Winter Compost: Why, and how you turn compost in the winter.

This brief video shows how fast your winter compost can come back up to temperature once you turn material back in and re-wet the pile. Super-charge your organic gardening efforts with great composting methods!
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[@Sunshine-vi2tx]

Great tips for those of us in colder climates!!

[@deborahgrantham7387]

Montana winter cold, windy dry. 8 straw bales; $24 for 8 bales, stacked 2 high in square, 30 minute assembly. Aerated in corners, insulated on sides, covered with cardboard to retain moisture and heat. Self composting. Lovely and easy👍

[@PapayaPositive]

Compost is magic. Nice system you got going. It's pretty amazing how quickly it goes from a total mess to a very neat and tidy space. Helps get those lazy lower-back muscles in check too. 😁👍

[@royhoco5748]

tip - you can increase the temperature in the compost piles by adding alfalfa pellets and it will accelerate the decompostion process. alfalfa is a great source of nitrogen for the compost. the temps in my 4' deep piles increases by about 40% from 120F to about 160 - 170 F when I add a handful of alfalfa to each 4 or 5 " layer of materials when turning the compost. alfalfa pellets are inexpensive and available at pet supply stores, Tractor Supply, hardware stores and farm supply stores.

[@tombartels3742]

True, although I try to use methods that don't require purchasing outside inputs. I'm sure adding the alfalfa will up the temps if that's what you're looking for. Just make sure that whatever alfalfa or other materials you purchase are organic, so you are not providing a vector for chemicals into the garden.

[@kathrynliu74]

Thanks for taking the time to inform people such as I, a city dweller that has always wanted a compost but didn't know much about one. Soon to be in the burbs with a lawn and trees and the desire to have vegetable & flower beds. 🌼🌺

[@royhoco5748]

I used 48"x 48" plastic pallets ($6 ea.) to build the walls of a compost bin 4' deep and 12' long and 4' high , the pallets are light weight and easy to handle. I placed a pallet on the bottom of each section and pile the compost materials on top of the pallet so I can remove one of the gates/doors and pick up the bottom pallet up and with the forks on my tractor then back it out of the way while I lay a empty pallet in the bin, then pull forward until the loaded pallet is over the empty one, slant the forks down and shake the material off and it remixes the materials. much easier than turning with a fork. I stacked straw bales 3 deep against the north wall of the greenhouse for insulation and used the straw bales as the back of the bins and use the straw as it deteriorates for compost material. I have 4" black drain pipes about 6' long extended from the center of each bin through the straw bales and into the greenhouse and draw heat from the rotting compost to the inside of the greenhouse. It is designed so I can pull the pipes inside the greenhouse while I shuffle and mix the compost materials. I use the bucket on my tractor to pick leaves and other material and dump in the bins to replenish each bin. There are about 40 maple and oak trees on my place so we have tons of leaves in the fall. The leaves are gathered and left in large piles scattered on the property until we need them for the compost bins

[@markwelsch1619]

You have some great bins! I'll be on the lookout for old redwood to replace my cheap pallet bins. One suggestion: You might find it a little easier to fill the top half of your bins if you would cut your front doors into two horizontal pieces. Adding two door guides in the middle of both sides that would hold both the top of the bottom half and the bottom of the top half of the two-piece door would do the trick. After you fill it part way, you could put just the bottom half of the doors into place, continue to fill the bins until you needed to put the top half into place too. Or, you could make the door guides out of pieces of would that go all the way from the top to the bottom and cut the doors so each board is separate. Then you could add just one board at a time, as the bin is filled. I'm always looking for ways to protect my back, and lifting less high to fill the bins is one way to do that. I'll let you know how it works after I modify mine later in the winter to work as I've described.

[@motocephalic]

great video! thank you for concise information.

[@feathersan]

Super helpful. Thank you for showing so much detail. I kept seeing the final product videos. It was nice to see your video in the winter stages.

[@isabelladavis1363]

Excellent you have answered all of my questions can’t wait to use it!

[@RayRift]

You call that winter? Looks like a Wisconsin summer to me! Keep up the good work, farmer!

