When winter winds are howling, it’s no fun trudging outdoors to drop your kitchen scraps in the compost bin. So don’t do it! Instead, do your composting indoors with my no-fail method.

1. In the fall, gather up some heavy-duty, black trash bags, and add a shovelful or two of finished compost or garden soil to each one. (This will jump-start the enzymes that break down the organic matter into “black gold.”)
2. Fasten the bags tightly with twist ties, and keep them in your garage or basement, or on the back porch.
3. Every day or so, toss in your fruit or vegetable scraps, re-close the sack, and shake it a few times to blend the new material with the old.

Come spring, you’ll have heaps of dark, earthy compost, all ready to mulch your planting beds with, or to dig into your soil.