Right now, I do NOT think so! 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??
My bid for winter composting involves not going outdoors at all: I haul my worm bin indoors when night-time temps go below 40F. It's more work to deal with the peat moss dust indoors, but well worth staying warm!
ReplyDeleteI usually save some shredded paper or leaves to add to the bin on top of food scraps. Or could you start a new pile just for the winter and then combine with the bin in the spring?
ReplyDelete