
This morning, I layered with several wool sweaters, put on my big furry long leather coat with the hood on my head, and my rain boots. I told my husband that I was challenging my relatives from "deep Russia," as my dad likes to call the area where my grandma is from (farming and living off the land are the norm here). I started the trek to the compost area in the back right corner of our yard.
When I got to the compost bin and piles, they were covered in snow. I brushed the snow off the compost bin and tried to open it. The lid was frozen shut. Ok. Plan B! I can bury the food scraps in the compost piles likes I used to do. The compost bin is almost full anyways and the decomposition processes have stalled during this freezing weather.
Plan B had one challenge though - the almost-composted soil was frozen (it has been below freezing outside). I used the pitch fork to poke around until I found a soft spot that I could lift. These were the dried leaves that had not started to decompose yet. Perfect! I was able to find a few areas that I could use to bury the food scraps. Since we have a lot of critters in our neighborhood, burying the food scraps in the compost pile helps to keep them out. The smell is contained. Now, I hope the critters do not sense that an area was disturbed and start digging there for the food. Hehe.
>> What are your tips for composting in the winter??