Your Guide to Winter Composting

Posted on by gogreenlaw

by GoGreen Lawn Services

Just because our winters are cold in Southern Pennsylvania and Delaware doesn’t mean we should stop thinking about our gardens.

Here at Go Green, we’re passionate about organic lawn care, and there’s nothing more organic than composting. That’s why we want to help you create compost even during these cold winter months. By performing these simple composting tips in the winter, your garden can hit the ground running come spring.

Advice From Landscaping Professionals

  • Set up. You are going to want to keep your compost out of the harsh winter weather, so we recommend setting up something as simple as a 20 gallon galvanized trash can with a tight fitting lid.
  • A brown base. Your compost bin needs a lot of carbon-rich materials, especially in the winter. Leaves, branches, and grass clippings give microbes energy so they can decompose the materials in your bin.  If you have leaves leftover from fall, put about 12 to 15 inches worth into the bottom of your bin. During the winter you’re going to want to add more “brown” materials than during the summer so your bin has enough energy to decompose the green materials. Add leaves or sticks throughout the winter in order to see the best results.
  • Green materials. Scraps from fruits and vegetables, eggshells, and coffee grounds are rich in nitrogen. Nitrogen helps the bacteria in your bin grow strong and reproduce, which is essential to having good compost. To help your compost bin in the winter, try to shred any of these items into pieces smaller than two inches to help the process.
  • Keep it dry. During the summer, moisture can help your compost decompose; but in the winter, snow can drench your compost bin. This is why it’s best to use a trash can that has a tight fitting lid. When a harsh storm is predicted, put heavy stones or a tarp on top of the bin to keep the lid in place. On days that come above freezing, add a little water to the compost bin, but don’t overdo it.
  • Insulation. If you aren’t able to put your compost bin in a garage or shed, adding some insulation around it will help. You can put your trash can inside a larger container, and fill that with something as simple as cardboard, straw, or leaves. If this isn’t an option, snow can be a great insulator, and will protect your compost bin from wind. Pack snow around your compost bin, but make sure you can still get to it!

We Support Our Local Community

Making compost during the winter is not only an eco-friendly way to recycle, but it promotes having healthy, home-grown food. We take pride in supporting local small businesses, and thoroughly enjoy seeing efforts being made to support health and sustainability in our area. That’s why we are so pleased to see the Table-Scrap Collection Project right here in West Chester.

Denise Polk, a WCU professor and committee member of Borough Leaders United for Emission Reduction (BLUER), earned a grant through the EPA to create a program that encourages local restaurants to compost their leftover food. The goal of this collection project is to not only prove how easy it is for restaurants to compost, but that it actually saves them money in the long run to do so.

Here at Go Green, we hope to see the Table-Scrap Collection Project continue in the years to come, and expand to include more restaurants. In the meantime, we wish you the best of luck with your winter compost project.

We help people have healthy, thick lawns and beautiful trees and shrubs all year long, so if you have any questions about lawn care, don’t hesitate to contact us.