[@mysterioussquirrel4456]

Aha! A video where someone is honest. Loads of videos want to convince us that composting is easy. It isn't. The secret to good compost is getting into it and turning it over each month. Glad to watch a video of someone doing just that!

[@mordyfisher4269]

Yeah but if you have lots of land it is easy i built five six foot high octogons out of 2x4s and safety fence, it takes about fifty bags of leaves to fill each bin and without mulching it takes about 3 years to decompose. the first three years i filled them all up to the top as often as i could to accumulate as much material as possible then them be for three years... Now everyyear i get about 4 yards of pure compost out of one bin, compost is added to two bins and the other two are undisturbed... When i move to the next bin it has not been disturbed in three years and is the richest soil you can find almost zero work... I fill up my dump trailler every spring and fall with roadside leaf bags and toss them in the two octogons and thats it

[@mareechapman8734]

Copost wheemlscompost bln on wheels

[@vickidunbar3718]

Maree Chapman has

[@prestonlafour7465]

This is a awesome video. I learn so much from what you had to say about compost. Thank you very much for your time that you took to make this video

[@D.A.Hanks14]

I've just recently started composting, so thanks for the info. My base is grass clippings, as they're always laying on the side of the road, but now, leaves are starting to pop up there as well. When I finish my paper routes, I stop by a pile and fill my now-empty bins with the stuff. One town even requires it all be in clear plastic bags, which is even better! I can fill the back of the car with five times as much!

[@rosedowling3690]

I realize this video was made a few years ago but would like to start composting, here in Tn we also can get down to single digit temperature so i am thrilled to learn what to do with winter compost. I have checked out many other videos and your's is the BEST I have seen, you explain things so well. Thank you soooo much!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@GrowFoodWell]

Thanks Rose! Glad to know you're out there composting. The more that people compost, the better things become! Keep me posted on your success! and don't hesitate to ask questions. Cheers. Tom

[@trisha86]

Great video!! Just what I was looking for. I'm new to composting, just started my first pile today actually. Thanks for taking the time to make this video.

[@GrowFoodWell]

Glad I could help you out! When you dial in the power of composting it can make you feel like an alchemist. Cheers! Tom.

[@lanialost1320]

Excellent informative video! You have a great speaking style -- articulate and to-the-point.

[@tombartels3742]

Thanks LaniaLost. I appreciate the comment!

[@evegrowing7749]

Great video...thanks for sharing!!

[@joeshmoe7789]

Great info. I want to make 2 compost piles in my garden after it dies out in November. I'm hoping it'll be ready to plant into in May here in NJ. I don't expect to turn it at all in January, but at least once in February and more often in March & April. First time I saw the temp of the pile in the bitter cold, it gives me hope.

[@tomcahill6981]

Thanks for the great video. I needed some information on winter composting. You supplied it.

[@GrowFoodWell]

Glad I could help Tom! Go get that compost going! It's like Christmas in the spring when you have great compost to start the gardens.

[@tomcahill6981]

I have two round compost bins which I constantly add material to throughout the year. My one big problem is I hate to not put things in thus not allow the material in those bin to totally break down. After watching your video on the multiple bin approach, I plan on getting some free pallets from a local store and screwing them together to make a 3rd bin which I can toss new material into, thus leaving the material settle in the other two. By the way, I took some old fabric weed block cloth and cut it to totally block the top of the other 2 bins, warming them up a bit for winter composting. Again, thanks for the advise.

[@TomiaMacQueen]

So helpful, thank you!

[@uchibauki2515]

That’s nice compost bins 👍🏻

[@frankscales7295]

Great vid, great workout,

[@crossing3790]

very informative . thank you .

[@UrbanGardeningWithD.A.Hanks14]

At 1:33, the witch chicken magically vanishes in the blink of an eye. At 1:54, it just as magically reappears. It's the black magic that's making your compost break down, LOL. It's good to know that even in single digits, there is still heat being produced. Since it won't be as fully broken down as a summer pile, I'd be cautious about using it on potatoes, carrots, sweet potatoes or anything else that grows underground, due to the high nitrogen levels, but it would be great for heavy feeders like corn and Brussels sprouts.

