How to water the beds before planting. Soil preparation for spring planting. Raised beds for cucumbers in the open field

05.03.2020

Efficient soil cultivation

Digging up the soil

The first important operation with the land in preparing the site for planting is digging the land (if you do not take into account its release from debris, weeds, leveling, etc.). To start digging, you should understand its depth, as well as the characteristics of the soil. Heavy soil requires digging to a depth of about 50 cm. Medium soil is dug up mainly by 60 cm, and very light, sandy - by 70 cm or more. Do not forget to lay in parallel with digging organic fertilizers, however, the manure should not be deeper than 20 cm from the surface. With a sufficiently deep digging (over 20 cm), it is necessary to select stones, roots, etc. from the ground.

As a rule, the soil is dug deep in autumn or winter - before spring and the sowing period, the earth should settle. Deep digging enriches the earth with oxygen, and it is easier for water to reach the lower layers. If the upper soil layer is as fertile as the lower one, then they can be mixed, otherwise you will have to remove the upper layer and fold it separately, so that after digging up the lower layers, return the upper one back.

Deep autumn digging is carried out early, so that bacteria have time to work on the treated areas before frost. Also in order to make the most of the autumn rains. Moisture will not be absorbed into the uncultivated compacted earth, while the supply of water in the soil is extremely important. Moist land is less watered and less effort is expended on growing crops. In autumn, the soil is dug up by about 30 cm without breaking clods - after frost, by spring they will become crumbly. During this period, manure is introduced. With a sufficiently deep digging, the fertilizer is first scattered over the site, after which it is buried by 15 cm and only then proceed to a deeper digging. Also in the fall, they neutralize a variety of pests that, after digging, appear on the surface. Some die there, while others burrow deep into the ground, where they die due to lack of oxygen.

❧ Seeds of some vegetables will germinate better if they are exposed to 3.5kV/cm AC voltage for 10-20 minutes, and any seeds that have been in a sealed chamber with ammonia gas for 10~20 minutes are 90% better sprout and grow twice as fast

In the spring you can see how good the soil is, fertilized and dug up in the fall. It is homogeneous and with excellent structure. If it was dug deep, then in the spring there is no need for a similar procedure - just level it with a rake. You just have to hurry, because under the sun the soil quickly loses such valuable moisture.

When the ground is covered in snow winter period, then it is compacted, therefore it requires a shallow spring digging (8-12 cm).

If digging was not carried out in the fall, then it will have to be done in the spring, but also shallow - 15-18 cm, moreover, when the state of the earth is average between wet and dry. After digging, the earth is immediately combed with a rake.

Soil loosening

Digging is a key mechanical technique for the main tillage, but loosening refers to surface tillage, although it may well be deep. Its essence lies in fine processing, which increases, albeit not as significantly as digging, the access of oxygen to the ground, which contributes to the development of the root system. The layers of earth remain in place during loosening, and the result is the destruction of the soil crust (surface loosening should be carried out after watering or heavy rain, when a crust is just formed), the elimination of weed sprouts, and large roots are dug up. If the soil is loosened often enough, this reduces the evaporation of moisture and improves the absorption of water into the soil. As technical means when loosening, hoes, choppers and various cultivators are used. Growing vegetables requires regular loosening of the soil to eliminate weeds and improve the soil next to the plants.

There is such a technique - deep loosening, which is carried out in the spring. For this, forks can be used to shift the soil layer. The process is as follows: first you need to stick the fork vertically into the ground, then tilt it towards you, deepening the fork into the soil, move the handle forward, shifting the layer of earth. Next, you should loosen the surface to a depth of about 8-9 cm, pouring ash, compost, mineral fertilizers and trace elements into the soil. Deep loosening is used when it is necessary for oxygen and roots to reach the subsoil, but it is not necessary to turn the earth over.

It is also worth mentioning the point of view on loosening (and digging) representatives of quite popular ecological farming. So, they consider it harmful to the soil and try to use it to a minimum. In their opinion, worms and the remains of plant roots are useful because they provide channels for the access of oxygen and moisture, and during loosening (and digging) the internal structure of the earth is disturbed, it sags, the channels disappear with corresponding consequences. In addition, loosening and digging are deadly for earthworms and other microorganisms, due to which the humus layer is formed. And finally, when the soil is dug up, the humus layer mixes with the deep earth, which is not homogeneous, as a result of which the humus layer becomes poorer, which leads to a loss of soil fertility. Constantly mixed with an infertile deep layer, it becomes extremely thinner, and the soil loses its fertility. There are tools such as flat cutters and weeders that minimize the damage from loosening.

