Composting in Vermont winters

Plan the route, not the pile

The most common reason people stop composting in a Vermont winter is that the bin is forty metres away across unploughed snow. Move the bin closer before the first storm, or accept a bucket by the door and one trip a week.

Snow and ice

Snow is insulation and does no harm. A lid frozen shut is the real nuisance: a bin without a fitted lid, or an open bay you can tip into, is more usable in practice.

Build up in autumn

Go into winter with a large, well-balanced pile capped with leaves. It may keep a warm core into December, and it will restart faster in spring.

The caddy

Kitchen scraps freeze into a solid block, which is genuinely convenient: no smell, no flies. Many people simply keep a bag in the freezer through the winter and empty it when the pile thaws.