We prepare the beds in the vegetable garden and greenhouses for spring planting and apply fertilizers. Gardener's concerns: preparing the garden for the winter How to properly prepare beds in the fall
Having harvested the crop, you need to prepare the beds for the new season - dig them up and apply fertilizers. Preparing for winter for the garden is no less important than watering and weeding. How to properly care for beds in the autumn?
Whatever grows on your site - potatoes or raspberries, cucumbers or honeysuckle - growing and caring for all these plants requires preparing fertile soil for winter.
The main reason why you need to prepare beds in the fall is the lack of time in the spring. As soon as the weather starts to warm up, the gardener has a lot of work to do. And if the gardener also works, then he simply does not have enough time for all the spring “rituals”. October November - best time for a number of works in the upcoming sowing campaign.
What to do in the fall:
- Collect the tops and place them in the compost bin. It’s good if you have 2 or 3 such pits or boxes. You can compost them as they mature.
- Dig up the beds. The purpose of digging is to destroy weeds, pests, and give the soil a better structure.
The fall and winter will give you time to plan your plantings for next year. A ready-made and thoughtful plan will help you avoid fussing in the spring, trying to remember what else you wanted to plant.
How to properly lay a bed
For good harvests, the beds should be laid correctly. There are 3 types of planting beds:
- standard (flat, at ground level);
- elevated (raised by 10-15 cm);
- high (elevated by more than 20 cm).
An ordinary bed is made by simple markings using 4 pegs and a rope, and row spacing is trampled between the beds.
For a raised bed, mark the area in the usual way. Then, standing in the row spacing (at least 40 cm wide), dig a groove with a flat cutter and throw soil onto the bed. Level the bed and plant the plants. The spaces between the rows can be filled with tops, humus with straw, and mown grass.
Table 1. How to create a raised bed.
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| Choose a well-lit place |
| Determine the width of the bed. It should not exceed 1.2 meters |
| Level the soil and dig a trench 25-50 cm deep. Place the excavated soil in row spacing (50-60 cm wide) |
| Protect your crops from moles by placing a metal mesh at the bottom of the trench |
| If the soil is dense, sprinkle sand on top of the mesh. For light (peaty or sandy) use sawdust and pour potassium permanganate over them |
| Place drainage (corn and sunflower tops, finely chopped branches, brushwood). Cover the top with moistened cardboard |
| Fill the rest of the space with organic substrate (tops, straw, fallen leaves, hay, humus, half-ripe compost) |
| Water the bed with water from a watering can, then with diluted cow manure |
| Sprinkle the bed with lime (250 g per 1 sq.m.) and apply complex mineral fertilizer. A mixture of 1 tbsp will also work. ash + 0.5 tbsp. superphosphate + 0.25 tbsp. potassium chloride |
| Press down the poured ingredients and cover with the dug soil. |
The bed should rise 25-30 cm above the ground. To do this, arrange a box or container from slightly buried boards or logs, and fill the bed, following the sequence indicated above. Get rid of weeds between the beds by covering the ground with sand or sawdust. To warm up in the spring, cover the bed with black film; to cool in the summer, remove the film from the ends of the box.
A high bed warms up faster, and you can plant vegetables in it earlier than in a regular bed. Therefore, it is recommended to grow heat-loving plants on it. In the first year, do not plant nitrate-accumulating vegetables (spring and autumn varieties radishes, lettuce, beets, spinach). Celery, zucchini, pumpkin, and cucumbers are suitable.
To avoid depleting the soil, alternate planting varieties of vegetables with different nutritional requirements, as well as resting the beds.
Prices for WPC
How to properly prepare beds for wintering
You need to start working on loosening the soil by clearing the beds of debris: weeds, fruits, dried tops, bark, etc. Be sure to carefully remove creeping weeds; Pay special attention to wheatgrass and dandelion.
It is best to clean the beds after harvesting, without delaying it for too long - rotting plant remains provide a breeding ground for overwintering spores of pathogenic fungi. It’s ideal to be in time before heavy rains begin (the ground will be deeply wet and you can’t loosen it), and be sure not to late when the earth temperature drops to +4°C. It is at this time that they go into the ground to hibernate. earthworms, which create a fertile layer of soil.
Important: after the first snow, digging the soil in the beds is not allowed.
Immediately after you remove the weeds, dig up the soil to a depth of 15-20 cm, turning over and breaking up clods of earth. The sooner you do this kind of loosening, the more weeds will grow in the beds. With the first frost, the weeds will die, and there will be less work for you in the spring.
Be sure to dig up the soil:
- heavy, high density;
- infested with wintering pests;
- heavily overgrown with perennial weeds;
It is better not to dig up the area:
- with a slope;
- floodable;
- subject to erosion.
In addition, digging is more effective on loam than on sandy soil. Clay soil lacks air pores into which the oxygen necessary for roots to breathe penetrates. If there is no air in the soil, mineral fertilizers will be practically useless for the future harvest, no matter how much you add them.
Pests also overwinter in the soil - when digging, you destroy their passages and winter shelters, and they die from the cold air.
Digging up the garden helps to effectively use biologically active snow moisture. More snow will accumulate on the loosened soil surface, protecting the roots. And when it thaws, the water will be absorbed into the beds, penetrating deep into the soil.
There are two options for digging up a vegetable garden:
- Dumpless. With this method, the earthen clods are not broken or turned over in order to preserve beneficial microflora.
- Otvalny. The most correct option for digging up beds in the fall is to remove overwintering pests from their shelters.
Apply fertilizer and, if necessary, chalk or lime to normalize the soil pH. Fertilizers recommended for 1 sq.m:
- 20-25 g urea;
- 20 g superphosphate;
- 20 g of potassium chloride.
It would not hurt to add 1 bucket of clay per 1 sq.m., rotted compost 5 kg per 1 sq.m., humus from fallen leaves 4 kg per 1 sq.m. to the sandy soil. You can add well-rotted sawdust (1 bucket per 1 sq.m.), but only if your soil is not acidic. In clay soil you need to add 1 bucket of river sand mixed with compost per 1 sq.m.
Mulch the bed with leaf litter, pine needles, sawdust, hay, and mown grass (layer 5-10 cm). Use newspapers and cardboard to cover areas where weeds are especially undesirable.
Superphosphate prices
superphosphate
What fertilizers does the soil need in autumn?
Manure. This organic fertilizer contains a lot of weed seeds. Therefore, it is best to use it to fertilize beds in the fall. Weeds will sprout quickly and their sprouts will be killed by frost. And the manure will become saturated with rain and snow moisture, begin to rot and mix with the soil. Manure needs 5-6 kg per square meter, humus - 3-4 kg. You need to enter it under:
- pumpkin;
- dill;
- melons;
- celery;
- cabbage;
- zucchini.
For perennials like currants and strawberries, manure is applied after the fruits are harvested. Manure will work most effectively in the second year - for bountiful harvest In a fertilized area you can plant pumpkin, greens, cabbage, beets, and radishes.
Lime. It is used to reduce soil acidity and is applied to the soil in the fall so that it does not slow down the absorption of phosphorus by the roots during the active growing season. If you use chalk or dolomite flour, these substances can be applied both in autumn and spring. But it is advisable to add ash in the spring - the necessary substances are quickly washed out of it melt water.
Peat. It is used to improve soil - it loosens dense soil, and makes sandy soil more moisture-absorbing. For dense soil, add peat in the fall while digging 5 liters per 1 sq.m, and the same amount during digging in the spring.
Mineral fertilizers. It is more rational to feed annual crops in the spring, and perennial crops in the fall. It is convenient to use complex fertilizers.
How to test soil acidity? There are special testers sold in stores, but you can also check for weeds: a large number of creeping buttercups, sorrel and wild rosemary grow in acidic soil.
