Composting in the cold depths of winter

Thank you Erin for giving me the great article about composting in winter. Erin passed me her copy of Organic Gardening magazine (Feb-Mar 2008 issue) at our last GreenGroup meeting. I can't seem to link to the exact article (I think they must not put all of their article online). But I did find one about keeping your compost pile from freezing if you'd like to check that one out. I will also summarize a few of the points that I learned from reading this great piece:

• Your microbes are still busily composting even if the temps are cold. It's just slowed down based on how cold the pile gets.
• Be very vigilant about mixing/layering your browns and greens. This will help insulate and keep the heat hot enough to keep composting at a quicker pace. They noted that manure from chickens and rabbits are loaded with "heat-generating nitrogen" so add some of that, if you can. We recently had an offer of free organic chicken poop on our site, so you could probably find some no matter where you are.
• Chop and shred your browns and greens before adding them to your pile. The smaller the pieces, the faster they will compost.
• Winter wind and low humidity can dry out your compost. Keep it damp to keep those microbes alive.
• In warm weather, turning gives the pile fresh air and oxygen. In winter, don't turn the pile. The layers of brown and green act like blankets to keep the heat in. Save turning for spring and summer.
• Add some heat either by putting your pile in a sunny spot, covering with snow which will act like a blanket, cover with a tarp, pack with straw bales or dig it into a trench so the warmth from the ground will keep the heat high.

We've had a number of questions from readers who were wondering how to compost in freezing temps, so I hope this info helps. Here in Portland, it doesn't freeze very hard or often, so it's not our area of expertise. But I did find this article very interesting, and I hope it will help others who compost through very cold winters.