For a garden, growing plants without the use of intensive loosening and digging is possible, since there are no plants with a deep root system. Indeed, you can use minimal digging and loosening, and fertilize superficially. And long before planting, because it is necessary to give earthworms the opportunity to assimilate top dressing. If everything is done correctly, then weeds will grow reluctantly, moisture will evaporate less, the structure of the earth will improve and productivity will increase. In any case, before the whole operation, it is necessary to remove the existing weeds by mulching or chemical means. Also, the use of non-digging equipment is justified in the presence of a system of beds.

Soil mulching

Under this intricate name lies an elementary, but very effective agrarian technique, the essence of which is to cover the soil with any materials that protect it from excessively abundant weed growth, drying out, compaction and imbalance of the water and air environment in the upper soil layer. As a result of using this technology, the farmer rarely needs to weed and loosen, and water too.

The set of mulch materials is very diverse, you can use different organic and inorganic materials: sawdust, grass, bark, paper, stone, roofing material, film, etc. The most useful organic material is rotted compost without weed seeds.

Naturally, it is better to use organic materials, since they do not retain air and water, rot over time, nourishing the earth with microelements and having a beneficial effect on its structure. But it should be remembered that certain organic matter changes the acidity of the soil, so you need to carefully select materials for mulch.

In this perspective, compost seems to be an ideal mulch, since it does not affect the acidity of the soil in any way (it has a slightly alkaline reaction) and greatly enriches it with nutrients (in particular, phosphorus).

Various wood waste are slightly acidic. They must be composted at least a year before use. If the bark comes into play, then the size of the pieces should not exceed 50 mm. It is good for mulching raspberries, fruit trees and shrubs. Peat has an acidic reaction and is well suited for mulching under plants growing in acidic soil, for example, clayey peat makes loose, so that it passes water and oxygen. On the other hand, peat has a black color, because of which it will heat up under the sun and the earth under this material will overheat. That is, peat is not suitable for continuous mulching, but for powdering rows of vegetables.

The use of freshly cut grass is useful in that it enriches the soil with nitrogen, while dry grass, on the contrary, takes nitrogen from the ground. There should be no weed seeds in the grass. It is better to dry the freshly cut grass a little so that it does not rot in the beds. Before straw is applied, nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the soil.

Eggshells are alkaline and this mulch effectively resists slugs and snails.

The described procedure is recommended to be performed in late spring. The earth at this time is warm, it has already warmed up, and wet, since the snows have melted. However, there are no strict requirements for the timing of mulching. It is only necessary to take the necessary preparatory measures: eliminate weeds, thoroughly moisten the soil, fertilize, if necessary, loosen. Then you can use mulch, which is laid in a layer no thicker than 50 mm. Gradually, the layer can thin out due to natural factors, so it should be replenished periodically. However, you need to be aware that mulch laid on poorly heated ground may slow down the development of plants, due to the lower temperature under the mulch compared to the temperature of uncovered ground (by several degrees). In this case, you need to remove the mulch and let the earth warm up for 2-3 warm days.

Anything can serve as an object of mulching: berries, greenhouses, beds, plantations, flower beds, fruit bushes and trees. The stems of plants, the zone of the root collar must be free from covering material, otherwise they may rot. If the plant is perennial, then the mulch can not be removed, but every year the layer should be replenished. Under the same year olds, a layer of mulch is buried in the ground if the material is not necessary to rot, or moved to a compost heap so that the material continues to rot. Dry grass can be collected in a separate place for the future.

When mulching, the type and composition of the soil must be taken into account. In particular, sandy-clay soil is heavy, and here it is enough to throw in a covering material with a layer of 20 mm, since with a greater thickness, rotting will begin from below. It is better to add material later. 2-3 gardening seasons will pass, and it will be noticeable how the soil structure has improved.

The harvest that you harvest in the fall from your beds depends on many factors. One of the most important is how well the soil was prepared in the spring.