Prices for mineral fertilizers
mineral fertilizers
Secrets of preparing beds for different crops
Each garden crop is unique in its properties, therefore the rules for caring for them have their own nuances.
Scatter over the beds (or pour into the holes) per 1 square meter of soil:
- 1 tsp potassium sulfate;
- 1 tbsp. superphosphate;
- 1 cup wood ash.
If these fertilizers are not available, 2 tablespoons of nitrophoska and a glass of ash are enough. The dose is suitable for early-harvesting varieties. For medium and late ones, increase it by 2 times.
Important: fresh manure is contraindicated for potatoes - it makes them watery and tasteless, and becomes infected with scab and fungus. Use only humus. Dig the beds to a bayonet depth, remove weed roots and pest larvae.
The best varieties of potatoes– Bellarosa, Zarnitsa, Latona, Pobeda, Slavyanka, Reserve.
White cabbage
When digging, add per 1 sq.m of cabbage bed:
- 30-35 g of superphosphate;
- 40-50 g of potassium sulfate.
Fertilizers can be mixed, mixed with potassium permanganate and applied to the holes. If the soil is fertile, reduce the dose by 2-3 times. Cabbage quickly accumulates nitrogen, so you need to be careful with such fertilizers.
When digging to a bayonet depth, add rotted manure or compost per 1 sq.m.:
- For early varieties 1/3 bucket;
- for medium varieties 1/2 bucket;
- For late varieties 1 bucket.
Once every 2-3 years, if the soil is acidic, add 300 grams of fluff lime or dolomite flour.
The best varieties of cabbage– Dumas, Slava, Gift, Zarya, Winter 1474, Marathon, Monarch, Kolobok, Geneva.
Prices for Dumas cabbage
Dumas cabbage
When digging in autumn, add per 1 sq.m of beet bed:
- 12-14 g potassium chloride;
- 22-25 g of superphosphate and ammonium nitrate;
- 1/2 bucket of humus or compost.
Fresh manure is contraindicated for cabbage - the harvest will be high in nitrates.
The best beet varieties– Bordeaux, Incomparable, Vital, Tenderness, Podzimnyaya, Forono, Crimson, Mulatto, Red Ball, Kuban, Borschevaya.
Pumpkin and zucchini
When digging in autumn, add the following per 1 sq.m of beds:
- 250 g of ash;
- 10-15 g of superphosphate;
- 15 g potassium sulfate.
Non-capricious crops “love” rotted manure - 3-4 kg per 1 sq.m of bed. Pumpkins and zucchini grow well only in neutral soils - it is necessary to normalize the acidity with lime or chalk. Add 1/2 bucket of humus or compost and 1 bucket of river sand to clay soils. For sandy ones - 1 bucket of clay and 1/2 bucket of humus.
The best varieties of pumpkin– Smile, Freckle, Russian, Medicinal, Sweet pie, Gribovskaya winter, Candied fruit, Premiere, Bush orange.
The best varieties of zucchini– Aeronaut, Bely, Tsukesha, Gribovsky, Lagenaria, Black Handsome, Medusa, Iskander, Waterfall, Zolotinka, Spaghetti.
When preparing land for tomatoes in the fall, add the following per 1 sq.m of bed:
- 4-5 kg of humus;
- 2 tbsp. phosphate fertilizers;
- 2 tbsp. potash fertilizers.
Fertilizers can simply be sprinkled over the surface.
Tomatoes require neutral or slightly acidic soil. For sandstone or light loam, 250 g of lime per 1 sq.m is required, for medium or heavy loam - 350 g.
The best varieties of tomatoes– Riddle, Anastasia, Crimson Giant, Marisha, Stolypin, Bull's Heart, Honey Spas, Pharaoh, Monomakh's Cap.
Prices for tomato Bull's heart
tomato Bull's heart
When preparing land for cucumbers in the fall, add per 1 sq.m.:
- 5-6 kg of fresh manure;
- 4-5 kg of plant organic matter;
- 200 g wood ash.
It is recommended to apply mineral fertilizers in the spring. If the soil is clayey, add 1 bucket of river sand per 1 sq.m. Sandy or loamy soil with weak acidity is suitable for cucumbers. Be sure to dig the beds to the depth of a spade bayonet.
The best varieties cucumbers– April, Masha, Erofey, Competitor, Rodnichok, Secret of the Company, Moscow Evenings.
When preparing land for radishes in the fall, add per 1 sq.m:
- 40-60 g of superphosphate;
- 15 g potassium chloride.
The soil should be neutral - radishes get sick in acidic soils. When digging the beds, add 2 buckets of compost per 1 sq.m. to the ground. Fresh manure is strictly prohibited - only well-rotted manure!
The best varieties of radishes– varieties resistant to bolting: Ilka, Duro, Rampoush, French Breakfast, Zlata and Mercado variety.
Preparing the soil for planting in autumn is very important - it lays the “foundation” for the future harvest. Don’t neglect the opportunity to feed the soil, improve its structure and properties, and make spring sowing work easier. Simple recommendations will help you quickly cope with the pre-winter care of your beds.
Video - preparing beds in the fall
This article discusses beds for the lazy: photos of the easiest structures to make for those who want to get a neat garden with a minimum of effort, the most common materials and technologies for creating structures based on them. The reader will learn how to combine vegetable crops in one bed and prepare the soil for planting cucumbers. The article contains practical recommendations for beginner gardeners.
Designing the right garden beds will solve many problems and open up new opportunities for the owner summer cottage:
- protection against soil erosion in the garden when there is a large amount of rainfall or watering the plants. The sides of the bed will keep the nutritious soil in place, preventing it from washing out onto the paths. In addition, the passages themselves between the structures will remain clean, no dirty puddles and drips;
- the possibility of forming the basis for creating a temporary greenhouse for the spring period. By installing high sides as fences, a multi-layer bed can be organized inside the structure, which can be used as a greenhouse. To do this, it is enough to install special arcs and stretch the film. The result will be a neat greenhouse house;
- improvement appearance vegetable gardens due to orderly and even plantings with beautiful framing;
- creating boundaries to prevent the spread of weeds.
Making beds with your own hands from boards and other materials allows you to clearly limit the planting area, thanks to which weeds and harmful plants do not have the opportunity to spread widely. If the garden fence is dug to a greater depth, the level of protection increases and perennial weeds, which are unable to overcome this barrier, can no longer penetrate into the garden bed.
Note! With the help of beds with well-buried fences, the spread of plants such as reeds and creeping wheatgrass is effectively blocked. Their root system is capable of covering large distances underground if left unconstrained.
Photo interesting designs beds, recommendations for their creation. Tips for Designing the Unusual landscape design Location on.
The most best place is an area where the sun is present throughout the day. It is allowed to install beds where there is shade in the morning or during the day. If the proposed construction area is dark throughout the day, you should not use this place for arranging a vegetable garden.
How best to make beds in the garden: choosing the optimal design
The design of the beds is selected at an early stage of planning, when a place for the vegetable garden has already been selected.
Each type of beds has certain advantages:
- raised or - the most efficient designs which are best suited for growing vegetable crops. The building materials for their creation are not expensive, and the soil does not need to be dug up. The width and height of the structures determine how much effort and time will be required to build them. Most often, summer residents prefer wooden beds made of boards. You can find photos on the Internet bulk beds with your own hands, such structures do not have fencing. They also fall into the category of elevated structures;
- container beds - will be beneficial in cases where site space is limited. Small, large and medium-sized pots are suitable for organizing such beds. Garlic, peppers, lettuce and herbs feel especially good in containers. Mobility is another advantage of container beds, which can be moved to any location if desired;
- open ground beds are the oldest method of growing crops that are planted directly into the ground. In such conditions, it is more difficult to get a good harvest, so the technology of joint planting of vegetables in the garden is often used.
