Saturday, Dec 27

Welcome to Your Daily Dot where Dot will share tips, advice, and stories on how we can make our world better.

Dear Dot,

I started a compost pile in my backyard and it’s been doing its thing. But it’s now cold where I live and I noticed that the food waste I’m putting in is just sorta frozen. Should I stop putting anything in my outdoor compost until the weather warms up?

–Sonya

Dear Sonya,

I took your compost query to Kristen Raney, a blogger and gardener who lives near Clavet, a village in the province of Saskatchewan with a population of 467, according to 2021 data, and average winter temperatures from highs of 18°F (-8°C) to lows of 3°F (-16°C). Kristen knows a thing or two (or three) about winter composting. 

Though “winter composting,” Kristen clarifies, is a bit of a misnomer. “In cold climates, it’s simply too cold over the winter for any sort of breakdown to occur outdoors,” she says. Instead, we’re really just stockpiling compost ingredients over the winter for decomposition in the spring when warmer temperatures arrive. For a moment, my thoughts hearken back to a simpler time, and I picture pioneer Dots composting like champs through bitter Canadian winters. I’m a compost-loving Dot, but I’m also a summer-loving Dot who’s wimpier than my forebears. Can’t I just wait for spring to lure me back to my compost heap?

Kristen, who routinely faces even greater cold in Saskatchewan than Dot does further south, is nonetheless sympathetic. She offers me a compromise …

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Enjoy the bold wines of Santa Ynez Valley and fresh produce from the on-site organic farm at Roblar Winery on our upcoming Bluedot Living trip. Designed and led by Bluedot’s founder, Victoria Riskin, this curated trip to California’s Central Coast was designed with sustainability and luxury in mind and features private tours, whale watching, meetings with local change-makers, and inspiration to care for our planet.