One technique that is used in sustainable vegetable growing is the idea of a loaded garden bed. This technique enables maximum nitrogen input with minimum disturbance to the soil and good moisture retention.
The way I have seen it used was when two lettuce plots were being harvested at one time. These were the steps taken to prepare the loaded garden bed:
1) All the outer leaves and root bases were discarded onto one of the beds.
2) The lettuce waste was ripped into smaller pieces with our hands.
3) A light layer of compost was spread over the leaves.
4) Some newspaper was soaked in water and then layered it in sections (approximately 5 pages thick) over the entire bed including the sides.
5) Straw was then added as a mulch over the top of the newspaper.
Once this process was complete we had the option of immediate pl
anting or leaving it for a few weeks. We planted immediately with seedlings that had been grown in individual pots. Using seedlings from pots was to ensure that the plant had enough soil in its immediate surroundings so that there was room for the roots to spread out. If we did not provide enough soil then the roots would come in contact with the green lettuce leaves before they had enough time to decompose and the roots would not be able to grow into it.
The lettuce leaves become a source of green manure or nitrogen fertiliser for the new crop.
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