Putting It Back in the Ground

The frost we had in November finished off the okra.  Fortunately, we had a great harvest this year which enabled us to eat as much as we wanted AND put enough away in the freezer so that we can make 8 or 10 more gumbos this winter before we would have to buy any okra.  While he was off on Friday, Russ took the pruning shears and lopped off the okra stalks.  He left the okra roots in place in the ground.  They'll rot and will be worked into the soil next spring.

Okra "stumps"

The okra plants were between 10 and 11 feet tall.  Once he was finished chopping the okra stalks down, he had quite a pile of debris.

So what to do with all of the debris?  From reading on the Internet, I learned that the composition of the plant itself is made up of nutrients and minerals that have been pulled up from the soil.  The best choice is to put it all back into the soil.  The plant will decompose and in the spring, other plants that I'll grow right on top of the buried okra plant compost will be able draw from those same nutrients to grow.  So first I dig a big trench in the garden ground.  I try to do this especially on the southernmost part of the garden since the land is low on that side.

Then I fill up the trench with okra cuttings and toss in some cow manure.  The bacteria speeds decomposition.  Then I cover it all up with dirt.  It raises the soil level a bit.  Once the okra begins to decompose the ground will settle.

Doing this same practice year after year has built up the soil level.  It has added organic matter to the soil which lessens soil compaction.  The added organic material helps the soil bank moisture during drought months.  There are numerous benefits to trench composting garden waste back into the garden.  You can do this with leaves, grass-clippings, kitchen scraps, shredded paper, etc.  I have seen significant improvement in the soil over five years, and I'd highly recommend this practice.