[@Pigearvet]

Looking at ideas for the greenhouse we are building this fall. Doing research on heating the greenhouse with a compost pile.

[@erniedoesthings9167]

Two Turtle Gardens smart!

[@harshadpatel804]

would you please do the video on how you built the compost setup? Thank you.

[@KCSmith1]

Thank you for sharing!

[@tombartels3742]

my pleasure.

[@MichaelJosephJr934]

Nice set up! I'd probably make the gates 2 pieces to keep them lighter.

[@greensnapper1602]

Iam Late but She sure is a Nice Video Sir.. Thank U.

[@personalwellnessservices5663]

Thank you

[@larrysbrain1627]

lol. this video give me hope!

[@ezyjack826]

enjoyed the video and the great info. I'm using plastic palettes for my bin. they are about 4 ft sq. do you think I'll have useable compost in the spring? plan to turn them a couple times more. could you also combine the bin contents and free up one of the bins to start your next batch?

[@jerrygragg5663]

The adobe wall and the trees in the background might suggest you're in the Southwest. Is that a good guess on my part?

[@ChrisCoxRox77]

Great video. I started composting 2 years ago. This time around my compost is doing better. It was hot for a good month. I turned it 3-4 times. I did add new material late but its not getting as hot. But it is looking good. I want to start another pile to be ready for late March. Is it too late? I used some spent beer grains in my compost. What are your thoughts? Also do you use manure in yours and is there any concern with aged manure and root crops? I would think not as long as it's completely broken down.

[@terrim.602]

I am brand new to composting. I have been winging it and Your video has shown me what composting means and what is going on. I think I've killed my compost pile!. It is cold, wet and slimy. It's cold outside and I don't know what to do. Any thought on what I should do?

[@bonnieclarkson5674]

I subscribed because I want to hear from a Kansas gardener. It looked like you were mixing all four bin piles. Is that right? Do you add your greens to one specific bin or just distribute it between them?

[@KenpoOjoko]

Great video. I am thinking of putting shredded fallen leaves, food scraps and some soil (from compost) directly into our new raised vegetable garden. The depth of the garden is about 12 to 15 inches. Is this too shallow for composting? Does the depth (height of the pile) matter? We live in CT where we have single digits all the time in winter.

[@andrewz4537]

Did a compost workshop with you a few years ago. My bins are similar size to yours but winter I have no heat. I think I need to let less cold air in than the pallet "walls" allow. I don't have near the amount of material (waste) to add to the piles you do. I notice you don't have sticks at the bottom of your piles to increase aeration as you taught us. Suggestions?

[@PondRiverFarm]

Good information. Does a compost pile ever get so hot that it could catch fire? I really like how you have your compost bins constructed, very visually attractive as well as being super functional!

[@GrowFoodWell]

+My Old Kentucky Homestead Compost piles can theoretically catch fire, but if there's enough water throughout the pile that is highly unlikely. When they dry out, they lose the capacity to hold the heat, so it usually isn't a problem. Glad you liked the design. I got lucky finding recycled redwood. Great function and looks nice too.

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Yes indeed remember wooden silo the flour or grains heated up and went up like a bomb

[@maryholder7032]

It is my understanding that a commercial pile can do this, but the size of home piles make them unlikely to combust

[@Pilot333]

How can you use the heat of the compost while it needs to be turned around too every month? Because ... what is the point for the heat if there are no pipes to catch and distribute this heat?

[@tammy-lynnstewart5677]

I have trouble finding my compost piles with the 12 feet of snow.

[@tombartels3742]

Hah!

[@royhoco5748]

I would imagine it is difficult to find most anything with 12 feet of snow

[@craftynatty7240]

How often would you do this to fluff it up, is once a month too often?

[@barbprice3558]

How do you turn compost and expect it to work when the pile is frozen solid?

