far north composting?
far north composting?
i live in alaska and i've started doing some very slapdash lazy composting. i bought a wire pet pen off amazon for $35ish that comes in 8 panels, and then i split that into two 4 panel segments, and then i staked & zip tied them behind my shed to form two wire boxes and i've been tossing yard & kitchen veg waste in there willy nilly. the advice i got was it's tough to compost here properly because of the 6 months of winter, so just put everything in a pile and cover the top when the snow comes, and then next year when it thaws, dig it out and use it.
i'm thinking about starting a small indoor worm farm this fall to handle kitchen waste in the winter months, instead of having to shovel a path to the compost bins.
i have a large raised garden bed and i think the lady who had the place before us just put her kitchen waste in the corner of the bed. there's a lot of happy worms in the soil.
anyone got any tips for composting options in northern latitudes?
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While I don't have hands-on experience with such a cold climate, two things popped in my head. First, maybe you are better off with one big pile. More volume means the heap will be able to keep higher temperatures. The snow on the cover might actually be a very good insulator as well. Second, and this might be the number-nerd in me, but I'd actually track the temperature with a compost thermometer. I guess you won't be turning the pile often, and for sure not in winter when it's covered in snow, but that way you can keep track of what your pile is doing.
I hope someone has better, actual practical tips for you, but keep us updated on this one!
thanks! good thoughts. yes, definitely looking at how i can change/improve the pile(s).
I am also a numbers person @drk. Do you know any small, low cost, wireless thermometer to keep track during the year?
I would like to know how cold/warm my shed / isolated places is. Also to understand if batteries can survive etc. A bit of DIY is not a problem and a server is setup easily here.