Don't let the cold weather put you off composting, says our senior project coordinator for Cumbria Master Composters. Composting can warm you up, and help you recycle winter waste.

1. Keep adding material to your compost

You can still add plenty of nitrogen-rich veg peelings from winter stews and soups and this will keep the process going to some extent. Don't forget to balance with 'browns' or you will find your compost will turn into a slimy mess as soon as the temperatures warms up. If you have stockpiled dead plant material when cutting back in the autumn, now is the time to use some of this carbon rich material that there can be a shortage of at this time of year, although cardboard and scrunched up paper will also do the trick.

2. Consider insulating your compost heap

Some compost bins are naturally insulated, but you can make your own insulated system from recycled or reclaimed materials, or check out if there is a custom insulation jacket for your type of compost bin. Just a thick layer of carbon rich material on top of your decomposing waste will provide some insulation and covering your bin with a lid or a piece of old woollen carpet and/or a tarp will keep the moisture and heat in and also stop it from getting too wet when the rain returns.

3. Warm up your worms

If you have a wormery and are leaving it outside, make sure you insulate it very well and keep an eye on it in very cold spells. Compost bins that have contact with the ground allow the worms and other compost creatures to migrate to a warmer spot when it's too cold. But because worms in a wormery are contained, they will need to be protected during really cold spells.

Alternatively, you could move it to a more protected place like a greenhouse, shed, garage or cellar. Also, make sure you take it out of a shed or greenhouse before the temperatures get too warm again next year as worms don't like getting too hot either. You will find that, if temperatures are lower, wherever you site your wormery for winter, things will slow down, and the worms will not process the food waste quite as quickly as at warmer times of the year.