SMART POT12120 Compost Sak Fabric Composting Container

What a great and economic alternative to a huge composter! I threw it in my backyard and have been layering garden and kitchen scraps. Will update with compost review soon.On the fabric--very sturdy. Needs to be folded down in the beginning as you keep layering. It's not stiff so my dogs have been able to climb on top, folding the sides, to get at the scraps. Pet owners beware. The fabric is very breathable and let's water flow through it. When I tried composting with a regular trash bin, my problem was overwatering from the rain. With this compost sak, the rain is not a problem since the water drains thoroughly. Will see if my compost turns out well.

Just like a Smart pot. Very durable bag! No mess! The only thing is that I wish there was something to hold it upright and open. It folds open but after awhile, it needs something sturdier. Still, it keeps critters out. Just fold top closed and clip shut while it is cooking. Holds plenty of compost to meet your gardening needs for a small home garden. I hope to buy a second one.

I have done just about every kind of composting, and I've used various compost bins -- tumblers, in-ground units, open-bottomed on-ground units, Geo Bins, bokashi composting, etc., and I could not believe how quickly this sak heated up my compost. While I used to live on a farm and had plenty of room for my extensive composting operation, I moved to my elderly parents' condo to assist them a couple of years ago. I've been so frustrated at not having a place to compost and having to throw out food scraps. I couldn't take it anymore and started bokashi composting a few months ago, but then I didn't really have room to bury the bokashi, as you're supposed to when it's done with the initial cure. So I bought a big plastic tote, drilled holed in the lid and around the top, and mixed the semi-finished bokashi-composted kitchen scraps with some garden dirt and carbonaceous material, added a bit of compost starter, and it seemed to be working, but it never warmed up that much. I even thought my compost thermometer was broken. Then I got the Compost Sak, transferred the contents of my compost bin into it, with a bit more carbonaceous material, and within hours, things were really cooking, and the temperature got into the 120-130 range at last. I don't even have my Compost Sak sitting in the sun, which the manufacturer recommended. It just looks like a tidy bag of leaves, folded over, and isn't attracting any attention. Works well for my purpose. (I wouldn't mind if it were a bit taller, and a proper lid and handles on the sides to make it easier to move.)Some of the negative reviews make me think the people simply aren't experienced composers, and that's ok, it can take awhile to get the hang of it. It's good to remember that there is no one composting system that works for all people in all circumstances, but this one work great for me, living in a condo with only a small patio with a few pots of herbs and veggies to call a garden. By fall, I'm going to have a lot of nice compost to mulch the landscape plants and my patio pots with.UPDATE: I just came back to this review, I guess I forgot to submit it. This really needs a lid that can be latched or zippered shut, and some handles on the side, because it becomes very hard to move when full.

I was surprised to discover that the sak does not have a flat bottom. This seems so illogical! No photos of the ask reveal this. You would expect a compost container to be able to sit upright. A flat bottom is a prerequisite—especially since the fabric is not rigid. Will probably use for making leaf mold. Adding food scraps to cling to the floppy fabric does not compute either. Just leaves and grass going into this.

I am a master composter so I came into this method with some knowledge. I have a small lot/big house situation but we have lots of organic matter and no real options. Tried bokashi but not sustainable for me. We bought a big lot to build so I have my compost saks there. I now have 3. These saks pretty much defy what I know. I mix chopped food scraps - usually a 2 gal pail at a time - with old leaf debris that has broken down over time on the lot as my carbon. I do not use 4:1 ratio. I usually use 1:1 or 1:2 at most. I get coffee grounds from home or Starbucks if lucky. I do add compost activator or sometimes composted manure if lucky. When only half full, I am reaching temps of 130-140 degrees. My newest bag at less than 1 ft depth of contents was 110 degrees yesterday. This is incredible and defies what we usually think and that is that we need lots of volume. I started my first sak in December. That bag was totally finished by May 1. You will know when it is finished when it stops generating heat. This bag has been sifted to get 50 gallons of compost. The rest is lovely mulch that I put around garden plants. Water: I usually use 4-6 gallons of water per sak to water every 1-2 days. Sometimes only 2 bottles. Depends. I am on a canal but cannot use that water for compost and stay organic. I have lots of empty 1 gal vinegar bottles around as I use that for laundry. I keep an empty 1 gallon bottle under kitchen tap and catch all the water that would go down the drain. The amount of water waste is incredible you will discover. I haul those over to my lot. I use regular size pitch fork to turn. Be careful with this ,obviously, but I have had no problem. You will notice the compost closest to the fabric dries out first. Because of this, I turn that into the center when I fluff the compost to aerate. I cannot say enough good things about the Compost Sak. It will continue to be my method even when we finally build on that lot. BTW I have had one incidence of flies and one of ants. Both were due to inattention for short period. Ants were due to lack of water; flies due to insufficient carbon - and laziness on my part.

At first this was the perfect composting option, then we noticed holes at squirrel height, so our dogs are also snacking now.