How to start preparing the beds. We prepare the beds in the garden and greenhouses for spring planting, we apply fertilizers. Creating mixed plantings of vegetables in the garden: photo examples and optimal schemes

Garden beds after harvesting need to be properly prepared for the spring sowing season, the most the best time for this - autumn. In addition to preparing the beds, it is necessary to remove and burn the vegetable tops left after harvesting, to carry out a set of necessary measures for the arrangement of warm beds. In this article - all the necessary activities on how to prepare the garden for winter. Proper preparation of the garden for the winter is a guarantee of a rich harvest.

In autumn, it is necessary to collect plant residues from the garden plot.

To ensure the harvest of vegetables next year, preparing the beds in the fall is a necessary and important event. Work in the garden should begin with the cleaning of tops and weeds from the beds. Old grass is a favorite wintering place for garden pests and rodents, so preparing the beds for winter begins with their thorough cleaning.

The tops of vegetable plants, plant debris and weeds can be destroyed in two ways:

  1. Burn - when plant residues are burned, pathogens are destroyed infectious diseases and pests. Ash can be used to fertilize garden beds and garden trees.
  2. Prepare compost - this method of weed disposal is longer than burning, but the resulting nutrient substrate will help to inexpensively and qualitatively increase the fertility of garden beds.

How to properly prepare compost

Winter compost should be prepared a little differently than summer compost. Plant residues are suitable for composting, which are not removed from suburban area, including not only vegetable tops, but also branches of trees and shrubs, weeds, household waste, animal manure, bird droppings.

It is very important that in winter the compost heap does not freeze, is not eroded by precipitation and is not exposed to wind, so it must be done according to all the rules.

It is very important to ensure the decomposition of the ingredients in winter period, for which it is necessary to prepare a rectangular shallow hole in the ground, on the bottom of which the cut branches of shrubs and trees are laid. Then, weeds and waste are layered, layered with manure and bird droppings.

It is useful to add double superphosphate, potash fertilizers, ash, lime or dolomite flour to the compost heap. For better air exchange, the side and end walls are laid with narrow poles. The height of the compost heap should not exceed 1.2 meters from the bottom of the trench, while the penetration into the soil is taken - 0.5 - 0.8 m. The pile is shed with weed infusion diluted with slurry. Soil is laid on top with a layer of 30 cm, the dock sides are covered with a thinner layer of soil and sheltered from rain.

The components put into the compost rot by the beginning of summer, allowing you to get a nutrient supplement to the soil that doubles fertility, and also get rid of debris and weeds along the way.

Bed preparation

Tool for digging and loosening beds.

Preparing the garden for wintering includes digging up the beds, which can be done in the classic way, radically digging up the beds. In this case, large clods are not broken, leaving them until spring. With such an autumn digging, moisture is well preserved in large clods of garden soil, therefore, when leveling the soil in spring, the percentage of moisture remains high.

The second option for processing the garden in the fall consists in surface loosening of the soil to a depth of no more than 5 cm, for which Fokin's flat cutter is used. It is useful to mulch the loosened soil with sawdust and ash, sometimes it is practiced to sow green manure herbs, the seedlings of which are embedded in the ground when digging in the spring.

Preparing the soil for winter involves creating a balanced ecological system in the garden that is closest to natural natural conditions using mulch and sowing green manure.

Siderates for winter sowing

Green manure roots penetrate deep into the soil, loosening it.

Reliable recovery method soil fertility is the sowing of green manure, which does not require large expenditures when planting. Green manure - one or more annual crops (mixture) that quickly increase their green mass and develop a powerful root system. The root system of grasses penetrates into the deep layers of the soil, loosening and enriching its composition. The ground part of the plants serves for snow retention, is used as mulch when mowing, is embedded in the ground (green manure).

Siderates are used based on the purpose and the desired end result:

  • Soil loosening - rye, mustard, oats, rapeseed ideally loosen heavy soil in garden beds.
  • Soil disinfection from pathogenic diseases of vegetable crops - winter sowing of a mixture of crops is used, which includes rapeseed, mustard, marigolds, calendula and oats.
  • Improving soil fertility - a mixture of vetch with oats or rye, mustard with legumes, alfalfa, sweet clover.
  • Mulching - phacelia, vetch, alfalfa.

Sowing green manure grasses can be done randomly or in rows in prepared beds after the autumn harvest of vegetable crops. A properly prepared garden can provide a high yield next year.

Sowing vegetables before winter

For early ripening of some vegetable crops, their seeds can be sown in beds in the fall. Harvest winter vegetables characterized by early maturation and high vitamin value.

In autumn, you can sow many horticultural crops, good yields can be obtained when growing carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, dill, root parsley, celery, spinach.

