - 6 weeks after the last batch was put in. It was made in Sweden and designed to work in the cold with polyethylene insulation. The design was simple and the bin was obviously easy to turn no matter how full (using a series of horizontal handles on the panels). It was very tastefully designed, in a utilitarian fashion, out of powder-coated sheet metal. The design was definitely rodent-proof, and provided for adequate aeration. But, as they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating (well, actually composting).

The JK125 arrived a week or so ago and was pretty easy to assemble. I had a "pre-started" small batch of compost in a bucket in the basement, which I added to the composter. Within a day, it was smoking and hot. This smaller version has a MUCH larger capacity than the NatureMill and will easily handle our kitchen scraps and more. I found that I could put almost anything in, without the more restriction on forbidden items (fibrous foods, citrus, etc.)) from NatureMill. The compost got a bit wet and it cooled down until I realized (with a little guidance from Jora) that I wasn't adding enough pellets (purchased at Lowe's for $4.95 for a 40 lb bag). It has now been cooking away, and the compost inside looks dark and well textured. This is all in New England during a VERY cold winter with temperatures at night in the teens and highs in the 20's to low 30's. The AIR temperature above the compost (measured through the air holes from the outside with a very accurate infrared thermometer) was 88 F last night.

I am very pleased with the simplicity and functionality of this machine. It meets all my needs. Aside from a needed tweak to the assembly instructions (which I have passed on to the manufacturer), the device is great. There is a two part video that shows how easy it is (albeit with an older, one door model of the machine. It now has 2 separate doors) on YouTube:

Composting the Easy Way

Hot Composting: The Results

This is not a paid review, nor do I have anything to do with Jora. I am simply very impressed with their product and I am surprised that it doesn't seem to get much airtime when people talk about tumblers or winter composting.

[applestar]

Cool! I hadn't heard much about this Jora tumbler. Thanks for sharing your experience.

BTW -- Don't forget to check out the Greens and Browns sticky in this forum. There are lots of things you can recycle by composting .Though the pellets sounds inexpensive and easy to use, I like using the cardboard TP and paper towel (and gift wrap!) core, used napkins, paper towels, and pressed paper products for my browns.

[rainbowgardener]

Very cool; thanks for the post. On the other hand, I still do everything the low tech old fashioned way, so I just trek my bucket of kitchen scraps through the snow, dump it on my frozen outdoor compost pile, cover it with a whole bunch of fall leaves which I collected for the purpose. When the kitchen scraps bucket gets full and it is seriously too bad weather for me to face the trek to the pile, I stick it out on the screened porch where critters can't get it and get a fresh one (buckets are cat litter buckets with tight fitting lids). Once the weather warms all the frozen stuff on the pile thaws and starts cooking again.

[pbleic]

[rot]

..
What are these pellets you're adding?
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[pbleic]

[levydav]

Anyone have any long-term experience using the Jora composter with kitchen waste?

[akt]

I just purchased the JK 125 composter. It looks like it will sit nearly on the ground and may be difficult to empty. Is there longer legs for this one. thanks, akt

[pbleic]

[K9-person]

I am considering ordering one of these composters. What was the tip you suggested for the Jora Form? Are you still pleased with this composter? Thanks.

[pbleic]

Spring is here and someone requested an update on the Jora JK 125. It has been an interesting learning experience. Although nothing froze over the winter, it was challenging to keep things cooking in the active compost bin. However, despite never getting particularly hot in the cold weather, everything seemed to "integrate" into browness, and when spring arrived finished composting - no smells, and a steady temperature near ambient. I never had to stop adding to the bin, and I have my first complete batch. I filtered it through a 1/2 inch mesh which was messier than I had hoped, but the compost looks great.

Overall, it is a bit more work than I had thought. I had to break up "balls" of compost with a hand rake every once in a while and I had to add more pellets than I had thought (this was the "tip" from Jora - that the compost was typically wetter than desirable and often needed more wood pellets than predicted).

However, it works as advertised, and I am on my 3rd batch (second is "incubating" in the second bin).

[rainbowgardener]

I must say I really like this design. My main trouble with tumblers has always been that they do batch composting. So what do you do with your materials while one batch is cooking... you have a compost pile. If you are going to have a compost pile anyway, why bother with the tumbler? They have answered that problem by making it two separate bins.

Now, other than the $275 and up cost, my other concern would just be for the soil biology. My compost pile sits on the ground and it fills up with earthworms, and a whole variety of macro and micro creatures. You certainly wouldn't get earthworms and other macro creatures in your tumbler. The guy in the YT video did mention bacteria, so I guess it still does have plenty of micro life. I love it that every time I add my compost to my soil, I'm adding a bunch of earthworms along with it, to help break down the compost into plant accessible nutrients.
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Only when we see that we are part of the totality of the planet, not a superior part with special privileges, can we work effectively to bring about an earth restored to wholeness. Elizabeth Watson, Quaker