Helpful advice! If you plan to plant crops in open ground, it is recommended to determine the quality of the soil, fertilize it and check the compatibility of vegetables in the garden according to the table.
How to make beds from boards with your own hands: useful tips
Raised beds are most often made from wood. This material, in comparison with others, is considered the most practical and environmentally friendly. Such designs look very aesthetically pleasing in the photo. Do-it-yourself beds made from boards have other advantages:
- a simple maintenance system involving easy weeding, harvesting and watering of plants;
- the ability to grow vegetable crops even where the soil is completely unsuitable for these purposes. A frame is made from the boards, which is subsequently filled fertile soil, purchased in a store, so there is no connection to the quality of the earth and its composition. Thanks to this, plants can be grown even in areas with rocky surfaces;
- Box structures allow you to hold soil inside the bed. In addition, the presence of sides simplifies the process of installing arcs to form a greenhouse. It is much easier to secure these elements to the fence than to dig them into the soil;
- Even without knowing how to properly make garden beds, any summer resident can cope with the manufacture of wooden box structures. The boards are easy to process, and the construction and assembly of the frame does not require expensive tools;
- there is no chance that plants planted close to the edges will get burned summer heat. Wood, unlike metal, is not prone to overheating.
Note! The environmental friendliness of the material allows you not to worry about harmful substances getting into the soil. Wood is much safer than asbestos-cement sheets (slate). The exception is boards treated with chemicals designed to double the life of the material.
Making practical beds from boards: how to make the right choice of material
Summer residents most often create wooden structures based on materials found on the farm. To make beds, timber, round timber, slab, and lining can be used.
When it comes to purchasing boards in a store, you should pay attention Special attention The type of wood from which they are made:
- a board made of ash or oak will last a very long time. Although the cost of such products is quite high;
- pine remains the most favorable in terms of price and processing. But this type of wood is highly susceptible to rotting while in the ground, so its service life is short. Due to impregnation and antiseptics the life of pine can be extended by a couple of years;
- boards made of cedar and larch wood are considered the most suitable material for making boxes. Larch is naturally impregnated with resin, thanks to which the product will retain its newness for many years without the use of additional impregnations. Cedar wood is characterized by a lower resin content, but it is not inferior to larch in terms of durability and at the same time has an affordable price;
- Boards made from acacia feel good in the ground. It is worth noting that this type of wood is durable and has a solid structure, so its processing will be more difficult. To work with acacia you will need a powerful electric tool.
Helpful advice! It is not recommended to skimp on the quality of the material. Boards made from poor wood are susceptible to rapid rotting. After a few years, holes will appear on the fences of the garden beds, through which fertile soil will be washed away during rains and watering of plants.
Making beds from boards with your own hands: photos, dimensions of structures
Box beds have rectangular shape and are made from boards. The simplest design does not require special knowledge and skills, so any novice summer resident can handle its manufacture. The main thing is to correctly calculate the dimensions of the boxes.
- height– many summer residents strive to create the highest possible sides. However, this approach is erroneous if it is not intended to build a warm bed for cucumbers or other types of crops, where a fence height of up to 0.7 m is acceptable. The technology for manufacturing such structures requires laying multi-layer insulation. For ordinary beds, such high fences are not required; it is enough to limit it to 0.15-0.2 m. Excessive height of the sides is also unprofitable in economic terms, because their construction will require a lot of boards. In addition, wood is susceptible to deformation changes under the influence of moisture, so there is a risk that over time high fences will swell and lose their attractive shape;
- width – experienced summer residents It is recommended to choose the width equal to half the height of the person who will care for the beds. Most often, this parameter is in the range of 0.9-1.2 m, because during work a person should be able to reach the middle of the structure from the side fence;
- length– this parameter is practically unlimited. Although excessively long structures reduce the level of rigidity of the side rails, it is therefore recommended to choose a length within 4-6 m.
Helpful advice! When choosing dimensional parameters for wooden beds, you should take into account that between them you need to organize passages 0.4-0.6 m wide. Only after this is considered the layout of structures on the site.
Creating mixed plantings of vegetables in the garden: photo examples and optimal schemes
The method of combining crops is very effective in practice if the companion plants are chosen well. Therefore, plot owners use a special table to calculate the proximity of vegetables in the beds before planting. Some types of vegetables have a depressing effect on each other, others can improve the growth and development of neighbors and provide them with protection from pests.
The correct proximity of vegetables in the beds: compatibility table
Many summer residents note that thanks to the proximity of beans as a seal for the beds where potatoes are grown, the amount of Colorado potato beetle. Marigolds effectively protect cabbage from the white butterfly. Despite this, a certain balance must be maintained. After all, an excessive amount of marigolds in the garden can stifle the growth of cabbage.
Table of vegetable neighbors in the garden that create a successful tandem:
| Name of vegetable crop | Plants for successful combination |
| strawberries | beans, spinach, marigolds, garlic, lettuce |
| kohlrabi | cucumber, lettuce, onion, beets |
| peas | carrots, corn, cucumber, calendula, eggplant |
| onion | tomato, celery, beets, savory, carrots |
| beans | potatoes, cucumber, tomato, strawberry, eggplant |
| cucumber | radishes, peppers, peas, cabbage, beans |
| carrot | lettuce, onion, sage, tomato, peas |
| salad | strawberries, cucumber, carrots, radishes |
| pepper | salad, cucumber, beans |
| tomato | calendula, basil, beans, nasturtium, parsley |
The following pairs of plants are characterized by poor compatibility of planting vegetables in the garden:
- cabbage and strawberries;
- onions and beans;
- carrots and celery, dill, parsley;
- cucumbers and potatoes.
Helpful advice! In addition to the main crops, it is recommended to spot plant herbs and ornamental herbs in the garden bed. Thus, the garden will not only be beautiful, but also useful.
Examples of mixed planting of vegetables in the garden: popular schemes
A good example of the compatibility of vegetables in the garden is the combination of onions and carrots. As an independent crop, onions can produce about 2.5 kg of yield from 1 m² of bed. Carrots on the same area yield approximately 6 kg of yield. When growing these crops together, 1 m² can produce 9 kg of vegetables. These plants create protective barriers against pests for each other, so the efficiency of the used area increases.
Of course, planning joint cultivation crops in the garden, you need to group the plants taking into account their height, so that none of them blocks the light for the other. This is necessary because vegetables can not only have different heights, but also grow at different rates. It is desirable that the compactors that are planted additionally be lower in height than the main vegetables. The principle of multi-tiered juxtaposition of vegetables in the beds makes it possible to create favorable conditions for the root system of crops, and also promotes rational use solar energy.
High yields are collected from the beds where beets and late cabbage are planted. To do this, beets (9 plants) and cabbage (4 bushes) should be planted on an area of 0.8x0.8 m, not forgetting to fertilize the holes with a glass of compost and a handful of eggshells (grind first).
To obtain excellent result When planting beans and tomatoes, it is recommended to place the plants in a row with a step of 0.3 m. Along the row with bush beans, it is installed so that each plant is located at the dropper. Tomatoes are planted in the central part of the garden bed. As a result, the bean and tomato bushes should be arranged in a checkerboard pattern.
Helpful advice! It is better to trim tomato stems for the winter, and as low as possible. On the contrary, it is recommended to leave beans untouched.
Table of crop rotation of vegetables in beds by crop groups
Crop rotation can also affect the yield of beds. If the annual change of crops grown in the same bed is carried out in the correct order, the garden will produce good harvests.
Advantages of proper crop rotation:
- the likelihood of soil fatigue on the site is eliminated, since the same vegetable absorbs the same set of nutrients from the soil every year and does it from the same depth;
- the spread of diseases and pests that affect plants of the same family is prevented;
- it becomes possible to use fertilizers rationally.
