A Simple Way to Feed Garden Beds Without Tending a Full Compost Pile
This is a two piece bury and swap system built for garden beds. I put one in each of two spots, so I’d always have one working while the other filled.

My wife and I have kept several forms of composting going for years and still will. We have two compost piles and one rotating drum. They’re mostly filled with trimmings from vegetable plants in the garden, along with veggie scraps from cooking. This set provides a different approach that is smaller and more targeted. You bury one of these near the plants that need it and let the worms work the scraps right where the roots can use them.

I dug a hole for each one near two different garden beds rather than keeping a spare bin in the house and it’s the best way for us. The listing suggests you keep the second bin around the house collecting kitchen scraps until it’s time to bury it, but it’s not ready made for that method. These are covered in ventilation holes top to bottom, which is exactly what you want once they’re underground and worms are moving through the soil around them. Sitting on a counter or in a mudroom, those same holes would let odor out and let anything wet drip through onto whatever is underneath. Bury both from the start and you avoid the problem entirely.

The twist lock lid has held tight against a groundhog that tries to get into our compost. The wide opening makes it easy to drop scraps in without digging around blind or lifting the whole basket free. The plastic feels sturdy enough for something sitting in the ground through a season of watering and weather changes, though I wouldn’t risk stepping on it.

Filling them has been easy. No turning, no mixing, just add scraps and let the worms and the soil handle the rest. I started my first with shredded plain paper, dirt, coffee grounds, and some crumbled leaves. Having two lets me keep one filling near my squash plants while the other sits closer to the chard and onions. Both spots get fed without hauling scraps across the yard.

A quick tip: We found live red wigglers cheapest at a sporting goods counter selling fishing bait.

I knocked off one star for the listing claim that one can be filled in home. Though there are composting bags that could make that work, the listing doesn’t say so or address the potential extra cost. Also, while the bins feel fairly sturdy, I’m skeptical about long-term durability.

Value Rating: Still Worth Having. Simple to bury and does exactly what it claims once it’s in the ground where it belongs.

Bottom Line: Bury these where you actually want the compost to end up, one near each bed if you can, and they’ll do their job all season. ~ Thomas Tried and True