Control compost pile and keep it moist

In open compost heaps, the rotting process can be disturbed by too much wetness and turn into rot. To avoid this, as well as the leaching of nutrients by heavy winter precipitation, the compost should be covered in late autumn.

If the compost is not frozen through, it can be turned and sieved in dry weather. Even after a year of rotting, it still contains incompletely decomposed materials such as pieces of wood or the remains of leaves containing tannic acid, for example from oak or walnut. The coarse material is used to make new compost, the sieved fine compost is available right at the beginning of the new season.

Fall foliage in autumn is a natural winter protection for plants and soil, as it forms a protective, warming and, in addition, nourishing layer through decomposition. It should therefore be left between perennials and shrubs, but removed from lawns or walkways and composted.