1. Keep your existing compost pile working

If you already have an outdoor compost pile, it continues working through winter with minimal effort. The center of a well-managed pile generates heat even in cold weather— you might see steam rising on freezing mornings.

Before winter sets in, harvest any finished compost and spread it on garden beds or store it in covered bins for spring. This creates room for new materials you'll add over winter.

Continue adding kitchen scraps and yard waste throughout winter. Rip or cut materials into small pieces before adding them, as smaller pieces break down faster. Layer brown materials like leaves, cardboard, and paper with green materials like vegetable scraps to maintain proper carbon-to-nitrogen balance.

Cover your pile with a tarp, thick layer of leaves, or straw to trap heat and keep moisture in. Don't turn or mix the pile during winter — this releases valuable heat from the center where active decomposition happens. And avoid adding diseased plants, invasive weeds, or wood ash from fireplaces.

By spring, the center of your pile will have finished compost ready to use, while outer layers continue breaking down.

2. Try sheet composting for spring planting areas

Sheet composting, also called lasagna composting, builds compost directly in the spot where you plan to plant in spring. This method works well for preparing new garden beds or refreshing existing ones.

Choose a location in your yard where you want to plant in spring. Starting in late fall or early winter, create layers alternating between green materials (kitchen scraps, fresh grass clippings) and brown materials (cardboard, wood chips, dry leaves, shredded paper).

Add a layer of soil or finished compost between every few layers of greens and browns. This introduces beneficial microorganisms that speed decomposition. Continue layering until your pile reaches about 12-18 inches high.

Top the entire pile with a final layer of soil and mulch to insulate it and hold everything in place. The combination of layered materials and soil generates heat that keeps decomposition active even in cold temperatures.

This method works particularly well for vegetable gardens and flower beds where you want to improve soil quality before planting season.

3. Compost indoors with vermicomposting

Vermicomposting, more commonly known as "worm composting" uses specific types of worms to break down kitchen scraps indoors, producing finished compost in two to four months. It's ideal for apartment dwellers, anyone without outdoor space, or gardeners who want faster results than outdoor methods provide.

You'll need a vermicomposting bin and red wiggler worms, both available at garden centers or online. The bin can be commercial or homemade, but it needs drainage, ventilation, and a dark interior where worms thrive.

Start by adding bedding material like shredded newspaper, cardboard, or coconut coir to the bin. Dampen it until it feels like a wrung-out sponge then add your worms, and begin feeding them kitchen scraps.

Worms eat vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, crushed eggshells, and small amounts of bread or grains. Avoid meat, dairy, oils, and citrus, which can attract pests or harm worms. Bury food scraps under the bedding to prevent odors and fruit flies.

The worms eat and digest the scraps, producing rich worm castings (worm manure) that make excellent fertilizer. After two to four months, you can harvest the finished compost from one side of the bin while continuing to add materials to the other side.

Vermicomposting works year-round and produces some of the richest compost available. Keep the bin in a temperature-stable location like a basement, garage, or under the kitchen sink.