Comments on: Winter Composting: Should I Just Scrap It?

By: Robyn

Robyn — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:28:11 +0000

Living in Fargo (yep, we loved the movie!) I’ve found a way to compost throughout harsh winters. I line a 30-gal garbage can with a plastic trash bag and keep it right outside my kitchen door. I dump kitchen scraps all winter. Once temps begin warming up in the spring, I empty the contents into my two traditional composters. There’s a lot of “compost tea” (liquid) at the bottom of the bag) which is great for getting them going. This fall I’ve saved several bags of lawnmower-mulched clippings and leaves and will allow them to decompose on their own. With our severe negative temps, I’m not sure what will happen but it’s worth the time and little effort on my part to see if I have good soil next May!

By: j. kaczy

j. kaczy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:34:56 +0000

Actinomyacetes love oxygen. Turn that pile more often and it composts quickly. The temp. can go up pretty darn high and smoke. The more green (nitrogen) that you add to the brown (carbon) makes for more compost. Chicken manure and hair has lots of nitrogen. Leaves, when they are brown, of course add carbon. Don’t add grease cause it seals the actinomyacetes. The worms hate onions and they don’t like oranges or lemons.

I have spoken. :0

By: j. kaczy

j. kaczy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:29:05 +0000

ps My garden kicks ass.

By: j. kaczy

j. kaczy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:26:29 +0000

Another way to have a “hightech” looking composter is to go to HD or Lowe’s and buy a sheet of that lathing sheetmetal that people use to put stones on their house with.

Make a shape like a box and put in your leaves. It stands about 3 feet in a square shape and looks great. I have seen people make walls of leaves with it in a serpentine shape many feet long.

It is an excellent idea as well.

By: j. kaczy

j. kaczy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 16:24:16 +0000

I am a diehard gardener with years of experience. I have volunteered many places and go garden tour hunting.

The ideal way to compost from my experience it to have a yard of horse manure dumped someplace on the property. Then, when you have kitchen scrap, go out there and dig a hole in the pile and cover it with more manure.

My worms are UNBELIEVABLE and create the best vermicompost. I didn’t build anything, I add leaves that you can just go over with a lawn mower to chop and add carbon/texture and then I put it on my 100 roses.

By: Holly

Holly — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 21:36:53 +0000

Yup, I always compost throughout the winter and really do nothing special. It all eventually composts down. I have 2 composters, though so that probably helps!

By: Melissa

Melissa — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:27 +0000

these are some great tips i can give to my family and friends back on the east coast.

By: Martha Claus

Martha Claus — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 19:55:29 +0000

I’ve used a wooden worm bin for years for winter kitchen composting. It’s a wood box on wheels which I keep in my basement walkout, an unheated but protected stairwell. I insulated a small space under the first step with foam insulating panels and put a small electric space heater next to the box. I keep it at 45-50 degrees. The wheels enable me to pull the box out when I need to add a batch of kitchen garbage. In the spring, I take the box outside and harvest the worm castings. (I can tell you how I do it in another post) Outside I have a small metal garbage can with the bottom removed. I taped plastic window screen to the bottom so the worms can’t get out and it doesn’t get soggy. The worms go in there and they’re ready to start the cycle all over again. It is an amazingly satisfying process and I’ve done it for 20 years!

By: Josee

Josee — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 19:26:41 +0000

Great Post Ginny! I was actually pondering about composting this Winter, after a overfilled outdoor compost bin by January last Winter! I’m doing bokashi and strongly thinking about getting the inddor compost bin, if anybody has used it how good does it work?