When any gardener starts composting, it usually begins with just a pile over in the corner of the yard. But at some point you'd like to have a compost bin that is a little more attractive, but not a lot of money. Here's a look at the Garden Gourmet Composter that is so popular these days.

The Garden Gourmet Compost Bin has even been featured on the Oprah Winfrey show, so it's seen it's share of good press. It's a nice size (about 11 cubic feet) and is made of recycled plastic (at least 51% post consumer plastic.) It features a door at the bottom of the bin where you are supposed to be able to take out the finished compost.

It also has a door at the top which can be used to add composting material, but if you want to turn the compost or aerate it you need to remove the entire top. It does have air ventalation slots on the side, so you have less chance of a greem pile turning into a slimy mess.

It has been sold for years, and generally it seems they will hold up to the elements well. One thing to note is that it doesn't have a bottom, so you may want to put it on some small mesh chicken wire or a screen to keep out varmints.

The biggest issue with this or almost any compost bin, especially those with a door on the bottom, is that if you use it where you load material at the top and wait for it to compost out the bottom, it takes quite a while and the volume of compost you can get out of it is limited.

If you choose to work the pile actively, turning it regularly with something like the Compost Crank turning tool, then at some point you have to stop adding material, and you need another bin, pile, or bucket to store the material.

Aside from that, the Garden Gourmet seems to be a good low cost composter for the average gardener.