The beds for the winter planting of vegetables are chosen in a dry open area, where the wetting of the beds with soil and soil is excluded. melt waters. It is useful to protect crops from the directed north wind, as well as to mulch the beds with compost or peat. Seeds will be able to successfully winter under a reliable shelter, and in early spring give the first shoots.

It should be remembered that seed consumption during the winter sowing of vegetables can double.

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.


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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.

Green manures serve as good improvers of soil fertility and its physical condition. 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. The beds can be made temporary, but better permanent, occupying a certain wedge of land in a summer cottage 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 autumn the paths are cleaned, transferring the organic mass to the garden and digging it up as additional organic material. Permanent beds and comfortable 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. The work is limited to moisture closure (raking), pre-sowing cultivation and (if necessary) spot irrigation in furrows or holes before sowing/planting.


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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 ground - on 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 yields, 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 a 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:

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

With the advent of spring, the summer season opens and you can start soil work. The soil is the basis of the foundations of the harvest, so be sure to take the time to prepare it before planting.

Preparing the soil for seedlings

Any gardener within one season can make the so-called "turf land" on his site, which in the spring will become the basis for any vegetable and flower soil mixtures. Raw material for sod land harvested during the entire warm period on old pastures and meadows.

  1. Sod is cut in layers and stacked. The height of the stack must be at least a meter.
  2. To speed up decomposition, the sod, when stacked, is interbedded with fresh manure or spilled with slurry.
  3. In hot weather, the pile is watered, it should never dry out.
  4. After a few months, the pile is shoveled and large, not decomposed rhizomes are sifted out.
  5. The resulting land is stored until spring in buckets and bags in unheated enclosed spaces.

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, physalis, cabbage, celery, lettuce are sown in a mixture of soddy soil with humus and sand 1:2:1. Two glasses of ash are poured into 10 liters of the mixture, and if you plan to sow cabbage, then also a glass of fluff. In addition, for each liter of the mixture add a teaspoon of superphosphate and a pinch of any potash fertilizer. For those who prefer organic farming, tuk can be replaced with an extra glass of ash per 10 liters of mixture.

Crops that prefer nutritious, but at the same time neutral soil and do not like lime (these are all pumpkin, sunflower, chard, lettuce, cloves, bluebells) are sown in a mixture of soddy soil and old humus 1: 1, adding a glass of ash to a bucket of soil.

To prepare the mixture, only fresh components are taken that have not yet been used to grow seedlings. In this case, soil preparation in the spring is minimized. Such a mixture does not require disinfection, it can be sown immediately.

Preparing the soil in the greenhouse

Properly prepared greenhouse soil will be the key to a good harvest. In industrial greenhouses, the soil is completely changed after 3-5 years. In a country greenhouse, this can be avoided if you alternate crops annually and replenish the supply of nutrients in the soil.

During the season, the surface of the beds is mulched several times with compost, if necessary, the leaves are sprayed with microelements - this is enough to get a good and environmentally friendly crop.

Preparing the soil for sowing

Soil preparation for planting begins in the fall - at this time they dig up the site. In the spring, it remains only to walk on it with a rake and form beds. If there was no autumn digging, you will have to do it in the spring.

Spring tillage in the garden begins after it reaches ripeness, that is, a state in which, during digging, it does not form lumps, does not stick to a shovel and breaks up well into small lumps.

To check if the soil has reached maturity, you need to take a little earth in the palm of your hand and squeeze it tightly, and then drop it. If the lump breaks into pieces, then the soil can be dug up, if not, you need to wait.

When digging, weed rhizomes, larvae of harmful beetles are removed, manure, compost and humus are introduced. On the site allotted for root crops, manure and humus are not applied, but mineral fertilizers are scattered immediately before digging on the surface of the earth.

Immediately after digging, the soil must be raked. This operation cannot be postponed, because after a while the blocks will dry out and it will become difficult to break them.

After a week, you can already begin to deal with annual weeds. To do this, they again pass through the site with a rake. Weed seedlings that are in the top layer of soil turn out to the surface and die. Usually, several such treatments are carried out, with an interval of 3-4 days - this greatly reduces the weediness of the site.

Soil preparation for sowing and planting begins with the formation of beds. This is a convenient moment for applying nitrogen fertilizers: urea, ammonium nitrate. In the spring, there is not enough nitrogen in the soil, and such top dressing will be very helpful. Tuki is scattered on the ground, adhering to the norms specified by the manufacturer, and sealed deep into the beds with a rake. Then the surface is carefully leveled and you can start planting seedlings or sowing.

Preparation of beds for planting vegetables and herbs is carried out in early spring, when the ground dries up from melted snow. It is important to know how to improve the quality of the soil and take care of the soil in greenhouses and greenhouses in order to grow a great crop.

Spring planting of young seedlings in open ground and greenhouses require careful preparation. Having equipped a place for planting, it is necessary to proceed to an important procedure - preparing and improving the quality of the soil for planting vegetables.