Sowing and planting of cold-resistant crops is carried out when the soil is in soft plastic state, i.e. easily rolls into a non-disintegrating tourniquet and does not stain hands. During this period, the soil has already warmed up enough and contains the optimal amount of moisture. Do not miss the moment, because in this state the soil will be only 2 weeks!

hard plastic the state is defined as follows: the soil, when rolling, breaks up into small pieces, but still forms a cohesive lump when squeezed. In this case, with a lack of moisture, the conditions for and seedlings worsen.

And if, when squeezed, a lump of soil does not change shape and the pieces do not stick together, then the soil has turned into solid the condition and conditions for seed germination and seedling survival are very poor, since there is no moisture in the upper soil layer.

You are only at the beginning of the journey. But, as they say, as it begins, so it will be. So take the question spring training soil with all seriousness to avoid problems in the future.

The garden plot needs care almost all year round: spring is the time to come out of hibernation and prepare the land and plants for the new harvest year. Summer is the time for plant care. Autumn is the time to harvest and prepare the land and garden for the harsh winter. Only in winter does an avid summer resident get a respite, and even at this time household plot needs some looking after.

Spring is the time for the awakening of nature after the cold, preparing the land and garden for a new harvest. But in spring, the weather is so capricious and unpredictable that before starting work in the garden and on the ground, you should navigate the first spring month not by dates, but by weather conditions.

In March, snow and frost most often prevent garden work from starting. But even at this time, you can find an activity that will help improve the appearance of the site, help trees and shrubs, and prepare the land.

Garden care in March

If the first month of spring is rich in snow, you should try to protect fruit plants from damage by shaking off snow from the crowns. Due to the alternation of frosts and thaws, the snow becomes heavy and sticky, due to which it can break off fragile tree branches.

Spring is a difficult time for hares and small rodents, so it is advisable to check the integrity of the bark of young fruitful trees. If there is a lot of snow near the trunks, it is advisable to clear it so that the animals do not get to the branches.

Coniferous tree care

In spring, the sun is quite bright and the sun's rays can damage the crowns. coniferous trees, especially if there is snow on the ground that reflects light. If young trees are located in open areas, then it is advisable to cover their branches from the scorching ultraviolet radiation. Crowns tied with twine can be covered with burlap or old bedspreads. For small trees, you can build special shields. When the snow melts, the protection can be removed.

Fruit tree care

If whitewash is not applied to tree trunks in autumn or winter, this must be done in early spring. Alternatively, you can wrap the trunks with light paper. This will protect the bark from sunburn. Whitewashing will protect the bark of plants from pests that will definitely appear with the onset of heat.

Until the snow melts, you should start trimming the branches of fruit trees. This will help not only remove excess shoots, but also correctly form the height and shape of the crown.

Worth knowing!!! It is necessary to form a crown every few years. Annual pruning can weaken the tree and result in lower yields.

Video - How to properly trim the crowns of fruit trees

When the air temperature rises above 5-6 degrees, the branches of fruit trees should be sprayed with special insecticides against pests and diseases. It is important to do this before the first leaves appear.

If there was a lot of snow in the garden during the winter and in March it began to actively melt, water should not be allowed to stagnate on the ground. With the help of small ditches dug in the ground, the outflow of water from the site should be ensured. Otherwise, the roots of trees in a flooded area cannot “breathe”.

On sunny days, you can start to open the shoots of roses and other heat-loving flowers to prevent condensation from accumulating under the film and "harden" the plants.

Toward the end of March, bulbs of daffodils and lilies can be freed from covering materials. These flowers are not afraid of night frosts.

The release of the land and garden from the snow cover should be noted by a major cleaning. Remove old leaves and broken branches from the ground, sweep garden paths, clear them of moss. You can also view garden furniture, repair or paint benches.

Garden work in March is the sowing of seeds of tomatoes and peppers for seedlings. Seedlings are grown in special containers at home, on window sills.

Video -How to grow tomato seedlings at home

April

This month, much attention is paid to preparing the land for planting, and it is April that is the most laborious and busy month for summer residents.

Works on the ground

April is the time of working with the earth. But before you start digging a garden, you should know agricultural tricks.

What crops are sown in April

Table

Name	Description
	Planted in open ground, plantings do not need to be insulated with a film.
	Seeds are germinated at home. At the end of April, subject to warm weather, the seedlings are taken outside for hardening.
	They are sown in open ground, but the beds should be covered with foil.

