Tips for Making Winter Composting Easier



Image: Diego Grez/Public Domain

 Just because the snow is flying and temperatures are dropping doesn’t mean you can’t continue to add ingredients to your compost pile. There are a few steps you can take to make winter composting easier before and after winter weather sets in.

3 Tips for Composting in Winter

Tip #1: Mark Your Compost Pile

I compost directly on the ground meaning I don’t use a tumbler or bin. When fall rolls around and I’m ready to start the second pile of the season, I always pound 4 stakes into the ground to mark exactly where my pile is. This way when the snow starts to pile up, I have no problems locating my compost pile when I want to add scraps.

Tip #2: Buy a Kitchen Compost Bucket

Kitchen compost buckets are fairly inexpensive and a great way to collect kitchen scraps during the winter. Instead of trekking to your pile every day, you can store scraps in the bucket reducing the amount of trips you have to make outside to your pile.

These buckets are small and designed to fit on the counter or under the sink. They lock in odor and some come with bags to make keeping the bucket clean easier. Simply remove the bag or carry the bucket itself out to the compost pile to empty it.

Tip #3: Keep a Path to the Compost Pile Shoveled

I always keep a small path to my compost pile shoveled beginning with the first adequate snow fall of the season. I shovel it after every storm to keep up with the snow and to prevent myself from having to carve out a path when the snow is a few feet deep - a killer on the back.

I make a point to add my scraps to the pile at least once a week during winter and don’t worry about turning my compost until the spring thaw reawakens the landscape around me. I try to spread out my scraps evenly on the pile over the fallen snow. When the snow melts in the spring, my scraps settle into place where they resume the decomposition process.

Do you have any tips to make winter composting easier?

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