Sheet composting is the process of
composting organic matter directly onto the
soil and letting it decay there
rather than in a heap. Most commonly this is achieved by sowing a '
green manure[?]' crop such as
mustard[?],
alfalfa
or
buckwheat which is then hoed in, preferably just before flowering. This practice can cause temporary
nitrogen robbery[?], but this can be reduced by employing
leguminous green manure crops such as
lupins[?],
winter tares[?],
field beans[?] or
clover which are able to fix their own
nitrogen supply in root nodules which is released as
the plants decay.
Proponents of this system argue that sheet composting causes less nutrients to be lost through
leaching than heap methods, also that fresh organic matter provides a slower release of minerals when applied
than when decayed. It is also said that in the long term, sheet composting leads to higher nitrogen levels in the
soil, as much is lost by vaporisation when a traditional heap heats up.
See also;
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