The absolute simplest compost tumbler that you can build is one that you merely need to roll simply by giving it a push with your arms or a kick with your foot. The bigger this manual tumbler is the more soil it will be able to hold. However you don't want to make your compost tumbler so big that you can't push it.

Here are some instructions for building a compost tumbler that is of a size that most people won't have any trouble pushing around on their lawn.

The first thing that you need to do is obtain an 8 or 10 ft section of) corrugated drain culvert pipe that is two feet on the inner diameter. You can find these on construction sites and they are becoming more popular sites in hardware and lumber stores. However you might need to order a twenty-foot section and cut it your self. If this is the case then it might be a good idea to ask your neighbors to if they want some pipe to make their own tumblers or if they could pay you to make a composter tumbler for them. That way the entire neighborhood benefits.

Twenty feet of pipe makes three big six-foot tumblers or six yard sized three-foot tumblers. The three-foot tumblers are the easiest to roll without too much effort. A three-foot tumbler will also hold quite a bit of humus - about ten to twelve cubic feet of it. This means that if you get five of your neighbors to have these tumblers as well you all will be doing Mother Nature a big favor.

If you manage to find an end you might only pay about eight dollars or less for it but if you are stuck with ordering the twenty feet of culvert pipe that is probably going to cost you about three hundred dollars. This is another reason that you might want to get about six of your neighbors in on this project with you. It enables you to split the costs of the pipe.

You can have the pipe precut or you can pick up the entire pipe in a truck and cut it yourself. Make sure you get some help with this, as the pipe will be stiff and hard to stabilize. Building this type of compost tumbler is no simple project for school kids (if you haven't gathered that already!).

You will of course need to seal the end of the culvert tube somehow. This does not have to be a fancy or complicated operation. You can seal it with plywood ends or pieces of Plexiglas that are cut to measure (that way you can see inside.) You do not have to be that complicated when sealing the lid. You can simply attach bolts and then seal the cover with a bungee cord. That way when you want to access the humus inside all you need to do is simply open it from one side by removing the bungee cord and shoveling out the amount you need to use.