Do you have a backyard compost pile? In the spring, summer and fall months, composting kitchen scraps and yard waste is an ecological way to use naturally occurring microbes to break down organic matter into beneficial mulch. But in the winter months, these microbes either slow down or stop completely. To protect your compost in the cold months, you should protect it from the oversaturation of water that comes from snow and ice. By covering it with a tarp, the microbes will be protected from the elements and will still be active come spring. You can still add kitchen waste to the pile through the winter months just by lifting and replacing the tarp.

Cooler temperatures mean many of us will soon be using our fireplaces as a source of heat to keep our house warm. Before Old Man Winter is here, take the time to do a visual inspection inside your fireplace. Use a bright flashlight and look up the fireplace from inside your house. Open and close the damper and make sure it works (and seals) properly. If it appears to be off when closed, it's like having a small window open all the time in your house, and that can be a huge waste of heat and energy. When it's open, look for animal nests or anything else that might be blocking the chimney. If you see anything at fault, have a professional come and inspect and repair before using it.

Many people who have gardens use the fall and winter months to shop seed catalogs and design and plan their spring gardens. When perusing seed catalogs, you may see many marked "non-GMO" seeds, which means they are not seeds from genetically modified plants. While this is good, the reality is catalogs for non-commercial gardeners do not sell GMO seeds to begin with, so there's no need to worry if seeds you want are not marked "non-GMO."