Paul Taylor wrote:

I am considering putting my kitchen waste (peelings + eggshells) into a
trench where I am going to grow peas this year (garden and mange tout). I
haven't done this before so a few questions:

How successful is this method of composting - will it be nicely composted
for the crop that I put in the year after (which won't be peas as I
rotate crops).

Successful, you may get foxes/rats digging about though. If this bothers
you it may not be the solution for you. The odd occasion that we get
this we fill it in again. We tend to use mainly vegetable material.

Yes it will be well rotted for a secondary crop.

The ususal time to do this is Autumn. your a little late this year, but
its still worth doing if the ground isn't frozen.

For peas/beans you can also put up to 3 folded newpapers (broadsheets
woerk well) soaked in water, at base of the trench.

Topping with a little mature compost can also be a good idea.
How good is it for the peas?

If done properly, very. Even better for the beans. If you can add a
little mature compost or bonfire ash from woodly clippings even better.

How exactly should the trench be done - I guess it would be about 12
inches deep and then say three inches of soil on top of that where I sow
the seeds?

The recmmended method is to dig a trench 1 spit deep (a spit is the
depth of a normal spade) fork over the bottom with a fork, then
introduce your waste material. A variation of the method is Sheet
composting (I'm pretty sure this is covered in the FAQ's or ABC or
something)

Can the same method be successfuly used for other veg? In particular
(because I also plan to grow these this year too), marrow, courgette,
squash and cucumber.

Better for the tougher vegetable.. I'd say for the hardier squashes,
courgette, marrow, pumkin etc give it a try. Cucumbers tend to like
something a bit more mature, but then if you have extra plants, have a
go and you'll find out;-)
//
J