As the weather cools down outside, your thoughts may turn to the state of your compost pile. Sure, it’s been going strong all summer long, but as winter looms, what can you do to ensure that it doesn’t turn into a frozen mess?
Left alone, the activity in your compost bin or pile will slow down, and eventually the hard-working microbes will go dormant for the winter. What’s a cook or gardener to do? Some people may send their scraps off to a municipal composting facility until spring or stockpile them in tightly closed buckets in a cool location. Others move their operation inside into a worm bin or resort to some other type of indoor composting system. But pretty much anywhere you live, you can continue to compost outside by following these five simple steps:
1. Turn Up The Heat
An active pile is a hot pile, so the most important thing to do is to kick-start the microbes by giving them a big, well-balanced fall meal. As outdoor temperatures start to drop, aim to add a generous and well-mixed meal of equal parts dry, brown materials, such as fallen leaves, and soft, high-nitrogen materials, such as grass clippings and kitchen scraps………………………
4. Keep It Fed
Stockpile finely chopped or blended kitchen scraps in a covered container. Once a week or so, or when you have about half a bucket’s worth, mix the scraps with an equal amount of chopped straw, wood shavings, shredded dry leaves, or torn-up newspaper, and add the mixture to your outdoor composter.……………..
More Interesting Articles:
Read the full article here: Click Here
Article source: Rodale’s Organic Life
Image source: same as above