Trench Composting In Your Garden

Let’s get your garden soil rich and thriving with some nitrogen- and phosphorus-packed goodies perfect for trench composting! Trench gardening is all about burying organic matter right where your plants will grow, and letting nature break it all down into nutrient-rich soil candy. 🍂💪🌱

Here’s your quick + crunchy list of high-nitrogen and high-phosphorus foods (and scraps!) that are perfect for trench composting:

🌿 High Nitrogen Foods (aka “greens”)

Nitrogen fuels lush green leafy growth. Think growth boosters!

🍌 Banana peels
☕ Used coffee grounds
🍵 Tea leaves and tea bags (make sure they’re not plastic mesh!)
🥬 Vegetable scraps (especially leafy greens, spinach, kale)
🍉 Fruit scraps (melons, rinds, cores)
🥦 Broccoli stalks & outer leaves
🌽 Corn husks and cobs
🥚 Crushed eggshells (small N boost, plus calcium!)
🌻 Spent flowers and green plant trimmings
🍺 Beer or diluted liquid yeast (natural ferment = compost party)
🧽 Seaweed (if you’re coastal! Rinse salt first!)

🌾 High Phosphorus Foods

Phosphorus helps with strong roots, blooming flowers, and fruit production. Think underground magic + fruit babies!

🐟 Fish scraps or fish heads (wrap in newspaper or deep bury to avoid critters)
🦐 Shrimp shells (same tip: deep bury or mix well with browns)
🍠 Sweet potato & potato peels
🌰 Nut shells (not salted! Takes longer to break down)
🌽 Corn cobs (adds some P and great carbon too)
🍌 Banana peels (double whammy—N and P!)
🦴 Crushed or ground bone meal (slow-release powerhouse if you make your own!)
🥚 Eggshells again, because they’re fab for P and calcium!

🔥 Bonus Tip: Mix with “Browns”

Don’t forget to balance all these juicy “green” nitrogen/phosphorus foods with some browns (like shredded paper, cardboard, dry leaves, straw) to keep your trench from turning into a stinky, slimy mess.