Use Your Home Built Tumble Composter to Create Rich Compost

A tumbling composter will quickly create rich compost if you feed it the right ingredients!

Steps

Choose a warm sunny spot to put the tumbler. The compost will break down much quicker if it is warmed by the sun.
Save your vegetable kitchen scraps to add to the tumbler, avoid adding the seeds of vegetables (see tips).
Adding grass clippings and other non-woody garden waste is essential (see tips).
The contents of the composter need to be moist but not wet. Grab a handful and if you can squeeze water from it -- it is too moist - add dry manure or grass clippings, tumble, leave for a week and test again. Similarly, if too dry, avoiding adding grass and dry materials and just add vegetable matter until moist.
When adding water, use well water or water that has allowed to sit overnight so chlorine can evaporate. This will stop the chlorine from killing 'good' bacteria
Tumble your composter at least once a week. When you do turn it over, tumble slowly a number of times and allow the contents to mix.
In a composter that is working well, the contents should feel warm to the touch.
If your composter is smelly, add a handful of garden lime or dolomite.
Don't overfill the tumbler - try to only fill 2/3's to 3/4's full at anytime. You will find the contents compact as they decay. Work on a 2-3 month cycle from starting a load to emptying it onto your garden.
Depending on how well you balance the moisture level in the tumbler, you will get 2 or 3 loads of rich compost a season.

Smelly composters generally are too wet, or have had meat tainted scraps added and are probably acidic. Adding lime and/or dolomite neutralizes the acid and smell and "sweetens" the mix, releasing nutrients at the same time. The other main reason for odor is that the compost is not being aerated enough (anaerobic bacteria). This is easily addressed by turning the compost more often.
If the composter is working correctly, any seeds in it should break down, or be killed by the heat. However, to avoid capsicums and pumpkins popping up where ever you spread the compost - just avoid putting them in.
Chop up your garden cuttings into small pieces or shredding the waste before putting them into the composter will speed their breaking down into compost.
Woody garden waste can be used, but only if shredded first.
Remember to monitor the temperature of the core (i.e. the centre of the compost heap). Successful composting depends a lot on achieving the optimal core temperature.
The compost is ready if it forms clumps resembling freshly laid horse manure and has no recognizable veggie scraps remaining.

DO NOT compost dog or cat waste or waste related materials!
Horse and cow manure must be aged for several months before adding. Straw and hay may contain seeds, but the bedding / feed can be composted and used as a valuable addition to the soil.
Do not add meat, or any cooked veggies that have been in oil or eggs, or egg waste unless you like to attract rats and vermin.
Adding rabbit, goat, sheep, Llama manures from pastured animals not exposed to wormers will greatly aid your compost break down by heating up your compost contents. (Those animals given DE as a wormer, the manure is safe to use without aging or special handling)