If you plan to plant potatoes, then in early April, you should sort out the tubers for planting, laying them in a well-ventilated and lit place for vernalization. Potatoes should not be exposed to direct sunlight.

If winter garlic and onions were sown for the winter, you should remove the mulch layer, loosen and feed the soil with crops.

In April, you need to prepare greenhouses for new plantings. In addition to digging and fertilizing, the soil should be disinfected. For these purposes, 3% Bordeaux liquid is used. It is also recommended to wash the glass or plastic in the greenhouse to improve the light transmission of the material.

April work in the garden

At the beginning of the month, you need to fertilize the root system of fruit trees and shrubs.

In April, after the snow melts, you need to remove all the bindings from the trees, remove the protective spruce branches and shields from the sun.

If the soil is too wet, you should not stomp near the roots of trees, this will impair their nutrition and oxygen saturation.

In the middle of the month, you can start updating the garden by planting seedlings of trees or shrubs in wells prepared and fertilized with organic matter and ash. Seedlings must be tied up.

You need to carefully look at all the trees and shrubs to make sure that pests have not appeared on the bark or branches. Also, for preventive purposes, it is necessary to treat the trunks of plants with a solution of copper sulfate.

With the onset of heat, you can do strawberries. You should remove the mulch, loosen and fertilize the earth around the shoots.

May

Works in the garden

May is a month of unstable weather: warm during the day and frost at night. It is the night frosts in May that can destroy the entire crop if no action is taken. Also in May, all plants and crops are planted on the beds and greenhouses, so the month for summer residents and gardeners is very busy.

In the last month of spring, you need to try to finally form the beds. Cabbage is planted in open ground, sorrel, onions, carrots, aromatic herbs and spices are sown.

All shoots of carrots and beets should be thinned out and fed. It is recommended to water the sprouts after 3-4 days. Weeding should be carried out carefully, as vegetable sprouts are still very weak and easily damaged.

Top dressing strawberries in spring - photo

Onion crops are thinned out, fed with a mixture of mullein, potassium salt and phosphate fertilizers. Feeding is best combined with watering. In order for the plants to receive enough oxygen, it is necessary to periodically loosen the ground near the rows with bulbs.

Don't forget the garlic. The beds with this crop need to be watered often and thoroughly, otherwise the garlic begins to shrink without water. In mid-May, you need to carefully remove the arrows, otherwise these sprouts will pull on most of the nutrients.

In mid-May, it is possible to plant seedlings of tomatoes, peppers, eggplants in a greenhouse or open ground, under a film.

Folk calendar for sowing plants in open ground

Name	Description
	You can sow under the film after the flowering of mountain ash, there will be no severe frosts on the soil.
	These crops can be sown after the peonies open their buds.
	These crops can be planted and sown in open ground after the daffodils bloom.
	These crops can be sown after the chestnut blossoms.
	Can be planted after the lilac blooms

Potatoes are planted in May. It is customary to sow early varieties at the beginning of the month, late ones - in the middle or at the end of May.

It is important to know!!! Fragile and tender sprouts horticultural crops need intensive feeding and watering. Especially do not forget about those plants that are planted in greenhouses. You should also spray the seedlings with pesticides in a timely manner.

May work in the garden

If a lawn is planted on the site, then in May you should start cutting the grass. While the ground is wet, do not trample on the lawn a lot, otherwise “bald spots” will appear on it. In the process of cutting, it is important to remove the broken weeds.

During the flowering period of fruit trees, gardeners should be wary of night frosts, because frost-damaged flowers do not produce ovaries. To preserve the crop, you can try to protect the trees from the effects of cold. For these purposes, smoke bombs or small portable barbecue stoves are used, in which the fire should be maintained all night.

After the appearance of the kidneys on fruit trees, care must be taken to ensure that pests do not destroy the future crop. For the prevention and destruction of apple flower beetles, ticks, moths, aphids, apple suckers, you need to prepare the following mixture: 60 grams of karbofos, 80 grams of copper oxychloride and 40 grams of chlorophos are diluted per 20 liters of water. These substances can be purchased in specialized stores. The resulting mixture is sprayed on the crowns and branches of all existing trees and shrubs in the garden. If the primary treatment did not help, you can repeat the procedure before the flowering of fruitful trees and shrubs begins.

