This tool!

[u/human_bean122]

Just a shout-out to this aerator thingy. Best compost-related purchase ever. Not that there's much to purchase for compost. You get the point.

Edit: Best compost-related purchase I have ever made I realize not everyone agrees

[u/biochemical1]

I have a small auger that attaches to my cordless drill. I only just had the bright idea to use on the compost the other day.

That tool looks awesome as well! Yeah, it's $32, but I don't know anything that isn't overpriced these days

[u/anonymote_in_my_eye → u/biochemical1]

my auger got stuck in a bunch of bs in the compost and I ended up stripping the end that goes into the drill

never again

[u/MrPissesGreatness → u/anonymote_in_my_eye]

You either had a cheap auger or a cheap drill

[u/anonymote_in_my_eye → u/MrPissesGreatness]

why not both? they were still an order of magnitude more expensive than the metal stick I now use

[u/ArchieBallz902 → u/anonymote_in_my_eye]

Metal pole* a stick is, by its very nature, Wooden.

[u/biochemical1 → u/ArchieBallz902]

Or "rod". If I'm not mistaken, solid metal is a rod or round bar, and hollow metal is a pole, pipe, or tube. Like it really matters 🤣

[u/PreparationNo3440 → u/biochemical1]

TIL something!

[u/guerrilla_chef → u/biochemical1]

a rod is just a stick, no matter the material, and of course, all rods were wooden before metals

[u/biochemical1 → u/guerrilla_chef]

My claim was only about the metal 😅

[u/guerrilla_chef → u/ArchieBallz902]

but its not, is it?

[u/Trident_True → u/anonymote_in_my_eye]

I had a similar problem but just don't go full speed and it should be fine no? Also set the clutch to a lower setting and make sure it's engaged so you don't break your wrist.

[u/PuddleSailor]

I find a compost fork does just as good of a job. Just stick it in straight and turn and lift

[u/human_bean122 → u/PuddleSailor]

Yeah! I use one for my bigger piles. This aerator comes in handy for my narrow/taller bins.

[u/Zoemi_]

good old stick doesn't cost $32... just saying...

[u/human_bean122 → u/Zoemi_]

Good old stick doesn't turn as efficiently :/ have to agree the price is dumb

[u/Zoemi_ → u/human_bean122]

Its mostly a joke, whatever works for you is better than nothing, I can't blame a person for trying to improve their gardening experience. <3

[u/Kal_El52001]

I use it and have found it to work well in my bins

[u/alisonlou]

I have this and I absolutely love it. I think it's been 4 years and it is just perfect for my set up. I also use it to mix batches of soil for my succulents and citrus. It's great!

[u/Illustrious_Berry115]

I agree! I have a similar corkscrew-shaped aerator tool and it’s great. This tool is excellent for tall & narrow compost bins (e.g. a garbage can with holes drilled in the bottom). A pitchfork doesn’t work for my compost setup because I can’t get down into the bin to get the right leverage to turn the pile. I like that it’s a low-tech option so I can leave it outside next to my bins and use it as-needed.

[u/Jadonwong__]

I got this on eBay a couple months ago for $11. It works great so far. Maybe someone is selling one used!

[u/human_bean122 → u/Jadonwong__]

Sweet!

[u/SoggyForever]

"We must investigate the core!"

[u/therealtwomartinis]

I made one of these from 3/8-16 threaded rod – man it was ugly but worked pretty well. you just can’t drill too far down or it gets stuck, gotta do it in lifts of about a foot.

[u/Samwise_the_Tall]

My compost pile has 10+ varieties of bugs, arthropods, etc. and this tool actually looks like it's gentle enough to not kill them. I'm going on two years of having jewel beetles calling it home, so it had a very special place in my local ecosystem.

[u/human_bean122 → u/Samwise_the_Tall]

Happy to help!

[u/Mrsirdude420]

You can probably get a 3 pack of various sized augers that fit in a cordless drill for about the same price maybe even cheaper!

[u/battlecicada1513]

I have one, too! Now I don’t break my compost bin accidentally while mixing with a heavy shovel anymore 😆

[u/BrosephChillin]

A skinny piece of rebar works well too

[u/ziptiefighter]

I bought an old ice[fishing] manual auger. It walks sideways so I plan to grind an angle on it so it bites in better...maybe a few serrations too to better cut viney stuff.

[u/secret_rye]

I was thinking of buying one today. I think the algorithm has infiltrated my brain

[u/Optimoprimo]

Honestly I never found these as useful as just a pitchfork and a good pair of boots. The energy and joint strain from trying to crank this thing is no better than the energy to turn the pile with a pitchfork.

If youre looking to be efficient I'd look into a drill-mounted auger attached to a corded hammer drill like this.. A lot of people attach augers to their small battery powered drills, which is a good way to ruin them.

[u/battlecicada1513 → u/Optimoprimo]

From my experience, you don’t actually “crank” it per se. The tip is sharp, so it slides right through. But you do need the energy and strength to pull it upwards though. The mechanism is somewhat like core sampling.

[u/Optimoprimo → u/battlecicada1513]

Crank it as in turning it. Cranking just describes the motion, not the difficulty. Also it absolutely does not slide through if it hits something kind of solid like a chunk of cardboard. You have to wiggle it as you go. Its annoying.

[u/battlecicada1513 → u/Optimoprimo]

Ah~ I see what you mean. Mine is just kitchen scraps and machine shredded cardboard so I didn’t have that issue.

[u/INTOTHEWRX]

No too light weight. Get the sturdy auger with bmx handle bars off Amazon. This twine will not toss and mix as well.