Does anybody have any experience using lard in the garden?

I rendered some lard from our yearly hog a few days ago, and I got impatient at the end and "burned" the last few gallons. So, rather than baggie it up and put it in the landfill, I figured I'd try to get some value out of it for the garden. The chickens can only eat so much of it...and I don't really want to attract too many birds with those hanging lard balls.

My first instinct was to compost. I do compost a bit of fat/bones/meat from time to time despite all those what-not-to-compost warnings, but I think 3 gallons would simply be too much. I don't want to turn my compost pile into a grease pile (it is only 2-3 cubic yards), and that much would be hard to bury far enough to keep the rodents away.

So, how about burying it directly in the garden? Does anybody have any experience with this? Would it be beneficial to the soil (I have very good loam from several years of ammendments)? Would it be beneficial to plants? If so, would it be beneficial enough to bother burying a little bit below individual plants (as opposed to just burying it all in one deep hole)? Here's a short article that suggests using it under roses.

To be honest...I already buried it in one 3'-deep hole in one of my rows tonight (would rodents dig 3' for a strong odor?). I intended on asking these questions this morning, but it took all day to get my username/password reminder email, so I got impatient. Nonetheless, I'd love to hear any other people's take on using lard, or any other fats (e.g., beef, venison, and rabbit), directly in the garden.

Thanks.

-Rob

Let us know over the next few months when things get growing.
It should make pulling weeds and root veggies easier.

If you find yourself in the same spot again, you could always freeze it if you have the space and parcel it out over time to your critters and garden (including wild birds, who I'd wager would be happy to have it in winter).