With the appearance of the first leaves on the trees, you can see which branches were damaged by winter frosts. Dead branches need to be cut off, it is recommended to cover the cut points with ordinary oil paint.

In early May, you need to work with garden raspberries. Shoots that were bent to the ground for the winter should be straightened and tied to a trellis or fence. Damaged branches are recommended to be cut at the root, the remaining shoots should be cut along the first formed bud. Raspberries need to be fed; organic fertilizers are suitable for these purposes. Top dressing can be combined with watering.

It is important to inspect all gooseberry and blackcurrant bushes available on the site. These cultures during flowering and the formation of ovaries are a real delicacy for ants. To preserve the crop, a piece of cloth should be moistened in kerosene and placed at the roots of shrubs. Do not pour kerosene into the ground, this can adversely affect the plants.

It is important to know!!! If signs of doubleness appear on the blackcurrant during the flowering period, the bush should be uprooted immediately, otherwise there is a risk of infecting all the plants in the garden. Terryness caused by aphids and bud mites cannot be cured.

In order for the garden and the garden to please with a rich harvest, you need to pay attention to the planted plants daily throughout the entire garden period.

Autumn is just approaching and the harvest is not yet fully harvested. There is still a little time left and the beds will remain completely empty. So it's time to prepare the site for the upcoming season. This is done in order to prepare the soil, to provide it with the necessary elements for better cultivation crops next year and, accordingly, so that the harvest is rich and healthy. But what kind of procedures and activities need to be carried out, we will describe in this article.

Preparing the beds in autumn

The soil loses its unique properties, allowing you to grow strong vegetation and harvest fruits at the end of the season. That's why she needs our help. Regular application of fertilizers with substances such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus help to make up for the lack of these elements. We do not see this deficiency, but we will be able to understand what it is, only by the condition of the plants.

Autumn is the optimal period to enrich the depleted soil with various top dressings and fertilizers, which cold period absorb and absorb. And when you start planting and sowing garden crops in the spring, they will be able to get good nutrition, since during the winter the fertilizers were processed by the soil into the form necessary for vegetation.

In order for organic matter to take the form necessary for perception by vegetation, it takes some time. That's exactly why, in order not to wait for spring and when everything is processed and it is autumn that needs to be introduced into the soil. Over a long cold period, the elements will decompose into components and will be ready to feed crops and seedlings by planting.

But fertilizers should not be applied thoughtlessly. It is necessary to take into account a number of nuances, namely the condition of the soil, the quality of the soil. And also plan ahead for future plantings, because the same complementary foods are not suitable for all plants, so take this into account and build on all of the above in order to choose the right nutrient medium.

Fertilizers should not be applied thoughtlessly

Now let's go directly to the consideration of the proposed topic in more detail, consider each nuance.

Why is it necessary to prepare the ground in advance?

Gardeners often ask this question, because there is spring and then, before planting vegetables, you can prepare the land. But it's not really right move thinking. Because, as we have already said, fertilizer needs time for cultivated plants to consume it for their growth. And in the spring there is already a lot of trouble: prepare the seeds, grow seedlings, prepare holes for planting and plan the days for planting seedlings in the ground. Agree, this is a very laborious process, and you can simply not have time to do everything.

Preparing the soil in advance

That is why the autumn preparatory work is very important. Having spent a little more energy in the outgoing year, you will be able to pay more attention to the planting work itself, because the site will be completely ready to grow a new crop. So do not be lazy, and you can slowly plan your actions with the advent of spring.

How to properly follow the order of preparation

Preparation should begin with clearing the site from the remnants of tops, weeds and other vegetation residues. If they are healthy, then lay them for aging in compost pit, then you can use it to improve the quality of the soil. If necessary, chalk or slaked lime can be added to such fertilizers to normalize the acidity of the soil. If they show signs of disease, it is better to burn them outside the territory.

We prepare beds for each vegetable separately

We have reviewed common features how it is necessary to prepare for planting plants in the winter: feeding, coating, moldboard digging, layering the soil in the plots with an increase in their level. But these are just general recommendations. But our task is not so much to find out the main recommendations, it is to competently cultivate a site for each individual type of vegetable crops. And all this is also carried out after the harvest, namely in the autumn.

