Is it Worth Composting Your Winter Plant Debris?

It's awesome you're thinking about composting! You can definitely compost your plant debris. It helps to mix in some kitchen scraps (no cooked foods, oils, or meats though). When starting your compost pile, aim for a balance of about 1/3 browns (like cardboard, twigs, and dry leaves) to 2/3 greens (your plant material). Aeration is key too, so don’t forget to turn the pile every now and then. If it starts to smell bad, that's usually a sign to turn it more often. Use just about any container that allows airflow, and if you want to get more tips, check out Charles Dowding’s recent book on composting!

I’ve got three earth machines and they handle everything from my yard except large branches. I also have chickens, so I toss the fall leaves into their run, and I mix their litter with my compost. For kitchen scraps, I use Bokashi bins, which handle meat and dairy without the usual smells. I fill those up, let them ferment, and then add them to my compost piles. It’s a pretty relaxed approach—just keep tossing stuff in and it all turns into amazing compost after a while!

Homemade compost really is the way to go! You can just pile everything up and leave it, but it might take longer to break down and could start to smell. For efficient composting, layer your greens with browns, like dried leaves or shredded paper. Just keep an eye out for moisture and aerate it every so often. I start collecting dried leaves in the fall for my summer composting, and I add to it all year, even if it doesn't break down in winter.