Organic Gardener – A guide to trench composting

There are many ways to make compost. Typical green brown composts are made either in a compost bin or a heap on the ground. Compost does not always require the use of a surrounding container. Compost made in a heap is much easier to turn if and when required.

If you have read my articles before you may know I am not in favour of adding household scraps to a compost heap. Household scraps are the main reason a Compost heap smells and attracts vermon.

Household scraps do have a place in the garden however. I usually put these in my worm farm.

If you do not have a worm farm there is still several ways you can use house scraps in the garden.

In this Article we will look at Trench composting.

This is an excellent way to build up your Vegetable gardens fertility and get rid of your house scraps at the same time.

4 simple steps to start a Trench compost.

Step 1:
Start by digging a row in your vegetable garden. Now dig another row placing the soil on top of the first row so you create a trench. This trench will become your Compost heap. During the next week put your household scraps in this trench.

Step 2:
After a weeks worth of scraps have been added to the trench, dig another trench by putting the soil from the row you are digging on top of the waste you placed in the previous trench.

Step 3:
Step 3 requires repeating step 2 until you have your bed completely dug.

Step 4:
Once you have completed all steps above you will be left with a row of household waste and nothing to dig on top of it because you have come to the end of the bed. There are a couple of options for completing this step…

- Option 1: I prefer to use this option. Simply use some green/brown compost and fill the hole or empty your grass catcher in the hole until its full.

- Option 2: You can rake the raised garden you have created until the soil fills the hole.

There are several variations to this method of composting.

I have read articles suggesting a variation to include digging between widely spaced rows of vegetables. This can damage the root system of plants if dug too close. I do use this variation sometimes but I don’t recommend it to new gardeners.

Another variation includes simply digging a hole emptying a bucket full of scraps and fill the hole in. This is ideal around the base of trees and shrubs. It’s a good idea to place a marker where you have placed each bucket full to ensure you don’t dig in the same location for a few months.