Tag Archives: winter

Winter Composting

Thermometer is frosty, but inside the bin it is a cozy 140 F.

Thermometer is frosty, but inside the bin it is a cozy 140 F.

There are two important things to know about winter composting in places like Massachusetts:

1. Winter composting is possible and requires little more than frequent additions.

2. If your compost freezes over, which is normal, that is NOT A PROBLEM! The pile will restart once the weather warms. Continue reading

Starting a compost in winter

Started in the coldest weather, it took three weeks for this pile to heat up.

Started in the coldest weather, it took three weeks for this pile to heat up.

This has been a very cold, very snowy (snowiest on record, more falling as I type this, on March 28, 2015) winter. Even in these toughest conditions you can successfully start a compost and get it cooking.

I took this photo March 23, about one month after starting a new compost pile. Despite outdoor temperatures reaching above freezing only a few times, the pile was up over 100°. A week later the compost temperatures have been hovering between 110-120°.

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