While composting is easy in summer, as the temperatures favor materials’ decomposition in your outdoor pile, in winter, if the temps go low, disintegration can reach a halt. Moreover, humidity, frost, and the dormancy of beneficial compost bacteria can render your hard-worked compost into a pile of nothingness. However, our lawn care Murphy TX experts are here to offer you some tips and suggestions on how to care for your winter compost to make it efficient.

1. Help the Pile Keep its Warmth

If you keep an open compost pile, covering it fittingly can do the trick just fine, especially if you not worry about strong winds, snow, or frost this time of year. A tarp is the cheapest and most comfortable solution.

  • Our experts in lawn care in Murphy TX suggest you use a dark-colored tarp or a black-painted one to maximize the solar power and allow your pile to gain the heat it needs;
  • If you worry about other winter problems affecting your mound this winter, enclose it in between some walls – wooden crates work just fine.
  • A bit of insulation protects the pile from the weather whims and boosts the activity inside it.

2. Add Compost Enhancements

If you compost a large heap of greens and browns, you may need some compost amendments to jump-start the decomposition process even if the temperatures are a bit low. Compost inoculators contain just the right microbes that favor the natural processes inside the compost, activating it and allowing it to continue its “evolution” even in winter months.

  • Add rich garden soil to the pile or finished compost from another source to gain the microbial balance your pile needs.

3. Turn the Compost Regularly

The weather may be pleasant enough for you to entertain the thought of spending some time outside. Turning the compost regularly literally breathes life into the pile say the pros in our lawn care company Murphy TX. It may be a bit difficult to turn the compost by hand with a shovel, but it is worth the effort. The air entering the core of the pile stimulates the organisms inside the mound to produce the energy necessary for an active and efficient compost pile.

4. Manage Moisture

Besides adding a moisture tracker to the mass, you have to be aware that as temperatures increase, your compost may become slimy and smelly. Avoid such occurrence by adding more browns to the heap so they can soak up the excess moisture. Add dry leaves and dry branches to the stack – if you happened to trim your shrubs in winter, and do not forget about dry sawdust or dry straw.

5. Let our Lawn Care Murphy TX Experts Help You

In case you are not confident in your skills and knowledge regarding the winter management of outdoor compost piles, have a chat with your local team of lawn care in Murphy TX. Their experience and expertise – in addition to the fact that we are a local and family-owned company and know everything about weather and winter lawn care in Texas – may prove more than helpful!