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??
2 comments:
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!
I 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?
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