The most primitive way of organizing crop rotation in a garden bed involves planting plants from different families in the same area every year. The easiest way is to divide cultures into four groups:
- Leaf crops - these include different kinds cabbage, green onions, lettuce, and spinach.
- Fruit vegetables - cucumbers, tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, pumpkin.
- Legumes - beans, chickpeas, peas.
- Root vegetables - potatoes, beets, radishes, carrots.
Table of the simplest crop rotation in the garden:
| Sequence of landing by year | Recommended crops for planting | |||
| 1st bed | 2nd bed | 3rd bed | 4th bed | |
| 1 year | fruit | roots | legumes | leafy |
| 2 year | roots | legumes | leafy | fruit |
| 3 year | legumes | leafy | fruit | roots |
Arrangement of beds for cucumbers in open ground: photos and recommendations
To grow cucumbers in open ground, beds are usually prepared in the fall. This should be done before the rains and temperatures drop. The planting area must be carefully dug up and saturated with organic fertilizers. Cucumbers like fertile, light soil that has good level air and water permeability. If the soil on the site is heavy, sawdust, peat or sand can be added to the soil to facilitate loosening.
Helpful advice! To get a rich harvest, it is recommended to add a tablespoon of superphosphate and a glass of ash per 1 m² of area. Instead of ash, you can use dolomite flour.
The process of preparing a bed for cucumbers in the spring includes the procedure for disinfecting the soil. To do this, the site of the future garden is spilled with potassium permanganate. The solution must be hot and strong. In addition, soil fertility can be increased by adding chicken manure or manure. This procedure is carried out locally, that is, the fertilizer is placed directly into the trench or hole. After this, the bed is covered with a small layer of soil, where the seeds are then planted.
How to make a bed for cucumbers: agrotechnical secrets
To get a rich harvest of cucumbers from the garden, you must adhere to the basic rules:
- There should be no irrigation canals, streams or flowing reservoirs near the beds.
- If the planting area is not protected, it is better to place the garden in a quiet place where there are no drafts.
- Procedures such as watering and loosening the soil must be performed on a regular basis. Otherwise, a hard crust will form on the surface, and the bed will dry out greatly.
- Cucumbers grown in open ground need to be fed much more often than those grown in closed beds.
- During harvesting, it is not recommended to change the position of the plant's vines or turn them over.
- Weeding of plants in open beds needs to be done more often than in closed ground.
- It is recommended to cover the entire surface of the bed with black film.
Cucumbers need a rich biological composition of the soil. Therefore, it is recommended to fertilize the soil with organic matter, for example, grass, humus, branches, rotted manure, and food waste. In the process of their decomposition, not only does the fertility of the soil increase, but also heat is released, warming the soil. To prevent high temperatures from damaging the root system of cucumbers, experienced summer residents advise abundant watering.
Interesting fact! Sometimes the decomposition of organic fertilizers occurs so actively that the soil in the garden bed warms up to 80° C. Under the influence of this high temperature Many pests, viruses and pathogenic fungi contained in the soil die. As a result, natural sterilization of the soil occurs.
There are several ways to grow cucumbers in open ground. For these purposes, you can form a long ridge bed, a hole, dig a ditch, or build a high structure.
How to make cucumber beds in the garden with a bookmark
To form a bed with a bookmark, you will need to dig a trench. The depth of the ditch should be equal to two shovels. Then branches are laid out across and sawdust is poured in. The next layer consists of straw and garden waste. You can add autumn leaves, cardboard or newspapers, and compost. The thickness of the fertilizer layer should be within 5-7 cm. The layer is filled with warm water and covered with a mixture of compost and soil.
A bed with a bookmark can effectively serve for 5 years. In the second year of operation, you will not need to add compost to the top layer, because during the decomposition of organic components, the bed itself will produce nutrients.
Advantages of a bed for growing cucumbers with a bookmark:
- convenient watering system;
- stagnation of water is eliminated;
- In the spring there is no need to dig up the soil, just loosen the soil.
Plants can be planted on such a nutrient basis much earlier than is customary in conventional beds. It is not recommended to use beds with filling in low-lying areas and areas where water stagnates.
Warm surface beds for cucumbers in open ground
This type warm beds for growing cucumbers, it is built on the surface of prepared soil. This technology will the best option for areas that are located in lowlands. In order to enhance the heating process, the bed is covered with film. As a result, a greenhouse effect is formed, which has a positive effect on the growth of cucumbers and their productivity.
Surface beds also include structures in the form of boxes made of brick, slate or boards. The bottom of these containers is filled with sand, then with wood waste. Next comes a layer of organic waste and straw. After laying each component, the contents are carefully compacted and filled with liquid manure. Finally, the bed is filled with a mixture consisting of soil.
Helpful advice! Vegetable and fruit skins, fallen leaves, and eggshells (crushed into powder) can be used as organic waste.
Cucumbers are planted in two rows. Plants are placed along the edges of the box bed, which ensures a sufficient level of illumination. If you plan to plant cucumbers in early spring, the structures can be converted into greenhouses. To do this, you will need to install plastic arcs and stretch plastic film over them. Thus, heating is enhanced and it becomes possible to obtain early harvest. Moreover, the result is completely independent of weather conditions.
Raised beds for cucumbers in open ground
Warm beds with a raised structure are used in cases where the site is located in a region with a cold and humid climate. Due to this, the soil is fully warmed up, allowing for early harvesting. If they get too close to the garden groundwater, the bed is raised high, due to which the plantings do not get wet on soil that is oversaturated with moisture. In a similar way they are planted stone fruit trees, whose roots are severely affected by groundwater.
As borders for these structures they are used various materials. The most popular of them are slate and wood. In rare cases, metal is used. This type of bed can even be installed in the middle of the lawn. If you frame it in the form of paving stones or tiles, a raised vegetable garden with cucumbers will become a worthy decoration of your summer cottage.
As an alternative solution, you can build a mound on the territory that does not have a fence. You can take any length for such a bed; the optimal width is 1 m. You should not raise the ornamental garden to a height of more than 1 m. The air that remains in the voids formed between the elements of large organic matter provides good ventilation and promotes rapid heating of the soil.
To speed up the decomposition process of fertilizers, the soil is spilled with a solution saturated with special bacteria. The procedure is carried out twice a year. The first time the soil is watered with bacteria is in the spring. After treating the beds, you should wait at least a week before planting plants. The second time the soil is spilled in the fall after the crop is harvested. When the soil has already been treated with the composition, it should be loosened so that the soil is saturated with oxygen and the drug itself is evenly distributed.
How to make beds in the garden: video review of technology
Many gardeners are of the opinion that all autumn work on the garden plot ends with the arrival of autumn and cold weather.
However, preparing the beds for winter is just beginning. This is fundamental point for the future harvest without chemicals. Let's take a look and find out in more detail what autumn work needs to be done on the site and how to prevent depletion of the land and maintain fertility. The listed methods can be used in Siberia, the Urals and the Moscow region.
Principles of preparing a garden for winter
Sowing green manure. It is necessary to start immediately after harvesting. This helps to cover the surface of the earth in the fall, preventing it from freezing. winter period, snow is better retained on the surface, microorganisms are preserved and multiply much more in the soil, and this can provide the soil with everything it needs without the use of fertilizers.
Mulching. It is necessary to cover future beds with a layer of manure, humus or compost (if green manure has not been sown).
Warm beds. To prepare them, you can take the tops of any garden plants (without visible contamination). And in the spring season, simply water them with liquid microorganisms and then the process will start.
Treatment against harmful insects. In order to avoid soil contamination and undesirable consequences from pests, it is necessary to shed liquid microorganisms.
Let's look at each question in more detail.
