I get quite a few questions via email about whether or not peeps can continue to compost in the winter months. The answer is a simple YES! Composting is totally a year-round sport. While the cold weather might slow down the breakdown process, it will still happen.
In fact, if you have a compost pile, I am sure on a cold day, you’ve seen the steam rise off of it…seriously, is there anything prettier than hot, steaming, fertile garbage?! The key to winter composting is really, really quite simple. Remember that your compost pile is full of little microbes that are munching away at your garbage. Be a good hostess and keep the pile in top shape for them. In the winter months, if time permits, chop your waste a little smaller before tossing it into the pile. It helps the microbes break it down faster–and since they are a wee bit sluggish in the cold, helping them along will move you closer to having ready compost.
Just as you would mulch your winter garden, it’s a good idea to apply the same principle to your compost pile. When you get ahold of brown, dry matter {think: leaves} go ahead and layer it on your compost pile. It will insulate your pile and create more heat–which also breaks down the matter. Speaking of heat, make sure your compost pile is located in a spot where it gets the most possible sunlight it can in the winter months. If you have the option to put it up against a fence, shed, or even the house, it will protect the pile from cold winds and give it a little boost in the heat department.
If you live in a wet or snowy climate, you won’t have the option of managing the moisture content as much, but remember, even in winter, the compost pile needs to stay moist {preferably not too wet}, definitely not dry. Cold winds whipping through the pile will dry it out faster than you think, so check it often, and water as necessary. I like to use the leftover coffee the HH leaves in his cup and toss it onto the pile…I figure it helps two-fold.
Finally, remember to continue adding fresh “fuel” to your compost. Toss new kitchen scraps, and any other compostable materials on the pile, fairly regularly. It’s like fashion–it’s all about layering in the winter. Turn your pile regularly, as well, it will redistribute the heat and the microbes throughout the pile.
I’m certainly not going to let winter stop me from “cooking my garbage.” Compost on, my friends.
~Mavis
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My husband on the other hand, is the male version of Mavis. He has 10 Costco black polo shirts he always wears. If he doesn’t pack a lunch for work, he would rather starve than spend money buying lunch. He was just born with that thrifty gene. Luckily after 10 years of marriage, some of his thriftiness has rubbed off on me and he has also learned to accept some of my financial goofs.
Both my husband and I are fortunate to have well paying careers. My husband managed to earn a PhD in engineering without incurring any debt. Yes, he is that amazing. I stumbled thru engineering college on scholarships and financial assistance, and had a small student loan with 2% interest, which was mostly paid off by my employer. I like to think we balance each other out. Now we have 3 children to put thru college, to be honest, we have not thought much about how we will pay for their education because neither one of us had to worry about it. Hopefully my children will pursue careers in science or engineering. There seem to be more scholarship opportunities in science or engineering, than for example, history or art.
My grocery goal is to spend less than $100 a week. It’s a far cry from $100 a month, but far better than what we used to spend. I cook 90% of our meals from scratch. I avoid processed foods and preservatives as much as possible. But I am human, the other 10% is usually Costco lasagna or pizza. We eat out for dinner occasionally, but not often. I also have a gigantic garden where I grow lots of fresh organic healthy vegetables. Recently, I’ve been reading and making recipes from several simple eating books , including 
I’ve been wanting to build myself rain collection barrels for the last year and a half. However, I was just at Costco the other day and saw they had rain collection barrels for $79.99. Before I made the purchase I quickly compared this price to Home Depot, where they were selling it for $92. In the past I’ve tried using apps for price comparison but have never found a useful one. If you know of a great price comparison app, please share with me! I purchased the Costco rain barrel and may go back for another. I figure it would have cost me at least $50 in material to DIY, but again, this came down to a decision of time vs. money. I have so many projects on the back burner and a huge garden to get ready for spring planting, buying the rain barrel made sense to me.
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