We prepare the soil for planting in open beds and a greenhouse

In the Moscow region, work on soil preparation should begin in April, when the earth has dried out and warmed up enough. Since the climate changes every year, you need to be able to independently determine the readiness of the soil for the planting season:

  • it is necessary to monitor the air temperature (10-15 degrees Celsius, the best time for preparation);
  • pay attention to the soil itself: it should be dry and not stick to the shovel.

Garden care in spring

Under the weight of moisture and snow cover, the soil settles. It should be loosened with a rake or a cultivator to preserve the nourished moisture and structure. If the site was planted with winter crops, the land must be cultivated with a harrow. It is best to mulch the area in the fall so that the soil remains loose with the advent of spring.

If you did not prepare the beds before winter, then with the advent of heat it will be necessary to dig up the site, removing weed roots. The procedure should be carried out after lunch, when the topsoil warms up sufficiently.

After turning over, the bottom layer will also heat up. The dug-up bed must be loosened with a rake so that it does not dry out. Vegetation residues can be sent to compost pit.

You can improve the quality of the soil with the help of microelements. Garden crops are often deficient in iron, copper, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. It is necessary to add green sand or algae flour to the soil (you can buy it at a specialized store, or make it yourself if there is a reservoir), which are rich in these elements.

For such a procedure, purified sludge and rotted leaves left after cleaning gutters are ideal. This method is completely organic.

How to prepare the soil in a greenhouse

The soil in the greenhouse must be changed periodically, even if crop rotation is observed. If you plan to grow the same plants as last year, the procedure is required.

The top layer of soil is sent to the compost pit and replaced with ready-made humus. The beds are sown with early greens and radishes. When you harvest from them in a month, the site will be ready for planting seedlings of vegetables.

How to prepare a new site for planting

If you decide to expand the landing area, then you should properly process the virgin lands. To do this, cut the turf in small squares. With a shovel, cuts are made on four sides, and then cut from below.

There are several ways to use the resulting material:

  • The removed sod is sent to the compost pit. The soil at the site of the future bed is loosened with a pitchfork and covered with a layer of humus, compost and loose garden soil. In this area, it is recommended to plant large-seeded crops, such as: pumpkin, beans or corn;
  • In the absence of a compost heap, you can turn the pieces of turf upside down with grass and lay them on the site, then beat them well with a shovel. This place must be covered with a black film so that the weeds do not grow, and the turf is well overripe. Such soil in the future is suitable for seedlings of tomatoes or berry bushes.

How to improve the quality of the soil for planting garden crops

There are a number of measures to improve the quality of soil for planting garden crops.

  • Nitrogen is necessary for the active development of the aerial parts of plants, phosphorus is useful for the roots, and potassium helps fight diseases. The description of each culture contains information about the plant's need for these elements, and their proportions;
  • Give preference to organic fertilizers, since synthesized ones only temporarily feed the plants, but do not improve the quality of the soil. Fertilizers of plant and animal origin create and maintain the necessary microflora in the soil;
  • Use compost own production. A properly organized and prepared compost pit will allow you to get high-quality fertilizer within six months, which can significantly improve the characteristics of the land without special costs;
  • Use mixed soil with compost for new crops. Each plant has its own ratio of fertilizer and soil. For example, vegetable crops need 20% compost and 80% mixed soil. This will create conditions for good seedling growth and increase yields;
  • Crop rotation planning. It is not worth planting the same crops in the same place year after year, this quickly depletes the soil and weakens it. Make a plant rotation schedule and stick to it every year;
  • Introduction of fungi and bacteria into the soil. Such additives can be purchased in specialized stores. Their main task is to improve the soil. For example, the fungus Mycorrhiza helps the root system of plants to receive more moisture and essential nutrients, and nitrogen fixing bacteria enrich the soil with nitrogen.

Outcome

When preparing the soil for planting in the spring, it is worth remembering that each garden crop has its own needs for fertilizers and additives. Regular crop rotation should be carried out, organic fertilizers and retain moisture to avoid soil washout. It is important to take into account the recommended norms of certain microelements indicated on the seed packages, and, if necessary, conduct a laboratory analysis of the soil.

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, put them in a compost pit to rot, then you can use this 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.

Read also:

Proven top dressing for tomatoes


Preparation should begin with clearing the area from the remnants of the tops

Pay special attention to weeds. They need to be removed with special care: root systems, creeping stems. The garden should be completely rid of them, so as not to waste time on this in the spring, when they grow faster than vegetables on the fed soil.