Preparing beds for winter
Fertilizing the soil plays a special role in preparation. Farming experts believe that there is no need to dig up the soil and add manure or other fertilizers: all these measures will not benefit your garden. There is no need to dig up the soil, but it is important to place fertilizers on top of the soil.
The most positive outcome would be the use of exclusively natural fertilizers. This category includes items considered organic waste - branches, boards, old paper. The ash after burning such things will perfectly nourish the soil of the site. You should scatter it throughout the garden.
You should also pay attention to manure: it is an excellent type of fertilizer. It is not advisable to use store-bought manure as it may contain infections that will get into your soil. Applying manure from your own pets will be a good solution. This fertilizer should be mixed with sawdust and placed over the entire surface of the site.
The note! “Organic soil nutrients can be harvested throughout the year.”
It is necessary to prepare the bed as it is vacated. An empty bed should be dug up with sand and sowed with green manure. After the seedlings emerge and reach the flowering phase, you can dig up the ground again. But it is necessary to do this so that the plants are under a lump of earth (do not break the lumps).
This method of digging the soil has its advantages: it is processed in small areas and the garden soil looks well-groomed before it is covered with snow. Sowing green manure in the fall has an aesthetic appearance and is partly a replacement for manure or humus. For preventive purposes, to destroy the larvae of various insects, you can use:
- dig up the soil;
- spill the soil with a 40% sodium metham solution;
- fumigation with sulfur;
- collect any visible larvae with your hands.
Then we fertilize the greenhouse beds. When digging, we simultaneously add organic fertilizers, humus, manure, and compost. The amount of fertilizer will depend on the choice planting material to this greenhouse.
Sprinkle sand or ash on top and cover with dry grass or leaves. You can also cover the soil with snow. In the spring, when it thaws, it will saturate the soil with moisture.
Warm beds
These include beds that consist of plant remains. Its structure is that during the decay of organic plants a large amount of thermal energy is generated, which warms up the root system (for example, a tomato) and helps to endure the cold period. And also during the processes of decay it is formed carbon dioxide, promoting the formation of nutrients.
The note! “This type of beds is made for the winter period, since in the fall there is a lot of freed up soil and plant remains.”
To construct it you need to make a box from wooden planks and put wood waste (shavings, sawdust) on the bottom. Then put a paper layer (newspaper, paper, etc.) and sprinkle compost or manure on top. The top layer is made up of mown grass, leaves, weeds, etc.
It is necessary to water such a bed every day for the formation of the rotting process. In the spring, you need to pour humus over the existing layers, and you can plant the plants.
Digging soil in open ground
There are two methods of digging in the open ground in the fall:
- dumpless; in this case, the dug up soil is not turned over or broken; this allows you to preserve the natural environment;
- dump; here the earth is turned over so that the top layer is at the very bottom. This measure allows you to prevent the growth of weeds and destroy harmful insects during the winter period.
It is impossible to single out one of these methods as the best. However, in any case, you should not break up the dug up soil, otherwise the ground may freeze, and when it gets warmer, the snow will melt, be absorbed into the soil and it will be crumbly.
The note! “The digging process is carried out with a shovel or villas. Usually one bayonet of a shovel is enough for proper digging in open ground.”
In the greenhouse
Caring for soil in a greenhouse has a slightly different approach. Remove up to 10 cm of the top layer of soil to kill pests, and then place fresh soil there. If it is not possible to replace the soil in the greenhouse, then it should be disinfected. This can be done using boiling water, a solution of potassium permanganate, copper sulfate and other methods.
Green manure
Preparing the garden for winter includes sowing green manure in the fall. This is an important measure for obtaining a good harvest and fertile soil. Proper use This solution allows you to save land, even when crops are grown annually in the same place.
Do not forget that before sowing green manure, you should take into account data on their compatibility with other crops. It is important to pay attention to plants that were planted last year and are planned to be sown. Taking this information into account, you should make a choice of green manure.
If you choose the wrong green fertilizers, it can ruin the future harvest. There is no need to place green manure underground. Such a measure will not bring any benefit and you will simply waste your time. Nutritional Components are located in the greenery of green manure. The worms will process this part of the plants. Planting and maintaining the development of green manure is all that is needed for good soil fertility.
Compost
The first step is to prepare the compost pit. It should be filled out in the autumn. At this time, there is enough organic waste on the ground. The bottom layer should be waste that takes a long time to rot, namely wood (branches, boards, etc.). Next you need to put food waste, grass and manure. You need to put leaves on top, then soil. Such a pile needs to be watered with EM preparations.
When you completely fill the pit space, you should cover it with polyethylene and leave until spring period. Until this moment, all elements will rot. Cold temperatures will not harm the processing process and you will already have ready-made compost at the beginning of the gardening period.
Mulching
Mulching in the fall is an important step in growing your own vegetable garden. This measure allows you to give the soil the necessary amount of important organic matter, which will allow the land to have high fertility for a long period. It is the autumn period that is most favorable for this process. The harvest has already been harvested, and there is a lot of organic waste on the ground.
Tops, remains of vegetables and fruits, as well as other natural waste should not be removed from the soil. Add sawdust, leaves, plants on top of it all and cover it all with cardboard. If there is no complete thick sheet, then you can use cardboard boxes. This method of mulching will protect the soil from the cold and also allow it to become healthier.
Fruit trees can be insulated by mulching. The same organic waste is used for this. They are able to protect tree roots from cold conditions. However, you should not use dry grass, as it may harbor rodents. For each of the listed measures, you can find video instructions that will help you carry out the activities correctly.
Some people think that working for personal plot or in the garden it ends with the harvest. And only real summer residents and gardeners know that at the end of summer it is not yet time to rest. After all, next year’s harvest directly depends on autumn work on land plots. Autumn is the time to prepare the beds for the winter and spring sowing seasons. Farmers who grow organic berries, vegetables and fruits are especially diligent in this type of work.
Soil fertilization
Fertilizing the soil is of great importance. Experts in natural farming recommend and even insist that it is unnecessary and pointless to dig up the garden in the fall, and even add manure or other fertilizers in the process. The soil does not need to be dug up, but fertilizers need to be scattered over the surface of the entire area.
It is best to use only organic fertilizers. This concept includes much of what is considered ordinary garbage - dry branches of bushes and trees, rotten boards, any waste paper. After burning all this, ash remains - an excellent organic fertilizer. It must be scattered throughout the garden or summer cottage.
Another excellent fertilizer is manure. It is not advisable to purchase it from strangers - you can introduce a large number of different diseases into the soil. But natural waste from your pets can be mixed with sawdust or any herbaceous debris and spread directly onto the beds.
Organic fertilizers can be accumulated throughout the year.
Details about fertilizing with ash
Mulching
Mulching the soil is an integral part of natural farming. It saturates the soil with the necessary amount of organic matter, makes it fertile and prevents it from becoming depleted. The autumn season is the best time for mulching. The harvest is harvested, but a large amount of organic waste remains on the site.
Everything that remains in the beds (tops of vegetable plants, waste of vegetables and fruits) does not need to be removed. Cover everything on top with fallen leaves or pine needles, sawdust or any herbaceous plants, and cover the top with thick cardboard or waste from cardboard boxes. This mulch layer will provide the soil with protection from winter frosts and will also enrich the soil.
Roots fruit trees You can also insulate with mulch. Straw and dry grass cannot be used - mice will breed in it, which will then cause no less harm than the cold. But all other organic materials can be used by placing them in tree trunks.
More about mulching
Sowing green manure
If there is a lack of materials for mulch, you can sow green manure. Proper green manure is the key to normal crop rotation on any site. Green manure will ensure normal growth and yield for vegetable crops, even if they are grown in the same bed every year.
Take note!
Before planting green manure, you need to carefully read the table of their compatibility with other plants and crops. It is imperative to take into account what grew in this area last year and what is planned to be planted here next year. Vegetable crops can destroy each other's harvests if you do not take into account their compatibility with green manure.
