Hole composting is simply the act of taking your compost materials and burying them in a small hole. This is as opposed to making a large and elaborate compost pile, or using a composting tumbler. I’ve been doing it for years, and there are pros and cons to the process. I simply use a post hole shovel to make my holes which are always small and perfectly sized for compost materials a few times a week.
Pros of Hole Composting:
- It is very low effort to toss small amounts of compost materials in a hole. Assume for the sake of argument that I toss less than a liter volume wise into my holes each time. Dig hole, dump contents, refill hole, ignore forever and let nature take its course.
- There is no smell associated with hole composting. Since everything is in small quantities and underground, there’s no smell like you might experience with other methods.
- Composting near plants that need a boost allows for small amounts of organic matter to be breaking down in the soil perpetually. If I have a high needs plant, like a banana, then I’ll do more frequent compost holes around it.
- There is no need to turn or touch the compost ever again. Where I live it just takes a month or two and all traces of anything placed underground are gone thanks to various organisms at play.
Cons of Hole Composting:
- You can’t hoard a bunch of compost for specific use at a later date. Holes have to be placed strategically in an ongoing manner. It is fine to randomly compost, but it won’t allow you to plan for a spontaneous new garden bed when the mood strikes.
- You have to invest in a post hole digger. But they’re worth it in my opinion.
