Winter Composting

Lydia
#1. August 1st, 2008, at 4:26 PM.

This looks awesome. We are looking for a way to deal with dog waste. We already compost during the summer but it would be nice to do year round.

Question: Do you add to the compost pile during the winter? I’m sure you don’t want a heat loss. How do you handle this?

Kris
#3. October 15th, 2008, at 12:28 AM.

Could you keep a bin in the garage all winter? How cold is too cold? Do I need a special bin or just a big rubbermaid tub and a pitch fork?

Robert
#4. November 24th, 2008, at 8:36 AM.

While creating a substainable condition, such as heat, is it ok to mix
around the pile or bin in the winter, fear of conditions heating up too much?

donald russ
#5. April 22nd, 2009, at 4:24 PM.

How is ventilation provided for the insulated bin?

Thanks.

Nikki
#6. January 2nd, 2010, at 10:03 PM.

I just received a compost bin over the Christmas holiday…is it ok to start adding kitchen scraps to it now to later thaw in the spring? First sign of spring I will be adding straw and perhaps a bag of compost accelerator. Is this ok?

Ken
#7. January 20th, 2010, at 2:23 PM.

I have found it extremely beneficial to employ the same methods year round. A simple plastic tarp traps both heat and moisture and creates an environment where high temps often exist all the way to the surface. This makes it much simpler and effective to kill weed seeds not to mention that it dramatically reduces labor to turn or water.
I have a local furniture store that supplies me with large heavy bubble wrap sheets (8′ X 8′). As long as I only cover the top two thirds of the pile and leave the bottom third open, the escaping heat around the perimeter of the cover draws ample air into the pile to keep things cooking for a long time. I have found that this cover allows my pile to stay hot longer and therefore finish out much faster. Uncovered, my pile would hit the cool down period too soon, even though the product wasn’t very “mature”.

Marilyn Cunningham
#8. November 24th, 2010, at 1:39 PM.

We started a small compost box this past summer. It’s small because we have a small household. We were reasonably successful, but now winter has arrived it’s stopped “working”.
I’m considering adding kitchen scraps to the pile throughout the winter even though it won’t do anything until spring. What problems could we have with this method?

David Stuettgen
#9. December 13th, 2010, at 4:11 AM.

Moved my compost bin into garage, but haven’t started yet. Thought about ins. w/ straw slabs and cladding w/ cdboard. Main concern is I don’t have available green matter. I have a leaf stk pile that’s frozen and that is it. Would brewers waste help any? I know this alone will not help, but just as a small addition to the mix.

Sampson
#10. January 13th, 2011, at 12:13 AM.

I appreciate the advice and even though I can understand why you said it seems ridiculous to work on compost in the winter I have a perfectly good reason to back you up.

I’m doing my senior project next semester for high school and I’m making ethanol for my project.

Ethanol needs compost, and I have to start now – in the winter! =D

Kim Israel
#11. January 19th, 2011, at 3:57 PM.

Hi, I am new to indoor vermicomposting and I have two questions. #! my worms are at the top of my indoor bin and not really in the layers. I followed exact instructions on allowing my readied bin sit for two weeks, what is going on that my guys aren’t in the bedding? My second question is regarding my outdoor compost. Now that I am using worms, can I use worms in an outdoor composter where I use an activator?
Thanks so much for your help!
Kim Israel
Barberton, Ohio

Matt
#12. January 2nd, 2012, at 1:34 AM.

Thanks for your help in getting this rolling. Track my progress here:

https://sites.google.com/site/anattemptatwintercomposting/

In the Twin Cities of Minnesota, attempting to compost through the winter with a critical mass. The temperatures haven’t really dropped yet … which is sad seeing that is is November!

Check in and see how it goes!

Simple Guy
#13. December 2nd, 2012, at 3:12 AM.

Dude,
I can’t get a compost pile going in the Summer and I’ve got one of the barrells that supposively makes it easy. lol
Is there an accelerant I need to add?
Thanks,
Mike

Jim
#15. January 25th, 2013, at 8:46 AM.

I’m in SE Michigan and have been composting actively for several years. After two rather mild winters (and a respite of several days the other week that were quite warm) we’re back to traditionally cold weather. I use a small setup, as I am alone here, so a civic-type recycling container in a covered outdoor area is my choice, and in Winter, also large planting containers.
In a container, runoff leaching is not a concern, but I prefer not to add anything with significant liquid due to that encouraging further freezing. Until just the other week, in January, I had not had the ‘big block of ice’ and blame too much moisture in part there. Will be trying to add more coffee grounds soon (though the mix already had a lot) as I’ve seen their melting effect upon snow before. Adding hot water is not the answer here!
I have a strong impression that the very cold weather enhances the physical breakdown of the compost materials–that’s what happens to outdoor natural materials here anyway–so that in a matter of weeks when things thaw out, the fracturing and softening and other effects of the freezing will help to speed up any plant fiber decomposition, and that will be accelerated by digging and moving the compost while still partly frozen (but not immobile, as it is now).

Jim
#16. January 25th, 2013, at 8:52 AM.

Oh, and I never have the cubic yard that’s often suggested, but in general from about March or April through November, the smaller container I use (made of fiberglass or heavy plastic) works well and the compost seems to be rapid. And for up to three months (or more), the compost just doesn’t visibly do much.