[@wilfredreyes3836]

Thanks for the great video! Is your compost mostly brown material? I have tons of leaves, no vegetables LOL

[@tombartels529]

Hey Wilfred! Compost is mixture of mostly brown material with smaller amount of green material (nitrogen). For leaves, I generally suggest people who don't have the nitrogen mix to add to all that brown material, to to to a local ORGANIC health food store a couple times and get their veggie scraps. With a couple trips you will have a hundred pounds of Green material to layer into those leaves. With leaves it is Very important to make sure they are all wet. Dry leaves do not compost. And if you have any compost worms around the property, add those in as well.

[@wilfredreyes3836]

Awesome, thank you. I was about to head to Starbucks to get some used coffee grounds also. Need to get this compost heap going for Spring! :) Thanks for the reply

[@erniedoesthings9167]

My compost freezes in winter but the rest of the year it's 120-125 degrees bug in winter it turns into a giant brown ice cube

[@ElinWinblad]

ErnieDoesThings lol mine too. I keep adding to it and it works out fine by spring I have compost!

[@jorgejorhoe3129]

Could you use that wood, and some hardware cloth, to make one or two rectangular tumblers? Then turn it over that way, to make it easier.

[@Here_Today_]

Jorge Jorhoe seems like letting chickens do a lot of the work would be helpful too.

[@matsvineyard7564]

Are you're compost piles not way on the dry side?

[@dougzale9136]

I don’t bother to turn it just when it’s ready to use the slimy wet I think is from more nitrogen I can pore water over it the heat dries it out.

[@nathamha]

I've seen some people build large compost piles although they never talk about how to keep it aerated and I don't really see how could you shovel such a big pile of compost. So my question is, how do you add air in much bigger piles? I saw another video of this channel where they had a big pile warming up a hot tub, how do you manage to keep that pile with enough air to work well enough?

[@matsvineyard7564]

with pvc pipes full of holes

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Google su Johnson bio reactor

[@robdentremont1436]

Nathaniel - Will you please share the link to the video of the compost pile that heated a hot tub?

[@MrMikekenney120]

I am covetting (pretty sure that spelling is way off) your compost set up!

[@tomhancock541]

4 in. of snow is not a storm

[@lovealwaysjasmine]

Someone told me not to turn my compost when it’s frozen bc it will kill the microbes. Is that true?

[@pln8503]

Celsius or Fahrenheit for those in other countries?

[@tombartels3742]

All numbers are in Fahrenheit

[@HomeGrownVeg]

Hello Tom. Great composting set up you've got there, and so tidy. Looks like you've got plenty of space to work in and plenty of material to work with. I don't have the space and so I am trying some small scale composting on my empty raised beds using chopped up grass, leaves and seaweed. kzbin.info/www/bejne/iHmqd2icmNikbJY It's only a few inches deep so no chance of any temperature being generated. Turning it regularly is easy because its small scale and I am putting my faith in the worms and bacteria to do their stuff just as nature intended. Started doing this about 1 month ago and already the green and brown material has turned black. I think we're making compost.

[@tommynickels4570]

we have different definitions of the word winter.

[@GrowFoodWell]

18 degrees was the high temp the second day I filmed this piece. Do you have colder temps where you live?

[@mvogelmeier1]

Making dirt

[@GusanoQuiltro]

just turn your compost. heard.

[@pekesrepose7363]

bunk

[@samradowick8050]

When you turn your compost piles you expose the beneficials (microbes, bacterias, etc) to oxygen, uv rays, drying air, cold and hot temperatures, etc. This kills them. If they wanted these they would live on the surface, not subterranean. So compost is the like that store window mannequin : nice looking but dead. Try strip composting where you bury your material right where they need it and it stays there. You work hard creating an inert medium, aka Home Depot sterile potting soil. Feels good to you but nothing to feed the roots that you're doing this for.

[@sweetvuvuzela4634]

Sam Radowick correct nobody makes compost in the forest and the trees reuse leaves and other dead bits well

[@sharondavis2279]

No comment!!

[@Lauraphoid]

Ok.

[@carmences4477]

very informative, thank you