Preparing a place for planting herbs

Dill and other greens also cannot be planted anywhere to get a good harvest. They will successfully grow in a place freed from cabbage, tomatoes and onions. But do not plant spicy herbs on the plot from under carrots, parsnips and celery.

Place for planting herbs

Good illumination of the sowing area is also important, it will also be well warmed up. In autumn, cover the place planned for greenery with coniferous branches so that the snow lies there longer, so the land will be more fertile. Check the pH balance of the area. After all, vitamin bushes grow poorly on high acidity. Add lime or chalk to normalize the acidity level.

These plants do not require special preparation. Dig up the bed no deeper than 23 cm, be sure to add 2-3 kg of rotted manure per 1 m 2, 25-20 g of ammonium nitrate, 8-10 g of potassium sulfate, 10-12 g of superphosphate for the same 1 m 2. With the advent of spring, you will just need to loosen the soil well and arrange holes for sowing. It is also necessary to thoroughly shed the plots with water at the rate of 2-3 liters per 1 m 2 and compact the soil a little so that the seeds do not “drown”. Sowing holes should be 2 cm deep.

Drops are ringing in the yard, April begins - the time to prepare the soil for sowing and planting vegetables in open ground.

The main condition for obtaining a high, high-quality crop depends on the preparation of the soil. All plants need fertile, if possible, light, loose, water- and breathable soil, which breaks up into small lumps when mature. Drifting, heavy or sandy are not able to provide the required conditions. Such soils need improvement, which consists in the introduction of rippers, additional organic matter, and other techniques and methods.

Preliminary spring work on soil preparation

Determination of soil maturity

The maturity of the soil for the beginning of spring work is determined in different ways.

the foot should not sink in soil porridge, leave a light (no more than 1-2 cm) imprint;
a clod of earth from the subcrustal layer of soil (from a depth of 6-10 cm) is compressed and allowed to fall from a height of about 1.3-1.5 m. A flattened clod is damp earth, crumbling is mature. You can start spring work.
the soil does not form a dense lump when compressed, it immediately crumbles when the palm is opened (usually sandy loam) - the soil is dry and watering is necessary when sowing / planting.

spring closing moisture

As soon as the top layer of the earth is ripe, the soil dug up since autumn is harrowed. The soil crust is broken with a rake, the surface is leveled, especially for sowing small-seed crops. At the same time, garbage is removed from the garden (leaves, the remains of the tops of crops harvested late in the fall, supports used to tie up tall plants). This technique also serves to destroy the rudiments of weeds and retains moisture in the soil.

It is especially important to close moisture on light soils and areas with deep groundwater. In such areas, the topsoil quickly dries up.

best4hedging

spring digging

It is best to complete the rough preparation of the soil in the autumn (digging, fertilizing), and in the spring to limit yourself to preparing the top arable layer for sowing.

However, heavy floating soils are usually dug up again in the spring. As a rule, it is carried out immediately before sowing or planting seedlings. Digging is carried out to the height of the root layer (15 cm) with or without turnover of the formation.

Digging with the turnover of the reservoir is carried out if the site is very littered with rhizomatous weeds, if May beetles, larvae of the click beetle and others were seen last summer. Otherwise, it is more expedient to dig without turning the layer, especially on depleted soils, soddy, sandy. If the site is not clogged, in the spring you can limit yourself to deep (10-12 cm) cultivation (manually sifting with a chopper), which will also loosen the topsoil well and close the moisture.

Why is formation turnover undesirable? Soil is a living organism, each layer of which has its own inhabitants. In the upper breathable horizon there is a group of aerobic microorganisms that process organic matter in the presence of oxygen into humus compounds available to plants. Outside the 15 cm layer is the kingdom of anaerobes, for which oxygen is a poison. The turnover of the reservoir changes the living conditions of both groups, causing their death. The vacated place is occupied by pathogenic microflora, the quality of the soil is declining, which means that the conditions of cultivated crops will worsen in the future. The root system of plants will be more often affected by diseases.

good improvers soil fertility and its physical condition are green manure. You can learn more about the role of green manure and the technology for their use at. Green manure perfectly cleans the soil from weeds, loosens the top layer with its root system and enriches it with organic matter due to decaying biomass. Spring work on green manure beds: dig green manure or just mow the above-ground mass and plant seedlings or sow seeds directly into the living stubble.

