HOW TO COMPOST DURING THE WINTER MONTHS

Composting is a fantastic way to help limit the amount of garbage that gets sent to landfills.

Not only that but it speeds up the decomposition of organic matter, allowing it to compost faster.

In the fall months, you may consider abandoning your composting efforts during the winter months but keeping your compost active all year has several benefits.

Not only will composting during the winter help to produce fertilizer for your spring gardening efforts, but it can handle more volume than most indoor composters.

HOW TO COMPOST DURING THE WINTER

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There are a few ways to compost during the winter months, even in cold climates, you just have to prepare.

COLLECT LEAVES

Leaves are fantastic fuel when it comes to your compost pile.

When you are raking the yard, put aside a few bags of dried leaves for over the winter.

This will allow you to add them to the pile when you add in your organics.

Dry leaves will help to ensure that the moisture in your pile is kept to a minimum.

BUILD A ROOF

Building a roof over your compost pile can help to protect it from snow and other precipitation, keeping your compost pile dry and in working order.

In fact, you can even put a tarp over the pile to keep it extra dry and contain the internal heat of the pile.

SHRED YOUR COMPOST

As the weather gets colder, the composting process will slow.

Shred your organic material into smaller scraps to allow your compost pile to work more effectively and efficiently.

CREATE LAYERS

Creating layers of green and browns in your compost pile will make sure that there is an even distribution of carbon and nitrogen.

Greens like garden waste and kitchen scraps and browns like dead leaves, newspaper, and straw, should be added to the pile in very specific layers.

IF IT FREEZES

If you find that your compost pile has frozen over the cold months, never attempt to rotate it.

Doing so will only remove the heat that has generated in the middle of the pile.

Continue to layer on greens and browns until the warmer weather kicks the composting process back into gear.

There are several ways to compost over the winter months, just remember preparation is key.

You can still use compost containers indoors to prevent a trip to the backyard on super cold days.

Check out our other posts on COMPOSTING:

COMPOSTING FOR BEGINNERS

COMPOST THIS, NOT THAT

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