Bean Trench Timing

[matthew77]

Hi all this is my first post

I am new to gardening (under 1 year) and wanted to know if its too late to add kitchen waste to a bean trench as I have loads from over the Christmas and New Year period. If it is too late I can add it to my compost heap.

What is the latest that you can concievably add kitchen waste to a bean trench. This is a job that my grandfather did religously but I was far too young to get a decent handle on the timings.

Any help would be gratefully accepted.

[shirlthegirl43]

Hi and welcome to the 'vine Matthew.

Sorry I can't help with your question but thought I would say hello since I am also in South Wales. Sure there will be a helpful person round soon to sort out your problem, they are a very friendly lot on here.

[Snadger]

Don't use this method myself, but I know it is a tried and trusted method of supplying moisture and nutrients to a greedy crop.

It's going to be a while before you plant the Runner beans (Late May/June I would guess) as they are very succeptable to frost.

All I can say is, that if I was to use this method I would probably keep adding to the trench until end of April and top it off with some well rotted manure before planting!

The heat generated by decomposition would help to warm the soil a bit, but the nack will be to not have it too warm!

[Snadger]

Forgot to mention...........welcome to the vine matthew 77 btw!

[matthew77]

Thanks Shirl for the infomation, it certainly makes sense.

Oh, and thanks snadger for the welcome. Nice to see someone local on here

And i do agree that they are a friendly lot here, I have been reading the forums for a few eeks but never got round to posting.

[Stroppy scotte]

Welcome
We are filling our bean trenches with vegetable waste and intend continuing to fill it until the end of March or when they are full, which may be well before then at the rate we are going .
At the end of the day it will rot down quickly. We store it at home in an old bin which starts it rotting down well before we drop them into the trench.
Good luck and have fun

[matthew77]

Thanks Scotte I to have a bin full waiting for some nice weather for me to fill it in. Luckily I got the bins free from a council scheme that are asking for houses to save thier kitchen waste for composting.

Thanks you to all for your help I will go ahead and merrily dump my waste in my bean trench for a good couple of months at least.

Also thanks for the great welcome all

[jlottie]

Hi Matthew

I started my bean trench back in October and have been steadily filling it with kitchen waste and veg matter from the plot and adding layers of soil as I go. Wish I had thought to line the whole trench with cardboard first but there is always next year

jl

[supersprout]

All good advice, my neighbour has big trench filled from October to April - it rots down really fast! I also use 'raw' compost as a mulch over thirsty plants, underneath the overall straw mulch. I have a compost bin when there's nowhere else to put it straight on the plot, but I'm trying to get away from compost heaps and using sheet composting instead (sounds much better than raw compost, doesn't it? )

Back to beans: We didn't water our dwarf of climbing beans at all last year and had excellent crops, they were mulched with about 8" of organic mulch, topped with straw - when furtled underneath the mulch, the soil was lovely and moist, and full of worms. And weedless!

[shirlthegirl43]

Reading this post has me intrigued - could someone please explain the process of a bean trench for me? As I understand it so far, I dig a trench in the ground and put all the veggie waste that would go in the compost bin into the trench instead. Is that about it or have I misunderstood?

I grew stuff for the first time last year but had no joy with peas or beans as I just didn't have space to do them justice. This year I have more space and this sounds an interesting thing to do to prepare the soil.

[Mrs Dobby]

Thats basically it Shirley, but I have heard that a good layer of cardboard put in first is a good idea, as it helps to retain moisture for this thirsty crop!

[shirlthegirl43]

Thanks Mrs D.

Should I cover the stuff in the trench or just leave it open to the elements? I guess I could take out stuff I have already put into the compost bin if I need more!

[Mrs Dobby]

Personally I'd cover it, as you then runb less of a risk of vermin getting to it, and IMHO it looks better too, but I guess its down to personal prefference!

[nick the grief]

Hi Matthew welcome to the vine, I have to say that your typing skills are brilliant for someone who's under 1 ... ahhh you meant veg growing.

No problems with still adding to the bean treanch as it will all help hold mosture come the summer. Just give it 4 -6 weeks before planting to allow it all to settle.

[matthew77]

Thanks for the welcome Nick, I was always a very advanced child though

I must thank everyone for thier help, some very good advice. I must ask though, what are the advantages of lining the trench with Cardboard?

Do you the put the waste directly on the cardboard or do you put a layer of soil between the waste and the cardboard. Sorry f this sounds like a stupid question but I want to get it right if I can.