In summer cottages, it is most expedient to garden in beds and rows, which allows you to carry out all spring work more efficiently and on time: free the garden from weeds, fertilize, water, plant seedlings.

Row gardening

Row gardening involves sowing or planting in one row of tall, large plants (tomatoes, cucumbers, curly beans) or in one ribbon (carrots, onions, radishes). Paths are left between rows and tapes for crop care. It should be noted that individual rows are not the most successful use of a garden plot: a large number of the soil is occupied by paths; when treating plants, the solutions get to the next row with a culture that cannot be treated with the preparation used, it is inconvenient to water the plants, etc.

Row gardening is more often used in the design of borders, in vegetable beds or areas reserved for medicinal crops, when growing tall or climbing crops.

vegetable garden

With a small area of \u200b\u200bthe garden, it is more rational to use beds for growing crops.

The beds are divided into

classical,
deep, trench
elevated,
beds - boxes,
beds - boxes.

Bed gardening allows you to introduce a crop rotation, the observance of which improves the quality of the soil and cultivated crops, the care and processing of plants. Beds can be made temporary, but better permanent, occupying a certain wedge of land suburban area for vegetables and other crops.

How to make beds?

Classic beds

Classic beds are formed directly on the soil. They do not have standard sizes. Usually, each gardener marks out the area (width and length) so that it is convenient to process plants and take care of them from the paths without disturbing the surface of the garden.

The beds are arranged in such a way that each has a free passage from both sides. With such a device, the optimal width of the beds is 1.5-1.6 m. That is, on each side, you can process the area of \u200b\u200bthe beds for the length of an outstretched arm (70-80 cm), without stepping on the bed itself. The length is arbitrary and depends on the size of the plot allotted for the garden. Paths 50-100 cm wide are left between the beds, which will allow free use of gardening equipment, watering and processing plants. By the way, during the warm season, weeds and other waste are dumped onto the path, and in the fall they clean the paths, transferring the organic mass to the garden and digging it up as additional organic material. Permanent beds and convenient paths will make the garden neat and attractive, and make it easier to control weeds.

In the garden, plants are planted in a north-south direction. This arrangement of plants contributes to better illumination of the rows of plants, reduces their shading with each other. If the beds are oriented from east to west, then sowing / planting is carried out not along, but across the beds.

On the slopes, the beds are arranged across the slope with separate terraces.

If the beds were fertilized in the fall for digging, then fertilizers are not applied in the spring. Works are limited to moisture closure (raking), pre-sowing cultivation and (if necessary) spot irrigation in furrows or holes before sowing/planting.

Monthly updates

deep beds

Deep beds are divided into deep and trench. With this technology, the base of the beds is deepened into the soil. Usually deep beds are formed in greenhouses, and in open field- on the sod lands or sod areas.

As for the classic, mark out the area of the beds. A peg is driven into each corner and a signal cord is pulled at the same height. Cut with a knife or a shovel around the perimeter of the beds (it may not have 4, but 5-6 corners - of your choice) a layer of turf. Roll it up like a carpet.

It turns out the base of a recessed bed. To reduce the germination of weeds, the base of the bed is covered with a dense flooring from any available natural materials - cardboard, old newspapers, old magazines read to holes, rags. A turf carpet is laid on the base with the turf down. And then 10-12 cm layers are interspersed with humus, earth (from the tracks), compost. The order of laying the layers is at the choice of the owner, the main thing is that the top layer should be from high-quality, better humus soil. In the spring, the bed is harrowed to close the moisture. Before sowing / planting, once again loosen and water locally (if necessary). Fertilization is not required. Such a bed from early spring can be occupied by cold-resistant crops. Humus and compost, decomposing, will contribute to an increase in the temperature of the soil layer. And for cold-resistant crops, + 3 ... + 5 * C is enough to start sowing. After harvesting early-ripening crops with a short vegetation period, seedlings of heat-loving crops can be planted. Trench beds are mainly used in the south. Dig trenches to a depth of 30-50 cm. The base is dug with the application of organic and mineral fertilizers. The soil does not dry out. Plants are hidden from the burning rays of the sun, form good harvests get sick less. But, such beds are only suitable for soils with good water permeability. On clay, chernozem and other floating soils, wetting of the roots and the appearance of root rot will begin everywhere.

high beds

Recently, farming without digging has received increasing recognition. It is most convenient to carry it out on elevated or high beds. They get different names from farmers, but the main point is that the soil on such beds does not need to be dug. The top layer is enriched with useful microflora, weeds are easily destroyed.

