Spring Garden Tips
Trench Compost Kitchen Scraps

Summer means lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and that means lots of kitchen scraps to manage. Don’t send them down the garbage disposer or throw them away. Instead, recycle them into your gardens.

JavaScript is disabled!
To display this content, you need a JavaScript capable browser.

mgm_audio_220_trench_compostWorm and pile composting are great ways to manage these scraps. But if these methods aren’t for you, try trench composting.

Cut the kitchen scraps, no meat, fat or cheese please, into smaller pieces whenever possible to speed decomposition. Then bury them in a hole in a vacant space in the garden. It’s really that easy.

My friend Ray would always trench compost in the pathways of his garden. He would bury plant waste in the paths throughout the summer. The following season he would use the amended pathways as the planting area and last year’s planting beds as his path. That way he was continually recycling kitchen scraps, improving the soil, and rotating his crops.

A bit more information: Sheet composting is nature’s way of converting leaves into organic woodland soils. As leaves drop to the ground in the fall; worms, ground beetles, and microorganisms help break them down and incorporate it into the soil. You can do the same. Shred leaves with your mower and use them as mulch in your flower and vegetable gardens.

 

Related Garden Moments for Radio

A Beautiful Garden Starts with a Soil Test

Listen to Garden Moment...

Compost - It's Simple

Save time and money by turning landscape trimmings into a valuable soil amendment.

Listen to Composting...

Converting Grass to Gardens

Add more planting space to your landscape by converting a portion of your lawn to a flower or vegetable garden.

Listen to Garden Moment..

Dividing Overgrown and Floppy Perennials

Overcrowded, poor flowering and floppy perennials can be invigorated with a shovel and a bit of your time and energy.

Listen to Garden Moment..

Earth-Kind Landscaping

You can have a beautiful landscape and be kind to the environment by adopting an Earth-Kind landscape philosophy.

Listen to Earth-kind Landscaping...

Fall Soil Preparation

As the summer growing season winds down, it’s a great time to prepare your landscape for next season. Start with a soil test. The results can save you money and the environment.

Listen to Fall Soil Preparation...

Gardening with Your Neighbor - Shared Gardens

Get rid of the fence dividing you and your neighbors’ yard. Instead create a beautiful garden you both can enjoy.

Listen to Shared Gardens...

Green and Easy Landscape Care

Being kind to the environment does not have to be difficult. In fact, it can save you time and money.

Listen to Green and Easy Landscape Care...

Kitchen Scrap Gardening

Have a bit of fun and stretch your gardening muscles with kitchen scrap gardening.

Listen to Kitchen Scrap Gardening...

Kitchen Scraps to Gardener’s Gold

Give your garbage disposal and wallet a rest. Convert kitchen scraps into a nutritious soil additive for your garden while raising bait for your next fishing trip. All you need is a container with drainage holes, shredded paper, red worms and of course kitchen scraps.

Listen to Recycling Kitchen Scraps...

Managing Fall Leaves

Put away the rake and break out the mower. That’s right you can recycle your leaves right where they fall.

Listening to Managing Fall Leaves...

Perennial Garden Renovations

Give your tired perennial garden a boost without a total renovation. Topdressing your garden with compost every year or two provides most if not all the nutrients your perennials need.

Listen to Perennial Garden...

Plant a Gift for Dad this Father's Day

Plant a gift for dad this Father’s Day and give a gift he can enjoy all season.

Listen to Father's Day Gift...

Recycling Coffee Grounds

Put coffee grounds and filters to work improving your garden’s beauty and productivity.

Listen to Garden Moment...

Recycling Coffee Grounds in Your Garden

Put coffee grounds and filters to work improving your garden’s beauty and productivity.

Listen to Coffee Grounds for your Garden...