Trench Composting

[TanzanianMagic]

This is worm casting creation, soil improvement and recycling all in one.

For a long time, I have been intrigued by growing plants merely from the remains of other plants. I think that a fully grown weed plant contains all the nutrients needed to grow that plant. Therefore, you could fill this trench with plants other than fruit and vegetable scraps - male weed plants, other herbs/weeds like comfrey, cow parsley, stinging nettles, etc.

(YOUTUBE) Vermicomposting Trench - All Natural Fertilizer Factory for Your Garden!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl2XybtZ1dA

 

[mostnonymouse]

This is sick! A lot of us have some red worms in my indoor potting soil that continue adding pretty significant amounts of castings as they go, but this is on another level. My only question is if you can walk on the trenches or not...If you can, I'm definitely doing this between my raised beds next year.

 

[VerdantGreen]

trench/pit composting is nothing new - generally used for 'gross feeder' type plants that like a lot of water such as beans, potatoes, squashes etc.
if you have light sandy well drained soil this might work well for cannabis too. if your soil is already on the wet/water retentive side it may end up being too moist for weed.

if you want to use it next year i would advise starting the trench now or in very early spring so it has time to decompose.

VG

 

[who dat is]

Interesting find.

 

[Scrappy4]

For a long time, I have been intrigued by growing plants merely from the remains of other plants. I think that a fully grown weed plant contains all the nutrients needed to grow that plant.

Just be sure to use the whole plants.......hey, wait a minute !??

 

[TanzanianMagic]

For a long time, I have been intrigued by growing plants merely from the remains of other plants. I think that a fully grown weed plant contains all the nutrients needed to grow that plant.

Just be sure to use the whole plants.......hey, wait a minute !??

Well what a solution for male plants. I think you could even use comfrey, cow parsley, stinging nettles, etc., instead of vegetables or fruit. Although they would provide a lot of nutrients for flowering.

 

[TanzanianMagic]

This is sick! A lot of us have some red worms in my indoor potting soil that continue adding pretty significant amounts of castings as they go, but this is on another level. My only question is if you can walk on the trenches or not...If you can, I'm definitely doing this between my raised beds next year.

Maybe you can dig the trenches on the outside and walk down the middle?

trench
plants
pathway
plants
trench?

I don't know how well walking directly on it works for the worms.

 

[mostnonymouse]

Great idea! Then I can at least do it with some of my beds. My other idea was to lay down sections of plywood with 2x4 feet running the length of the trench, and make them just wide enough to keep my weight off the worm farm

 

[organicterra]

You could probably dump some bokashi buckets in there as well. Just bury it good so the critters don't get it.

 

[mostnonymouse]

worms love bokashi

 

[Nondual]

worms love bokashi

Dumped a few 5 gallon buckets of bokashi into my veggie bin after harvest. That stuff disappears fast!

I think you could even use comfrey, cow parsley, stinging nettles, etc., instead of vegetables or fruit. Although they would provide a lot of nutrients for flowering.

That's basically what I made compost with this year. Worms went crazy over it.

I dunno...I can see the trench method working if you have a lot of material but I'd be more apt to make bokashi out of it and amend the actual garden area. I had 3 5 gallon buckets rotating most of the summer.