Cold-Weather Composting Tips for Urban Gardeners
- Alex Montgomery
- Dec 16, 2025
- 3 min read
Why Composting Doesn’t Stop When It’s Cold
When the temperature drops, it’s easy to assume your composting has to slow down or stop altogether. But the truth is, composting never really sleeps, it just shifts gears.
Even in winter, microbes keep working below the surface. The trick is to help them out a little. Whether you’re composting on a balcony, in a courtyard, or through a local scheme like the Bristol Living Compost Project, a few small changes can keep your compost thriving through the cold.
1️⃣ Keep It Cosy: Insulate Your Compost Bin
Compost microbes love warmth. Once temperatures fall below 10°C, they slow down, but you can help them stay active.
Tips for Insulation:
Wrap your bin with cardboard, bubble wrap, or old duvets to trap heat.
Move bins closer to buildings or walls; these radiate warmth and block wind.
Layer brown materials (like cardboard or leaves) between green food scraps to keep the pile aerated while insulating it naturally.
If you’re using a Bokashi system indoors, insulation isn’t an issue; it’s already the perfect cold-weather composting solution for small spaces.
2️⃣ Feed Your Compost Strategically
In cold weather, your compost’s appetite slows. Avoid overloading it with wet materials that could create a soggy, smelly pile.
What to Add:
Small, chopped pieces break down faster, think half-size apple cores, shredded leaves, or torn paper.
Dry, carbon-rich materials (cardboard, twigs, sawdust) help absorb excess moisture.
Avoid big dumps of kitchen waste, add a little and often.
Tip: Pre-treating food scraps with Bokashi fermentation speeds up the composting process once added to your main pile or garden soil.
3️⃣ Keep It Covered
Rain and frost are winter compost’s biggest enemies. Too much water drives out air, while frost slows decomposition.
Try This:
Use a lid or tarp to keep your pile dry.
Add a layer of straw, cardboard, or wood chips on top to protect from frost.
Avoid compacting the pile — trapped moisture turns it anaerobic (and smelly).
By keeping compost covered and airy, you create the right balance of moisture and oxygen even in winter drizzle.
4️⃣ Stir Occasionally, Not Constantly
Composting is like sourdough; it needs time, warmth, and the right amount of air.
In winter, turn your pile less often, perhaps once every 3–4 weeks. Turning too frequently lets out valuable heat, while too little can cause compaction.
For smaller spaces, Bokashi or worm bins remove this step altogether. Their closed systems naturally maintain the right environment for microbes.
5️⃣ Use Bokashi Indoors to Stay Composting All Winter
For urban gardeners, Bokashi is the winter MVP of composting.
Unlike traditional methods, Bokashi composting:
Works indoors with no smell or mess
Handles meat, dairy, and cooked food
Uses beneficial microbes to ferment waste
Produces Bokashi juice, a liquid fertiliser for houseplants and garden beds
After fermentation, the pre-compost can be buried in soil or added to your outdoor compost bin when temperatures rise, giving you a head start on spring composting.
💡 Want to learn how? Book a Bokashi workshop in Bristol.
6️⃣ Harness Winter Composting for Spring Growth
Even if your compost slows during the colder months, don’t worry, the materials are still transforming. By spring, you’ll have a rich, dark mix that smells earthy and feels alive.
Here’s how to use it:
Mix it into garden beds before planting.
Use as a mulch around perennials.
Blend into potting soil to boost fertility.
Remember: every bucket of waste you compost now feeds next season’s growth — you’re composting for future resilience.
Winter Composting, Bristol-Style
At Generation Soil, we see composting as more than a waste solution; it’s a community act of care. Through the Bristol Living Compost Project, residents turn local food waste into living soil for community gardens, schools, and urban farms.
Cold weather doesn’t stop that cycle; it deepens it. Composting through winter keeps nutrients flowing, builds connection, and prepares the ground for another year of regeneration.
Join us, and turn your scraps into resilience.
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