Composting in the Winter
Does composting stop in the winter? Nope, at least not here on the West Coast. The composting microbes, and even worms, are still working but very slowly, like food in the fridge. If you made hot compost in the fall, by filling a bin or pile with mixed carbon and nitrogen rich materials at once, you may have a toasty pile all winter. We have seen melted snow on ours. Keep adding the browns (leaves, straw, wood chips, shredded paper, etc.) and greens, small pieces if you can, (kitchen scraps, coffee grounds, weeds, etc.) and make sure it is damp but not soaked. Even if it is slow now, as soon as the temperature warms, the compost will be a...