winter composting

Hi Kate ! I'm excited to read your book because I'm very new at composting but I have a lot of material but little knowledge. I built my bin out of 4 pallets with access on one side. It's mostly green material but I've been adding brown materials this summer as I finally learned the difference between the two.
I live in the high deserts of southern Oregon and we get lows down to the 20's or below in winter. Where I'm unclear is how to keep the bin composting during winter? Do I just let it rest?  Or, do I start a new bin? I always thought it was just one bin that you return, water, add stuff to, turn, water, etc. Which is basically what I'm doing now, but again don't know what to do during winter.
Thank you! For reading and any input you have!
Sincerely,
Kat

Welcome to the forum!

At 20 degrees, your pile may keep working if you don't let it sit between turnings long enough to cool down.  We get temps down to -40 here, so my compost piles freeze solid.  They is no problem with adding more to it over the winter, it just freezes pretty much immediately.  When spring comes around, I turn it as soon as it thaws enough and it picks back up.

This is a great setup for winter composting:

Ashley said, "This is my winter compost/chicken sanctuary set up. The idea is that the greenhouse helps keep the food scraps from freezing and also provides an area that is protected from wind and snow for the chickens.

https://permies.com/t/147662/composting/Show-composting-setups-pretty#1176124

I am in a climate that has freezing weather and I am still working on my compost skills when the season comes up.

I have struggled with frozen piles that don't really do much when it gets cold. I believe where I have been going wrong is having small piles instead of a larger heap. I'm thinking that there needs to be a minimum critical mass to insulate the core from freezing solid. My plan this year is to assemble a mega-pile prior to the freezing weather and covering it in an insulative brown material. The plan is when I get compostables, I'll peel back the carbon layer, dump the compostables in, and replace the layer to keep the core working.

Hypothetically, snow is an insulative material. I wonder if it would be worth intentionally placing snow on the pile when the core warms up to keep everything chewing. It might be counterproductive?

Paul said, The excellent thing about compost is that for the most part you don't have to do anything:  it takes care of itself.

So, go ahead and add to it over the winter and don't worry about it.  It will freeze and thaw and freeze and thaw - no big deal.  Once it warms up a bit, it will start composting.

If you happen to have a HUGE pile of organic matter, then the stuff in the middle will compost away at 150 degrees while the temp outside might be 20 below.

https://permies.com/t/2383/composting/Compost-happen-winter#16836