Composting directly into the garden

The design of our back garden has changed as we have aged, and no longer allows room for compost bins. We used to have them but as we got older, found them more and more difficult to turn the contents from one into the other, or empty them and distribute the compost.

After trialling large containers inside the raised beds to compost in, these too were dispatched to the great compost bin in the sky. As they sat in the middle of each bed, they were quite a stretch to get to and we would often tweak our backs doing so:(

Two years ago, we began trialling trench composting directly inside the beds. Other than a few volunteers that grew from parsnip and carrot tops and potato peelings, it was successful.

A deep trench (the full depth of a spade) so about 8", is dug and semi composted leaves added to the bottom in a layer about 1" deep:

Our kitchen composting bin is emptied on top of these, to a depth of about 3" or so:

Then the trench is covered over with soil from the next trench and onward it goes. We normally begin this as soon as each bed becomes empty so by the end of March, all raised beds have been done.

Once every few years, we may add bought in farmyard manure to give the soil an extra boost. This new system worked very well last year and our worm population has increased. 

The two new raised beds didn't have time to have it done and the difference was huge. They both struggled to feed the plants in them despite the addition of blood, fish and bonemeal and liquid feeds.

The rest of the garden tends to have bought in compost/blood, fish and bonemeal, sprinkled on the top each year or when needed.