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Compost In Winter
Yesterday’s weather was in the forties for a first time in ages. I don’t think it’s been that warm yet in 2009. So, of course, I took a walk around the yard and visited the garden.
Since the yard is still mostly covered in snow, there’s not a lot to see. And there really isn’t anything going on in the compost bins.
These leaves have compacted down quite a bit. In the fall, the bins were filled to the top but as you can see now, we’re about half full. Even though there isn’t a lot of microbial activity in the pile when it’s freezing out, I think the cold temperature does help in breaking down the leaves structure. The constant freeze-thaw cycle that goes on all through the winter has got to help.
Once the weather warms up in a few months, I’m going to have to go crazy with the greens to get these piles cooking. They’re almost 100% leaves. Some good sources of greens are used coffee grinds and vegetable scraps. Another good way to get a leaf pile cooking is with blood meal. Blood meal is one of the highest sources of nitrogen that you can find in a non-synthetic fertilizer.
I’ll probably skip the blood meal though. I drink way too much coffee, so finding enough greens is never really a problem.
7 Comments:
Urine is normally nearly sterile, and even if you have a kidney infection, it would have to survive in the soil, then pass through the digestive system and bloodstream to infect another person's kidney.
Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't have discouraged my potty-training son from watering the backyard!
Yup, we're just about snowless now. Be careful with the citrus, you don't want too much in the pile. The high acid content is kind of anti-bacterial. And you don't want to mess with the bacteria in your compost. Small amounts should be fine though.
Hi Paul,
Depending on the brand of dog food, there could be a lot of preservatives in there that will slow down decomp in your pile. Once again, it's all about moderation. I'd probably just feed it to the dog.