Green manure does not need to be buried in the soil. This is a waste of time that will only waste time. Substances useful for the soil are found in the green mass of grown green manure. It will be processed by earthworms and bacteria. All that is required from the owner of the site is sowing green manure and ensuring their normal growth.
Making compost
First you need to prepare a compost pit. It is best to fill it in the fall, when there is a lot of organic waste on the site. At the bottom of the pit you need to lay out long-decomposed organic matter - these are large tree branches and other wooden waste. This first layer can be covered with waste food products and grass clippings, feces and herbaceous vegetable residues. Cover the top with a layer of fallen leaves, then with soil and water it with a solution of preparations containing effective microorganisms (EM - preparations).
After this, you can spread out a layer of any paper waste - newspapers, magazines, cardboard. Then again food waste, grass and vegetable tops, leaves and a small layer of earth, and a little EM preparation on top.
When the compost pit is completely filled with such layers, then it needs to be closed from above plastic film and leave until the compost matures (until spring). He's not afraid winter frosts and cold. Until spring, the bacteria will do their job.
Construction of warm beds and trenches
If your compost bin is filled to the top and there is still organic waste remaining, you may want to consider building organic trenches or warm beds. For their improvement, all organic materials and waste that may be in the garden or at the dacha are needed. And such trenches and beds are useful for growing various vegetables. They will provide favorable conditions for growth and a large harvest.
Details about the construction of a warm bed
Protection of fruit tree trunks
Mice and hares can cause great damage to fruit trees. They love to eat the bark of young and mature fruit trees. To protect these plants, you can use the tying method. Each trunk must be tied with wormwood or spruce branches. These plants repel rodents with their specific smell. Tying should only be done with the onset of severe cold weather.
Cleaning of tools and equipment
This is another important stage of autumn work. After finishing work in the garden, you need to empty all containers of water and turn them upside down. All garden tools must be carefully inspected and, if necessary, washed, dried, cleaned, sharpened, and lubricated. During the spring sowing period there will not be enough time for this.
In the fall, you need to take care of preparing seeds and replenishing supplies of preparations necessary for the garden (for example, a remedy for diseases and pests, laundry soap, soda, salt, tar).
Having worked hard in the fall, you can make your work much easier in the spring.
The richer the harvest, the poorer the soil in the garden became. Therefore, in the fall it is necessary to increase fertility and improve the soil structure. We will talk about soil cultivation technology.
With proper autumn tillage, surface loosening will be sufficient in spring. Therefore, before the start of winter, it is necessary to have time to carry out all the main activities to prepare the garden for wintering.
Soil preparation in open ground
First of all, the beds are cleared of tops and weed roots. After which the soil is saturated with nutrients.
Improving soil structure
Organic and complex mineral fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium are applied to any type of soil. If you do not grow crops in this place every year, then fertilizers can be applied once every 3-4 years.
Improving the soil structure on the site
Don't know how to change the structure of infertile soil? We will suggest several effective ways.
On heavy clay soils, additionally add ash, sand, compost or leaf humus. Thanks to this, the soil will become loose and permeable. Rotted compost, leaf humus or sawdust. This will help retain moisture in the ground. And acidic soils are neutralized with chalk, dolomite flour or lime.
Most often, the soil is limed to a depth of 20 cm
How much lime should be added to the soil on the site?
We tell you how to properly lime the soil.
Digging the soil in autumn
Autumn digging can be carried out two ways:
- Dumpless– the dug up lump of earth is not turned over or broken. With this method, the natural microflora of the soil is preserved.
- Dump– the clod of earth is turned over and the top layer is sealed to the depth of a shovel bayonet. With this method of digging up the soil, weed seeds are deeply buried and cannot germinate in winter, and the larvae of insect pests, on the contrary, end up on the surface of the soil and die with the onset of frost.
It is difficult to say unequivocally which method is better. But, whatever method you choose, do not break the earthen clods so that the soil does not freeze. By spring it will be saturated with moisture and become crumbly.
Digging is carried out with a shovel or pitchfork. As a rule, the depth of the bayonet of a shovel is sufficient. In places where you plan to sow early crops in the spring, it is better to dig the soil to a shallower depth (up to 15 cm). In this case, after the snow melts, the soil will dry out faster.
If there are a large number of earthworms living in the soil on your site, use only a pitchfork when digging. Because a shovel will disrupt the vital activity of worms - the creators of humus.
An alternative method of tillage is sowing green manure. A month after sowing, the roots of the plants are cut with a flat cutter and the green mass is left to rot right on the beds.
On light, uncontaminated soils, as well as floodplain soils, you can do without annual digging
Supporters of organic farming urge not to dig up the soil in the fall, but simply scatter manure or ash over the surface without embedding it in the ground. In addition, they advise leaving tops from harvested plants (without signs of diseases) on the beds and mulching them with leaf litter, pine needles or grass, and covering them with cardboard on top. By the next sowing season, all this will rot and become an excellent fertilizer.
Tillage in a greenhouse
Preparing the soil for winter in a greenhouse and greenhouse is slightly different. The ideal option is to remove a layer of soil 7-10 cm thick (pest larvae, pathogenic microorganisms, and fungal spores usually accumulate here) and replace it with fresh soil.
At the same time, you cannot take ordinary soil from the garden, since pests can also live in it. Prepare the soil yourself from organic matter (humus or manure), wood ash and sand or sawdust. Spread the soil evenly in the greenhouse and treat it with copper sulfate or potassium permanganate solution. Then place mulch on the beds (for example, straw, corn tops or spruce branches) and close the greenhouse.
It is not recommended to scatter the soil from the greenhouse in the garden or vegetable garden, because it contains a large number of pathogenic microorganisms. It is better to pour it in some place on the site and sprinkle it with lime. In the summer, the pile must be carefully dug up, and after 1-2 years it can be returned to the greenhouse or scattered on the beds in the garden.
But if it is not possible to replace the top layer of soil in the greenhouse, disinfect land in one of the following ways:
- pour boiling water over it and cover with film (hot steam will destroy bacteria and insect larvae), after a day, remove the film, loosen the soil, repeat the procedure 2 more times;
- spill the soil generously with a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate;
- pour copper sulfate (1-2 tbsp per 10 liters of water);
- sprinkle the soil with bleach (100-200 g/sq.m) and dig to a depth of 20 cm (the exact rate of application of this substance depends on the acidity of the soil and its mechanical composition);
- spill the soil with a solution of formaldehyde (200 g per 10 liters of water) at the rate of 10 liters per 1 sq.m., rake the soaked soil into a pile and leave for 2-3 days. Then open all the windows and doors in the greenhouse for 3-4 days to remove the pungent odor. Then dig up the soil well;
- use special biological products to disinfect soil in greenhouses (Alirin-B, Fitosporin, Fitotsid, etc.).
Spilling boiling water on the soil is a very effective, but not without its drawbacks method. A significant disadvantage of this method is that along with pests and pathogens, beneficial microorganisms also die. Therefore, after steaming, the soil must be spilled with a solution of biological preparations (for example, Baikal EM-1).
In winter, do not forget to throw snow into the greenhouse (its layer should be about 20 cm).
Snow will protect the soil in the greenhouse from freezing and fill it with melt water in the spring.
When the air temperature drops to 8°C, it is advisable to disinfect the greenhouse. You can fumigate with a sulfur bomb (the required quantity per unit area is indicated in the instructions). Before starting the procedure, all cracks in the greenhouse are sealed. Sulfur bombs are placed in different parts of the structure, they are set on fire and they quickly leave, closing the door tightly. Three days after fumigation, the greenhouse is ventilated. A glazed greenhouse can be sprayed with a solution of bleach or 40% formaldehyde.
