Oct
Compost Piles In Winter- It Can Be Done
Compost piles generate a fair amount of heat. OK. Some composters record temperatures in excess of 160?F in a fast compost pile. However - the cold days of winter can force the heat to drop & the composting action to stop. How then, might one keep a pile active over winter?
Generally we think of compost piles needing food, air & moisture but they also require heat. If the temperature drops too much the bodily functions of the microorganisms that achieve the composting work simply stop. Some of the creatures grow dormant & others freeze, but they all stop. Keeping a pile going in winter means keeping up the heat.
One method is to build a pile all at once & keep it insulated. A pile three feet high, wide & deep is sufficient to develop the necessary heat but it must be retained by means of insulation. At the same time air must be allowed to approach the pile so solid insulation is not feasible. A layer of leaves two or three feet thick has been found to work as has building the pile surrounded by bales of hay.
Another method is to build the pile indoors. For this a garage heated enough to stop freezing should work well. The pile will need to be turned at regular intervals of about three days to stop ii going anaerobic & producing unseemly odors.
One of the older methods of winter composting was to bury the pile. At a depth of two feet the ground in most areas of the world will maintain a temperature of about 42?F, sufficiently warm for compost to work. In actual fact, in former days a compost pile would be built like this in early spring when snow was still on the ground. A mix of spoiled hay & manure from winter bedding would be added & the pile topped with earth. After about a week when the compost was well started & heat began to build, seeds would be planted in the bed & a glass cover mounted over it… The hot bed would produce seedlings for the spring garden.
I tend to be more of a lazy gardener. Since I have little use for compost in the winter, I let material for the spring pile accumulate & freeze out of doors. There is more. There is more. The last pile of the fall or early winter freezes solid even though I attempt to have it as finished a compost as possible before that happens. In spring as it gradually thaws I gradually add it to the garden beds & begin a pile with the winter accumulation.
Winter does not have to mean an end to composting & anything done for the compost in the winter is a good way to dream of the spring garden.
Darrell Feltmate is an avid gardener who has been composting & gardening for over 25 years with gardens up to 1/2 acre & compost piles for each. His composting site may be easily found at Compost Central. You can become a master composter in no time at all. Compost is a great addition to any garden & is not very hard to make. For lots more information & instruction refer to Compost Central.
