Autumn Allotment Jobs - Digging A Bean Trench

Autumn Allotment Jobs - Digging A Bean Trench

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A regular Autumn job on my allotment is digging bean trenches - to prepare the ground for sowing next Spring.

A bean trench is simply a hole, dug on the beds where I plan to grow beans next season, then filled with organic matter. This will then rot down slowly and provide nutrients for the growing beans. It will also improve water retention in the ground.

This is suitable for any type of bean - runner, french or broad beans - and can also be used for growing peas.

I fill the trench with what is available at the time - partly rotted compost, manure or green waste from finished crops.

Manure is ideal - see my earlier post:
Digging A Bean Trench - October 2012

This Autumn I don't have any manure available - but my sweetcorn has been harvested - so I've used the stalks and leaves, roughly chopped up.

A great bit of recycling - using one of this year's crops to feed another next year.

To finish off I added a layer of nettles.

I've been using these all summer to make liquid compost.

They have normally died back by now, but we've had a mild October so they are still growing around the allotment site.

These are a good source of nitrogen, so an ideal addition.

I then back-filled the trench with will soil.

This can now sit all Winter and slowly rot down, leaving me with a good base to plant my French Beans next Spring.