Sulfur, bleach and formaldehyde are very toxic, so disinfection of the greenhouse should be carried out using a gas mask.
How to prepare a greenhouse for winter: useful tips for summer residents
The summer season does not end after the harvest. There is still a lot to be done, including cleaning up the greenhouse.
Properly cultivate the soil in the garden in the fall - and next season you will be able to grow a rich harvest of vegetables and herbs!
Is your garden ready for winter? What haven't you done yet to restore your soil?
The time has come to prepare the garden for winter, and today we’ll talk about exactly this... How we prepare the garden for winter in Natural farming! How to carry out winter planting of vegetables, flowers and herbs! What work needs to be done to restore soil fertility! Let's remember Warm and High Compost Beds! So, let's begin…
Let's remember what needs to be done in the fall in order to increase soil fertility:
1. We don’t dig the soil! Under no circumstances should we dig up the area; we leave the soil untouched.
2. We do not remove the tops from the site and do not burn them! We leave all plant debris in the beds. All tops from vegetables and flowers... Be it tomato or potato tops, cucumber or squash, beet or carrot tops... We leave absolutely all leftovers in the garden.
3. We sow green manure! Immediately at the moment we harvest, we sow green manure in the vacant bed. We leave the green manures uncut in the winter. And before winter we sow additional Winter Rye!
4. Cover the soil! Not a single piece of land should be left bare during the winter! If you haven’t sown green manure, then cover the beds with a thick layer of mulch: leaf litter or straw are ideal for this! If this is not the case, then spread your own manure! animals, and cover the top with cardboard! We use rabbit manure and chicken manure...
5. Make warm or high compost beds!
6. Start a compost pile!
….If we don’t make warm beds or compost beds! We need compost, so we pay special attention to it. If we have ready-made compost, we spread it around the garden: under bushes, trees, and just in the beds. But this is too labor-intensive, so it’s easier to compost organic matter directly on the beds...
How and when to do it correctly?
In the fall, as I already said, you can plant almost all plants! Starting from trees and ending with vegetables. We carry out winter sowings two weeks before severe frosts. Then, when no warmth is expected, the soil is frozen, and it’s only going to get colder ahead! For Perm region this is from mid-October to mid-November. We rely on forecasts from weather forecasters.
To do this, we prepare the furrows in September, while the soil is warm. And in cold weather we sow seeds, sprinkle them with compost or coconut substrate, or rotted straw. If we didn’t have time to make grooves in the heat, then don’t despair.
If the soil is already frozen, and you suddenly decide to sow something before winter, then you can sow on frozen soil, and sprinkle on top with loose, fertile soil that does not become crusty. As a last resort use purchased soil. And on top we mulch this furrow with a layer of rotted straw, a layer of at least 5 cm! The rest of the bed, where nothing was sown, must be mulched with a thick layer of mulch of at least 20-30 cm!
If the groundwater is close to the surface of the earth and the area is flooded, and the soil is heavy clay, then there is no need to dig a trench! We make a warm bed right on the surface of the earth! If the soil is sandy and there is always a lack of moisture, you will have to dig a trench 40 cm deep.
You can put together a box and install it in the garden bed. And we fill this box layer by layer with organic matter. At the bottom we put logs touched by fungus, rotten ones... Or large branches, but then we chop them with a shovel...
The next layer is again carbonaceous: old planks, straw, old hay, leaves, cardboard... And on top of this layer is again nitrogenous: food waste, manure, vegetable tops... so, a few more layers. In total, the organic layer must be at least 80 cm! Each layer also needs to be trampled down...
When laying such ridges in the autumn, it is important to spill the organic matter with water. The logs that we place on the bottom can be pre-soaked in water if they are dry... But usually we carry them from the forest, and the forest is always humid!
Microorganisms are better if they are local and adapted! There are enough of them in algae, in logs, in forest litter, in muddy slurry from the bottom of a ravine... Therefore, there is no need to buy EM preparations...
We cover the top of such a bed with inverted cut turf or a layer of fertile soil, and on top of it we sow green manure and sprinkle it with rotted straw! That is, this ridge should also not be empty in winter! Green manure sown in the fall will revive the garden bed and start the process!
And such a bed will be filled with a huge number of microorganisms and worms over the winter, and in early spring it will be ready for planting! Before others! It is full of nutrients and is ready to feed and warm our crops!
The height of such a bed varies from 05 m to 1 m! The width is at least 80 cm and maximum 1.2 m, but you can make a terraced bed (with a height of 2 m), then we make it wider from 1.2 m to 1.5 m or even up to 2 m!
In such beds you can grow absolutely everything: fruit trees, berry bushes, and vegetables, and strawberries, and potatoes... Everything!
There are no restrictions on the length and shape: you can make it winding, like a snake, in a semicircle, round around the perimeter of the site, or straight, so that it runs along the prevailing winds and is illuminated by the sun all day. See for yourself, decide for yourself!
If you feel that you can’t do it yourself, but you really want to create a productive vegetable garden - a biocenosis on your site, but you are afraid that you will do something wrong, then you can get an individual consultation with detailed and step-by-step instructions, with the development of the site, etc. d. For this
contact me in any convenient way
That's all for now, but I won't say goodbye to you for a long time! There are still a lot of interesting and useful topics, follow the news. All the best!
I would be grateful for the response from everyone who is capable of doing an unconditionally good deed! You can help us, we really need your help! Do GOOD - and it will come back to you!
After harvesting, garden beds need to be properly prepared for the spring sowing season; the best time for this is autumn. In addition to preparing the beds, it is necessary to remove and burn the vegetable tops left after harvesting, and carry out a set of necessary measures to create warm beds. This article contains all the necessary steps to prepare your garden for winter. Proper preparation of the garden for the winter is a guarantee of a rich harvest.
Preparing the garden for the winter season
in autumn with garden plot it is necessary to collect plant debris.
To ensure next year's vegetable harvest, preparing beds in the fall is a necessary and important event. Work in the garden should begin with removing tops and weeds from the beds. Old grass is a favorite wintering place for garden pests and rodents, so preparing your beds for winter begins with thoroughly cleaning them.
Tops of vegetable plants, plant debris and weeds can be destroyed in two ways:
- Burn – when plant residues are burned, pathogens of infectious diseases and pests are destroyed. The ash can be used to fertilize beds and garden trees.
- Prepare compost - this method of disposing of weeds takes longer than burning, but the resulting nutrient substrate will help to inexpensively and efficiently increase the fertility of garden beds.
How to prepare compost correctly
Winter compost should be prepared slightly differently than summer compost. Suitable for composting are plant residues that are not removed from the summer cottage, including not only vegetable tops, but also branches of trees and shrubs, weeds, household waste, animal manure, and bird droppings.
It is very important that in winter the compost heap does not freeze, is not washed away 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 the winter, for which it is necessary to prepare a rectangular shallow hole in the ground, at the bottom of which cut branches of bushes 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 lined with narrow poles. Height compost heap should not exceed 1.2 meters from the bottom of the trench, while the penetration into the ground is assumed to be 0.5 - 0.8 m. The heap is spilled with infusion of weeds, diluted with slurry. The soil is laid on top with a layer of 30 cm, the dock sides are covered with more thin layer soil and shelter from rain.
The components included in the compost rot by the beginning of summer, allowing you to obtain a nutrient additive to the soil that doubles fertility, and at the same time get rid of garbage and weeds.
Preparing the beds
Tool for digging and loosening beds.
Preparing the garden for wintering includes digging up the beds, which can be done in the classic way by radically digging up the beds. In this case, large clods are not broken up, leaving them until spring. With such autumn digging, moisture is well retained in large clods of garden soil, so when leveling the soil in the spring, the percentage of moisture remains high.