Now that you have cleared the entire area of ​​weeds and their remnants. It is necessary to start enriching the soil with nitrogen fertilizers, potash and phosphorus - they are suitable for all plants. Since nothing will grow on the beds, urea can also be added in winter, it is not difficult to calculate: 20-25 g per 1 m 2; superphosphate complementary foods in the ratio of 18-20 g per 1 m 2; potassium chloride in a proportion of 15-20 g per 1 m 2. Do not be afraid to introduce chlorine, by the time spring comes, it will no longer be in the soil. In addition, it is good to put a layer of manure, already rotted, in the proportion of 5-6 kg per 1 m 2 or leafy humus, 3-4 kg per 1 m 2. Ash, wood or soot in the ratio of 250-300 g per 1 m 2 will also be useful.

To lighten heavy soil or clay soil in your garden, add 1 bucket of river sand to each square meter, after mixing it with compost. This will make the soil more loose and hang its fertile qualities.

And vice versa, if you have sandy soil, in which neither water nor nutrients are retained, you need to mix it with clay, also in a bucket per square meter, add compost in the amount of 5-6 kg per 1 m 2, humus from the leaves 3-4 kg per 1 m 2, as well as sawdust, 1 bucket per 1 m 2. Be careful with sawdust, as they can oxidize the soil, so make sure that when laying they are soaked with water and slightly damp.


Be careful with sawdust, as they can oxidize the soil

Land with an acidity index below 6 units must be enriched with chalk or slaked lime. When the acid-base balance is less than 4.5, it is necessary to use limestone in the amount of 200-250 g per 1 m 2. With indicators in the range of 4.6-5.5, add chalk in a ratio of 250-300 g per 1 m 2.

All the substances described are introduced in the fall at the time of digging the garden. First, you distribute it over the top layer of turf, then we dig up the soil on a full bayonet of a shovel, mixing all the necessary ingredients with the ground.

There are two main ways to dig garden beds: moldboardless and moldboard.


You need to dig the beds correctly

Consider first the non-moldboard method, it consists in the fact that the earth layer does not break and does not turn over. Thus, there is a complete preservation of the beneficial microflora of the soil of the lower and upper layers. The resulting clods of soil should also not be broken.

The dump method is completely opposite in action: clods need to be turned over and crushed. This method is most often used in the autumn preparation of the land. Only in this way can we place fertilizers in the soil, while evenly distributing them. But harmful insects and dangerous microbes that decide to spend the winter in the ground will literally be pulled out. It is not recommended to break up lumps of soil that are on the surface itself, because deep freezing will occur. But if you intend to prepare completely and clearly delineate the beds, grind all the lumps. Then it is necessary to level the soil over the entire surface, this can be achieved by layering the soil when digging, making them several centimeters higher than the rest of the soil. Thus, the sun's rays in the spring will warm such beds faster than other land on 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.

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Mistakes in the care of tomatoes in the summer

For sowing a vegetable, it is necessary to choose a well-lit place, with drained and light soil. Then you can safely expect a good root crop. Ideally, plots should be prepared on rocks or loam, with a neutral acid-base balance. Other types of soil are not well suited for growing this crop, even with normal nutrition. Do not plant in places infused with water. And it is worth refusing to plant in the ground of high acidity.


Beds for planting beets

It is better to plant a vegetable in a vacant place from cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes early varieties. And also good predecessors are varieties of early sweet pepper, eggplant and tomatoes. And it is absolutely impossible to sow table beets in place of spinach, carrots, rapeseed, Cabbage and chard.

Be sure to lay a layer of compost when carrying out autumn preparatory work or leafy humus at the rate of ½ bucket per 1 m 2 of one plot. As a fertilizer with minerals, potassium chloride in the ratio of 12-14 g per 1 m 2 and ammonium nitrate with superphosphate in the proportion of 22-25 g per 1 m 2 will be good.

Please note that in no case should fresh manure be introduced into the soil during preparation, as you risk growing a crop with a high content of nitrates in the coming year.

These vegetable crops are not picky at all and are good with almost all fertilizers that we apply to the ground. They will also like almost completely rotted manure, at the rate of 3-4 kg per square meter of plot, but no more. It is laid down for digging.


Prepares a plot for zucchini and pumpkin

The soil should have a neutral acid-base balance. If your kidney is acidic, do a chalking or add limestone.

It is optimal to plant cultivated plants in places from under potatoes, cabbage, onions, root crops in general and after legumes. But you should not populate the area left over from cucumbers, squash and zucchini.

Pay attention to the type of soil, with a high content of clay, you need to add ½ bucket of humus and 1 bucket of river sand per 1 square meter and dig everything well. The same measures are necessary for general preparation in the autumn for pumpkins and zucchini. Fertilizers with a mineral base are also needed: superphosphate 10-15 g, ash 250 g and potassium phosphate 15 g - this will be enough.

Sandy lands can also be equipped for growing zucchini and pumpkins; for this, add clay and ½ a bucket of leafy humus per 1 m 2 of a bed to a bucket.

Preparing a place for planting herbs

Dill and other greens also cannot be planted anywhere to get 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.