Every year, organics are brought to the garden, weeding under crops is replaced by mulching.

The technology for laying out such beds consists in creating a fence for raised beds of 20-25 cm, high - up to 50-60, sometimes up to 90 cm. Fenced beds laid on the ground have received different names from gardeners:

compost,
raised,
warm,
high garden,
layered garden,
lasagna garden.

A bulk raised, or compost, warm bed is usually arranged right on the garden plot. Standard size beds are fenced suitable material: boards, shields, wicker vine and others. The soil can be dug up with a shovel bayonet to increase its permeability. Dry branches, tree bark, wood chips, shavings, leaves, sawdust straw, old rags are laid on the dug up surface or directly on the ground, sprinkling them with soil. Compost or rotted manure, straw with bird droppings are laid on top, with a layer of 10-12 cm. The next layer is soil and again organic matter. Calculate so that the top layer is from good garden soil, you can mix leaf with humus. The planned fertilizers can be applied to the top layer under the rake. Soil, humus, mature compost are added to the settling bed. You can use green fertilizer - green manure. It is better to sow oats or rye without deepening into the soil. Just scatter the seeds on top of the soil and dig the bed. Water if necessary. It is advisable to leave green manure until spring. In the spring, mow the above-ground mass and use it for mulching sowing or when planting seedlings.

Multi-layer beds cannot be dug up. Only annually add a mixture of organic matter with soil. Before planting / sowing, slightly loosen the top 5-10 cm layer. Such a bed is watered by spring hot water, insulated with cover material, straw. Organics "light up", that is, they decompose intensively with the release of heat. The soil in such a bed warms up 6-12 days faster than the usual ground. A warm bed allows you to plant seedlings earlier (under cover if necessary) and get an earlier vegetable harvest. Elevated, insulated beds can be planted in the cultural circulation in all regions.

Beds-boxes

Bed-boxes have long been used by gardeners. These are the same greenhouses in which seedlings are grown in early spring, and after it is selected, vegetable crops are planted in a permanent place. They are good because after sampling the seedlings practically do not need preparation, since the soil for seedlings is always prepared very carefully and with sufficient fertilizer.

Beds-boxes

Box-beds appeared relatively recently and are already appreciated in areas with humid summers and cold climates.

Their device repeats the construction of elevated beds. More details can be found in the corresponding article. This type of beds has several advantages:

in the northern regions, a bulk bed cuts off cold soil,
overheating of organic residues creates an early positive soil temperature, which speeds up the sowing / planting of early crops,
when watering, water does not spread,
no weeds,
it is easy to fight moles, its bottom is lined with a fine mesh.

Bed-boxes in one place can "work" up to 6-8 or more years, if they are capitally arranged.

Complication of care

After 3 years, the pledged organic matter will burn out. The top layer of soil will need to be removed, replaced with a fresh layer of soil, preferably organic, followed by mulching with an organic-soil mixture. To prevent the soil from overheating in the box, frequent watering is necessary, which destroys the soil structure. After a few years, new organic-soil layers are needed to launch a warm bed, which complicates care.

And at the same time, in the cold north, box-beds are progress in open-field vegetable growing.

To prepare the site for early sowing, you must:

The main work (cleaning plant residues, digging, fertilizing, deoxidation, sowing green manure) is carried out in the fall, which allows you to have time to prepare the soil for sowing early crops in the spring.
In the spring, as soon as the dried surface of the soil allows, harrowing is carried out to close (preserve) moisture. If necessary, the soil is mulched with beveled green manure, small chips, humus.
With a drying wind and for faster heating of the soil, the beds are covered with lutrasil or other cover materials. This technique accelerates the warming of the soil up to 6-12 days.
In order to obtain an early harvest, they prepare warm beds. They can be planted in the fall and warmed up by watering with hot water or in the spring by adding manure with straw under the soil layer.

The best beds for the south are classic, raised and trench.

For cold regions with short summers and severe frosts in winter, it is better to grow early vegetable crops in box-beds, box-beds, in which soil that is not connected with the main soil warms up faster.