The second option for processing a vegetable garden in the fall is to superficially loosen the soil to a depth of no more than 5 cm, for which a Fokina flat cutter is used. It is useful to mulch loosened soil with sawdust and ash; sometimes it is practiced to sow green manure grasses, the shoots of which are embedded in the soil when digging in the spring.
Preparing the soil for winter involves creating a balanced ecological system in the garden, closest to natural conditions using mulch and sowing green manure.
Green manure for winter sowing
The roots of green manure penetrate deeply into the soil, loosening it.
A reliable way to restore soil fertility is to sow green manure, which does not require large expenses when planting. Green manure is one or more annual crops (mixture) that quickly increase 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 above-ground part of the plants serves for snow retention, is used as mulch when mowing, and is embedded in the soil (green manure).
Green manure is used based on its purpose and desired end result:
- Soil loosening – ideal for loosening heavy soil onto garden beds rye, mustard, oats, rapeseed.
- Disinfection soil soil against pathogenic diseases of vegetable crops - winter sowing of a mixture of crops is used, which includes rapeseed, mustard, marigolds, calendula and oats.
- Increasing soil fertility - a mixture of vetch with oats or rye, mustard with legumes, alfalfa, sweet clover.
- Mulching – phacelia, vetch, alfalfa.
Sowing of green manure herbs can be done scattered or in rows in prepared beds after the autumn harvest of vegetable crops. A properly prepared garden will be able to provide a high harvest next year.
Sowing vegetables before winter
For early ripening of some vegetable crops, their seeds can be sown in beds in the fall. The harvest of winter vegetables is characterized by early ripening and high vitamin value.
In autumn you can sow many garden crops, good yields can be obtained when growing carrots, beets, radishes, lettuce, dill, root parsley, celery, and spinach.
Beds for winter planting of vegetables are chosen on dry open area, where wetting of the beds with groundwater and melt water is excluded. It is useful to protect crops from directed north wind, and also mulch the beds with compost or peat. The seeds will be able to successfully overwinter under reliable shelter and produce their first shoots in early spring.
It should be remembered that seed consumption when sowing vegetables in winter can double.
Every day the air gets cooler and the sky gets darker. This means it's time to save bright colors autumn in our homes. Just a few simple and inexpensive accents can make any interior truly cozy and inviting. The queen of autumn, the pumpkin, will help us with this. This universal material, from which you can make great amount interesting crafts. Pumpkin decor looks mysterious and attractive. It can be varied endlessly.
Bell pepper came to Europe in the 15th century from South America and was so popular with Europeans that today, for example, in Hungary there is even a museum dedicated exclusively to pepper. This vegetable is extremely rich in vitamins and minerals, which makes it an indispensable product. healthy eating. In this article I want to talk about my experience of growing bell pepper in open ground. And why I manage to get good harvests of this irreplaceable vegetable every year.
For me, the smell of raspberries is firmly associated with childhood - the tender hands of my grandmother and the amazingly delicious jam, which was given out in teaspoons and only when I had a cold. Even then I dreamed of having a lot of raspberries. My dream has come true, every year I harvest a double harvest. The first is from ordinary raspberries and second-year remontant raspberries. And in the fall - the second - 3-5 glasses a day from remontant first-years. I’ll tell you how to care for raspberries in the fall in this article.
Apple mustard from Antonovka, prepared at home with your own hands, will outshine all industrial competitors. The mustard is thick, vigorous, and the mustard seeds add variety to the texture. This seasoning is ideal for meat, fish, and sausage; even just spreading it on a slice of fresh bread will be delicious! It’s not worth preparing large quantities for future use; it’s always better to add a portion of fresh mustard sauce; in just 3 days, the mustard will gain strength and become hot.
Among the countless varieties and hybrids of sweet peppers, there are those, such as the Ramiro pepper, whose popularity is literally worldwide. And if most vegetables on supermarket shelves are nameless, and it is almost impossible to find out about their variety, then the name of this pepper “Ramiro” will certainly be on the packaging. And, as my experience has shown, this pepper is worth letting other gardeners know about it. In connection with which this article was written.
Autumn is the favorite time of many gardeners. The main harvest has already been collected and processed, but the time for rest has not yet come. There is still a lot to do in the garden and beds, but it is important to devote time to the flower garden. There really is something to do here, because many flowers are replanted and propagated in the fall, and the appearance of the flowerbeds will largely depend on the preparation of the soil in the flower beds. ornamental garden next year. Read about what needs to be done in the flower garden in the fall in this article.
Jellied pie with fruit and sour cream filling is an easy to prepare and very tasty homemade pie that can be prepared in less than an hour. For the filling, you can take any fruit or fresh berries, but I advise you to give preference to sweet and dense ones, for example, as in this recipe - pear, bananas, sweet plums. For preparation you will also need a form with non-stick coating and a low side, a cake pan with a removable bottom is suitable.
Autumn is the most mushroom time. It is no longer hot, and heavy dew falls in the mornings. Since the earth is still warm, and foliage has already attacked from above, creating a completely special microclimate in the ground layer, the mushrooms are very comfortable. Mushroom pickers are also comfortable at this time, especially in the mornings when it is cooler. It's time for both to meet. And, if you haven’t introduced yourself to each other, get to know each other. In this article I will introduce you to exotic, little-known and not always edible mushrooms that look like coral.
The leader in the healing properties of aloe vera in our country is still inferior in popularity to the simple, almost invulnerable aloe vera. Even its popular name “agave” indicates that the plant can withstand almost any kind of care and is very durable. But aloe vera is rarely found on the list of the most decorative species not by chance. To keep it in shape and not grow huge prickly giants, you need to know some secrets of the formation of this plant.
Pumpkin puree with zucchini and apples - tender, creamy, sweet and sour. The puree prepared according to this recipe is suitable for baby and diet food. For kids, you can mix the finished puree with milk or cream, add a few spoons of soft cottage cheese to it. It is very difficult to determine the taste of pumpkin and zucchini in this dish. The aroma of apples plays the first fiddle, the rest of the ingredients seem to be there, but you need to be an expert in kitchen tricks to name the vegetables included in the puree.
If you are a busy person, but at the same time not devoid of romance, if you have your own plot and are endowed with aesthetic taste, then explore the opportunity to purchase this wonderful ornamental shrub– karyopteris, or Nutwing. He is also “wing-hazel”, “blue fog” and “ blue Beard" It truly fully combines unpretentiousness and beauty. Karyopteris reaches its peak of decorativeness in late summer and autumn. It is at this time that it blooms.
Pepper ajvar - vegetable caviar or thick vegetable sauce made from bell peppers with eggplants. The peppers for this recipe are baked for quite a long time, then they are also stewed. Onions, tomatoes, and eggplants are added to ajvar. To store eggs for the winter, they are sterilized. This Balkan recipe is not for those who like to make preparations quickly, undercooked and underbaked - not about ajvar. In general, we approach the matter in detail. For the sauce, we choose the ripest and meatiest vegetables on the market.
Despite the simple names (“sticky” or “indoor maple”) and the status of a modern substitute indoor hibiscus, abutilons are far from the simplest plants. They grow well, bloom profusely and provide a healthy look of greenery only in optimal conditions. On thin leaves, any deviations from comfortable lighting or temperatures and disturbances in care quickly appear. To reveal the beauty of abutilons in rooms, it is worth finding the ideal place for them.
Zucchini fritters with Parmesan and mushrooms - a delicious recipe with photos of available products. Ordinary zucchini pancakes can be easily turned into a non-boring dish by adding a few savory ingredients to the dough. During the squash season, pamper your family with vegetable pancakes with wild mushrooms; it is not only very tasty, but also filling. Zucchini is a universal vegetable, it is suitable for stuffing, for preparations, for main courses, and even for sweets. delicious recipes- compotes and jam are made from zucchini.