Composting In Winter (article)
[ originally found here: http://freshorganicgardening.com/composting-in-winter/ ] If you think you can’t compost in the cold weather, think again. There are still ways you can maintain a compost pile even through the winter so that by the next planting season, you have plentiful amounts of beautiful black gold with which to nourish your Spring plants. The success of a compost pile depends highly on the aerobic bacteria that break down waste. During winter, these microbes slow down because of the cooler temperature but they can still be active. The center part of the pile is also the center of activity – it still heats up and decomposition still happens but not so in the outer layers which are at the mercy of temperature highs and lows. Therefore what you need to…
Still Cookin’!
Pardon the ugly picture, but I couldn't resist. It's night time, but I couldn't wait until morning. On late Sunday afternoon, I went outside my house and found several bags of leaves at the curbside. I got really excited and stashed four massive bags in my backyard, in addition to the two that I shredded up and added to my compost pile. I was getting concerned about the compost pile, as it was starting to fall out of the Steady range around 80 degrees. Then I realized that it had been awhile since I added anything to it, so I contributed a hefty top layer of shredded leaves for insulation. I need to go looking for straw, too. In a little over 24 hours, just two bags' worth of shredded…