How to make a composting trench

By placing your vegetable peelings in a trench to rot down over winter, you'll add nutrients to the soil and help to retain valuable moisture.

All it requires is a little forward planning, as you need to select in advance where you're going to grow your runner beans or other thirsty crops, such as courgettes or pumpkins.

More on garden composting:

• Types of compost bin (video)
• How to compost woody stems (video)
• Should I compost fallen apples? (video)

Here's how to make a composting trench.

You will need:

• Organic kitchen waste
• Garden spade

Step 1:

Dig out a trench about 60cm deep during late autumn or winter. Then start filling it with all your organic kitchen waste, such as vegetable peelings, mouldy fruit, apple cores, onion skins and even tea bags.

Step 2:

Each time you add a batch of kitchen waste, cover it with a layer of soil. Continue until the trench is full, then top off with soil and leave it to rot down. As it does so, it will hold on to plenty of moisture, which is just what beans enjoy.

Step 3:

In May or June, sow or plant your beans on top of the composting trench and their roots will go down into the moisture-retentive, nutrient-rich material, boosting their growth.