This is a big one – one of the main things folks REALLY WANT to see in action when they visit our produce garden. It is scaleable, flexible, fast and effective.
You won’t see a COMPOST HEAP or worm farm at our place, and that can be a shock to some. Read here to find out why we DON’T DO COMPOSTING.
Try trenching instead…
Trenching is so easy it feels like a scam. It is about getting the good stuff straight into the ground. At its simplest, it’s just a spade-depth hole in the ground, with scraps tossed in, covered in soil that came out of the hole, and #tadaa – instant buffet for the microbiome. It is part of our zero-waste regime that has followed us from a tiny house and smidgey backyard to acreage, but still serves so well.
You can do basic trenching in all sorts of places:
>> SMALL
Think 2 litres of green scraps in a hole between plants in a small yard or a balcony pot.
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THIS SCALE IS TO REDUCE YOUR WASTE
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This is where we recommend you start.
Stainless bucket of kitchen scraps
LEVEL 1
Medium
>>MEDIUM
Think 20 litres of scraps at a time in home veggie beds
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THIS SCALE IS GREAT FOR MAKING SOIL
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This is the closest to what we do here in the D&B garden.
use kitchen scraps + more
LEVEL 2
Go Large
>> LARGE
Think 200-2000 litres of scraps in long trenches on acreage or at a community garden
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THIS SCALE IS SUITED TO SITE REJUVENATION
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This is great for starting garden beds from scratch, or in community gardens
use kitchen scraps + much more
There is a LOT to learn and apply of course, to get the most out of your waste, but we have made a start.
SEE HERE FOR TRENCHING BASICS,LEVEL ZERO
🌿 UPDATE: Folks who use the Bokashi system have asked if this can be trenched – YES ABSOLUTELY. Bokashi is perfect for trenching, especially if you don’t have the space for larger composting. Get that Bokashi goodness into the ground, STAT!
Look wide; Grow well, folks 🌿.
Trenching tends to be anaerobic decomposition. i.e. it is likely to produce methane which is a potent greenhouse gas. With the small pots there will probably be enough diffusion of oxygen in and have aerobic decomposition , but if it gets too deep, it will be bad for the atmosphere especially if a lot of people start to do it. That’s what halve-waste programmes are all about, keeping organic matter out of anaerobic decomposition in landfills.
I hear you, Bruce. At first, we were concerned about this too, but upon consulting local soil ecologists, we are confident that at these depths (spade depth, 30-40cm max) it is still considered aerobic. We have also had a chat with Jerry Coleby-Williams, whose advice we value. He agrees that the domestic shallow trenching we advocate isn’t likely to putrefy or generate methane. In huge landfills though, it is indeed a worry and we much prefer our on-site shallow treatment of green waste where it is super useful and not harmful. We don’t send any green waste to landfill at all. Thanks for your comment – it is a valuable point well made.