| Just because it is winter and most of the more | | | | involves regularly turning your compost pile over, |
| desirable flowers and vegetables will not grow until | | | | to ensure that the microorganisms responsible for |
| spring, this hardly means that there is nothing to | | | | the decomposition get full access to the organic |
| do. Although it may not seem like it, your soil | | | | material. You should also be adding new organic |
| remains active and continues to lose nutrients | | | | material to your compost pole throughout the |
| during the winter months, especially if you have a | | | | winter as well. New material may include the |
| lot of evergreen plants. Even without evergreens, | | | | kitchen waste, which is generated throughout the |
| your soil will lose many nutrients simply because | | | | year, or the branches from you and your |
| many of the microorganisms that produce them | | | | neighbor's Christmas trees. |
| stop working in the cold and those that keep | | | | Unless you have a lot of cover plants growing in |
| working during the cold will consume and convert | | | | your garden or evergreens, you do not want to |
| the remaining nutrients into something else. | | | | add the compost to your garden during the |
| Therefore it is important to continue replenishing | | | | winter, as its nutrients will be lost. However, by |
| your garden's nutrients, even in the middle of the | | | | continuing to actively build your compost pile |
| winter. | | | | throughout the winter, when spring comes you will |
| An excellent way to keep your garden's soil rich | | | | be ready to inject a lot of additional nutrients to |
| and ready for immediate planting in the spring is | | | | you garden immediate once the spring comes |
| to continue composting throughout the winter. | | | | around. If you do have cover plants or |
| Decomposition continues, albeit at a slower pace, | | | | evergreens you may well have to use some of |
| throughout the winter months, so you should | | | | your compost during the winter to keep them in |
| continue to keep your compost pile active. This | | | | good shape, depending on what you are growing. |