Trench Gardening

Trench gardening is an excellent way to improve soil and compost kitchen scraps quickly.

Among the myriad of gardening techniques to choose from is a less-familiar one called trench gardening, also known as pit- or compost-trenching. With this method, compost or soil amendments are layered inside trenches. When the trenches are complete, they are level with the soil around them. Trench gardening is also the oldest and simplest way to compost kitchen scraps, as the University of Illinois Extension website points out.

Significance

Trench gardening offers a number of benefits. It makes improving the soil easier and less expensive, because only the direct area where planting will occur is treated with amendments, as Rice University's Institute for Public Policy explains in its flier "How to Build Your Trench Garden." Because of the improved soil, the garden is easier to maintain, and depending upon the layers of materials used, the garden may require less watering.

Method No. 1

The simplest method of trench gardening is to dig a trench about a foot deep and wide. Dump scraps suitable for composting into this trench. This can include vegetable and fruit peelings, coffee and tea granules, grass and garden clippings, and dried leaves, all chopped into 1- or 2-inch pieces. Alternatively, you can use quality compost. Dump these materials into the trench and cover them with at least 8 inches of soil. When the materials are completely composted, the trench may be planted.

Method No. 2

A more complicated, but quicker, technique is to mark out an area about 3 feet wide and dig it down to the depth of a shovel. Into this, place a layer of dried leaves or cardboard. Next comes a layer of soil, followed by a layer of grass clippings or green leaves. Follow this with a thin layer of soil then a layer of aged manure. On top of this, place a mixture of aged manure and soil. You can plant this type of trench immediately.

Features

Plants grown in a trench garden require little or no fertilization because the materials that are layered in the soil gradually decompose and feed the plants. This method of gardening is especially desirable for root crops, such as carrots, turnips, parsnips, beets and radishes, The National Gardening Association (NGA) website explains. As the editors of NGA write, "You can grow tremendous, prizewinning roots this way, but remember, the smaller ones are the best tasting, so pull them up before they get huge."

References

• University of Illinois Extension: Composting Methods
• Rice University, Institute for Public Policy: How to Build Your Trench Garden
• National Gardening Association: Trench Planting Root Crops