Composting (starting in the winter)

Hey guys, itâ??s been a while since Iâ??ve been on here. Took some time off from growing my favorite plant but I do have a question about something Iâ??m doing right now in regards to gardening. Does anybody have experience with composting?

I just made 2 compost bins out of some garbage bins from home depot. I threw all my dead plants from the summer in there, along with leaves from the fall. On top of that I add kitchen wastes (old fruits, vegetables, etc) every night. I also urinate into a bottle everyday and when itâ??s full I douse my bins with it. Iâ??m told this is a great way to add nitrogen and to speed decomposition.

Heres my dilemmaâ?¦ I live in NY and winters coming on. I always thought composting was for the winter so it can be ready to spread in your garden by spring but apparently this isnâ??t the case.

Are my bins that are FULL of stuff to compost a waste now? Will it still be usable when spring comes and it finally decomposes after the winter months? Or will the cold kill all the nutrients in there? I doubt anything is decomposing right now so Iâ??m just adding and adding but will it eventually break down when it warms up again in a few months?

It won't break down into fine compost by spring but you have to start somewhere. I do basically what you described but in spring I use it as mulch. In the summer it gets so hot it breaks down quick and seeps in.

hmmm...what is the difference between mulch and compost? mulch is the same thing but just not as broken down?