I have been putting small (2-3 cups) of compost directly into my 7 inch raised bed garden about 1-2 a week. I bury it at least 5 inches deep. It consists of mainly coffee grounds, chopped up organic banana peels and other veg, matter. I would like to know if this is OK to bury it directly in the soil or not. I also have a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom buried 7 inches in the garden that I use in one side of the gardens. My gardens are both 6 x 4 ft but are separated. The one without without the 5 gallon bucket is the one I bury directly into. Hope I didn't confuse you. Thanking you in advance. Tim41

You aren't burying compost, you're burying kitchen scraps that might eventually decompose and become compost, but not quickly enough to benefit current plants. You might be better off creating a separate compost pile. There is diversity of opinion about burying kitchen scraps and there have been many debates about it in these forums. One drawback is the possibility of attracting critters. Also, buried deeply, the vegetative matter can turn into a smelly anerobic sludge because it lacks oxygen. Or bugs and soil microbes might turn it to a beneficial fertilizer. Much depends on what you're trying to grow nearby. It might not benefit plants that require lots of nitrogen, like leafy greens. I suggest you get several opinions about it do some research, and experiment.

Some gardeners have reported using the bucket method with success. I've never tried it.

NMoasis. Thanks for the reply. I do find the buried compost does draw a lot of worms and disintegrates rapidly. I dont bury it during growing season but after everything is pulled (I grow my lettuce and broccoli in 5-7 gallon pots). I'm basically worried about the PH levels because of no browns in the compost. By the way, try the buried bucket. When I empty it there are hundreds of worms in it which get dumped right back into my raised beds. Just make sure the bucket is a food grade bucket. The bucket will be white with a food grade label on it. Wal Mart sells them for 2-3 bucks. Thanks

@tim41 I bury kitchen scraps directly into my garden without any problem. In fact, if I probably waited there would not be any nutrition left in my scraps. I am in a very hot and dry zone in Texas.
How I know that is the best way for me...I will go a week or two later and redig the spot. Virtually nothing left.

I would recommend you doing the same thing. Check it weekly , if it is mainly intact after 4 weeks. Either smaller pieces or do the bucket in both beds. I have seen people who keep an old blender, blend all scraps, add a little water, then pouring it around the garden. Sprinkly a little soil over the top for insect and odor control.

If you have rows, you can bury in the walking part of the rows. The next season you plant the the walking row, and bury the where the plants used to be. Kinda like a crop rotation in a small space.

Just saw you replied

May your garden be a full of good things!

Tim, a balance of greens and browns (nitrogen and carbon) is necessary for above-ground aerobic composting. I don't know that it applies to the buried breakdown. You can have your soil professionally tested for pH (and analyzed for nutrients) or purchase a pH meter for home use. I have an inexpensive one that seems reasonably accurate.

You might be able to find a thread about this in our composting forum. There is some informative reading there. You could also explore worm composting...another way to use kitchen scraps.
https://garden.org/forums/view...

Reply to both of you: I dig to check what I buried and its usually gone within a week. Potato skins last longer than anything else. I guess with the amount of worms in my beds that maybe everything is good. Will be covering the beds with 3-4 in of mulched leaves soon then will put the scraps underneath the leaves because the ground freezes. Have never taken any PH readings but maybe I should in the spring. Better safe than sorry. Thanks again for replying.

Tim, I would think in Rehoboth you would need lots of compost, I remember the soil is very sandy there.

I would do what NMoasis said. Don't bury garbage in the garden.

tim41 said:I have been putting small (2-3 cups) of compost directly into my 7 inch raised bed garden about 1-2 a week. I bury it at least 5 inches deep. It consists of mainly coffee grounds, chopped up organic banana peels and other veg, matter.

I would like to know if this is OK to bury it directly in the soil or not.

I also have a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the bottom buried 7 inches in the garden that I use in one side of the gardens. My gardens are both 6 x 4 ft but are separated.

The one without without the 5 gallon bucket is the one I bury directly into.

Why are you asking?
You say that the material decomposes rapidly...

Trust your experience... trust the evidence that you observe with your own senses!

There will always be people that insist that their own method is the only method that anyone should use... Avoid taking them seriously.

The method that is best in your garden? Is whatever works for you.
Burying the kitchen scraps gets them out of sight, keeps the nasty creepy things out of the stuff... Works for me.

At my house what works best is to allow the chickens to do the work...

Other people practice 'sheet composting'. There is no one size fits all approach... practice common sense... God's been composting for a long time and whatever method keeps the nutrients on your property is fine.

stone said:
There will always be people that insist that their own method is the only method that anyone should use... Avoid taking them seriously.

Also avoid taking anyone seriously who makes statements like that. Look at all the information offered and make your decisions based on the evidence. You can keep doing what you are doing and that's fine but you asked for opinions...

DaisyI said:
Also avoid taking anyone seriously who makes statements like that. Look at all the information offered and make your decisions based on the evidence. You can keep doing what you are doing and that's fine but you asked for opinions...

And I suggested that they trust the evidence of their own experience...

There's more than one way to skin a cat, 50 ways to leave your lover, and probably just as many to successfully compost.

The only time that I ever had a problem with burying organic material in my beds was when I tried burying sacks full of dried yard leaves or wheelbarrow loads of sawdust in clay.

And even that wasn't irredeemable. After a couple of years those sections began growing again... and... surprisingly, burying sawdust in sand didn't result in any kind of setback.

Really need the hands on experience to say whether something works for you or not. Speaking authoritatively is something best avoided in favor of discussing our own personal experiences and anecdotes..

If I'd read in your original post that what they were doing was fine... I wouldn't have felt compelled to make that information clear.

You are burying very small volumes of organic matter and they are disappearing rapidly. Direct composting or trench composting as it is sometimes called has been practiced and studied for dogs years and I have yet to hear of any negative effect. That, of course, assumes you are burying vegetable matter and avoiding meats, etc. I sometimes will do this on a small scale during winter when my compost bins are less active and the trenched veg waste decomposes before I plant for spring - it does seem to improve the soil structure (as would adding any organic matter). I also find that in those areas I do have increased worm populations...not surprising as you've set up a buffet line for them.