Snow is water. It doesn't compost as much as, well, melts. But you knew that.

It does bring free nitrogen from the atmosphere so enjoy it.

Wayne

I take advantage my putting lots of shredded paper on top to soak up the water, then Ill mix it in with the other stuff, we'll need it in a couple months when its dry.

Around here they call snow "poor man's fertilizer."

Snow, Patrick, is a white.* It's fine in the compost bin, but it should be placed on the top of your pile. After a few hours, you can cover it with a brown or a green.

The thing people always mess up is that the snow added to a pile should only be as wet as a wrung-out sponge. Everybody messes that up.

The other problem with snow is that it's cold and it cools off a working pile if overapplied (I Waaaay over applied mine this year.). And, unfortunately, it's impossible to warm it up before applying, because at that point it becomes rain and it's virtually impossible to keep it on the top of the pile.

* exception to the rule: In the spring, snow, while still white, is a green and is called "poor man's fertilizer".

Anyway, go ahead and add it to your pile. You might as well---it's not like you have any choice in the matter.

(I'd have bet a million bucks that Doris was going to say that she put bread on top of her pile to soak up her snow.)

My snow is all gone, as of Saturday. We were supposed to get a bunch more yesterday, but it missed us and all we got was a few flurries.

I will shovel snow off my patio and toss it on the dry side of the pile for moisture. Part of my pile, sets underneath the roof eave, so it tends to be drier on that side.

Wow, this is kinda freaky, I just read an article on bacteria in snow the other day.

Hey, if snow composts can I bag it up and sell it?

At -26 with a -35 windchill, I'm not doing a lot of field work or gardening today so I can spend a lot of time "reading the latest article from some university".

Lloyd HRC

Here is a link that might be useful: Bacteria in snow

Yes, you can Lloyd, but if you don't mix it with greens and browns during the composting, you'll end up with a product that is virtually invisible. At that point, it's a hard sell.

Patrick, nice flurry you guys got down there. Looks like another hour and it should begin to taper off, wind will stay up tho so if you have to go out in the open there will still be some BLSN (blowing snow). Wind will abate later this evening.

Hunker down

Lloyd

Snow is moisture and it can pick up some nutrients, mostly from air pollution, as it is formed. How much moisture the snow will have, as well as nutrients, will depend on many factors but colder air produces a dryer, fluffier, snow that may have less nutrients than the wetter snow formed in warmer temperatures. Rain will have about the same nutrient value as snow since it also picks up pollution as it falls.
So snow would add moisture to the compost pile, maybe too much. But being a source of "fertilizer" is iffy because what it has depends on what is there.

I believe that yellow snow would be a green.

hee!

And, noooooooo, not putting the bread in the compost to soak up the snow, but I do have some puddly areas in the yard that need to be built up a bit, maybe those hard as a rock baguettes.......

Maybe Ill use them as bricks and build a raised bed.

colder air produces a dryer, fluffier, snow

Really cold air does not produce snow per say, there is not enough moisture content in the air to produce precipitation forming clouds. Usually really cold air sublimates the moisture out as ice crystals.

This is why much of the Canadian Arctic is considered a desert, too cold to produce enough precipitation. Of course that could all change with global warming.

Lloyd HRC

"Yellow Snow" will compost. (grin) Remember that stuff your Mom told you never to eat?

So will that "Brown/Grey Snow" out by the curb.

'Really cold air does not produce snow'
That's what I've always heard, yet we'll have -10C and -15C AND snow. Seems cold to me.

Really cold = -30 and below. When it gets to -40 and the ice crystals start it can be impresive. No cloud above yet visibility reduced to a mile or less.

Lloyd

If snow composts, then I have a 30 cm layer of compost materials all over my yard.

Maybe I can plant in it like a layer in lasagna gardening?

Kimmsr wasn't referring to super cold, I don't think.
We count on yellow snow to serve as a green - in winter we toss all our p*ss on the snow (out of eyesight of the neighbours and visitors - a benefit of living in the country). This will slowly fertilize whatever's beneath as it melts. Good for the lawn, some perennials and shrubs.

And then there'll be the 'poor man's fertilizer' to look forward to as well. Google the Dictionary of Prince Edward Island English p. 115 for a pretty thorough discussion of the term.

I remember snow, we had it here for a couple days a few years ago.

Get a good compost thermometer. When your snow gets up to about 160°F it is well composted and ready for use.

Any large pieces just throw into your new pile. They should be completely composted by what? June? July?

lucille , that one snow killed my booganvilla. the only snow I want to see is in a cone with grape syrup on it. What is yellow snow? haha.

come on pt03, man up and get out there and make some snow compost. In august you can bring a pickup load down here to lucille and I.

What was the origanal question anyway?

Gary...Make it? This stuff seems to fall from the sky up here! I have tons and tons of this snow compost...but no matter how many times I turn it, I can't get the dang stuff to heat up! How much you willing to pay for this premium organic snow compost? I'm pretty sure if the price is right, I could get some down to ya. :)

Lloyd HRC

pt03,
sounds like I would not like the price. I will offer to trade you some certified humidity. Just think, you can walk out the door @ 7 in the morning and be covered in sweat in 5 minutes. I can also throw in some fire ants, and maybe some mosquitos.

There is a local technique using linear charcoal activation and old root vegetables in a tri-spherical, vertically descending configuration.

David, we do that all the time here, that configuration thing. A couple times a winter we have to throw dry potato peels into the firebox and get it burning really hot, to clear the soot out.