Tried burying my compost directly in garden beds instead of a pile

I got tired of turning my compost bin last spring and just dug a trench right in my raised bed and buried kitchen scraps. Three weeks later my zucchini plants were absolutely taking over and the tomatoes went crazy. Turns out the worms and microbes did all the work for me with zero effort on my part. Has anyone else switched to trench composting and noticed different results with specific crops?

3 comments

3 Comments

alext5211d ago

I read a study from the Rodale Institute a few years back that said trench composting like that can increase soil microbial activity by something like 30 percent compared to a pile. My neighbor tried it last summer and his beans went nuts, but his carrots came out all forked and weird. I think it depends on what you're burying and how deep you go. For things like squash and tomatoes that love rich, loose soil it makes sense they'd thrive. But root crops might run into the fresh scraps and get all twisted, so you gotta be careful where you put them. I've been meaning to give it a shot myself, just need to pick a bed where I'm not planting carrots or parsnips.

webb.hannah11d ago

Trench composting is perfect for heavy feeders like squash but terrible for root crops. The worms do the work and you don't have to turn anything, which is the best part. Just keep it away from carrots and parsnips and you're golden.

parker_hall511d ago

My neighbor did this and her garlic tasted like onions from the cross-burial confusion.