Why I don’t dig my garden, or how I managed to give up the shovel. How to properly dig up soil in a vegetable garden and is it necessary - advice from agronomists and rules of implementation Need help digging up a vegetable garden at the dacha

In our country, owning a plot of land is a hobby, income, and sometimes a means of survival. You can actually grow organic food on it, and this is very important these days. But as a rule, the harvest begins with properly digging up the area for planting. Not everyone and not everywhere has the opportunity to hire equipment for this, and often a shovel or fork is the only tool that will help you with this. What if your plot is virgin land? Is it possible to dig it up yourself and not injure your health? Here's about the options for shovels various soils and we will talk now.

Choosing the right tool

If you want to know how to quickly dig up a garden, then thanks to this article you can find a lot of interesting things. Fortunately, our land on the Kulibins has not yet become impoverished; they are constantly inventing simple improvements for shovels or forks, with the help of which digging up the earth becomes not such a labor-intensive task for health.

Pitchfork.

For digging purposes, as a rule, forks are used - digging forks; they have shorter teeth and are forged. In addition, after the fork there are no large lumps of earth left that still need to be broken up. And part of the soil passes through their teeth and there will be no need to lift excess soil. Many new models have been invented based on forks, with which digging will be possible even for pensioners or people with disabilities.

For clay or damp soils, a pitchfork is just what you need. Excess soil will not stick to them, and it will be much easier to simply stick them into such soils. If the area is heavily overgrown, it is also better to choose a pitchfork for digging. They will go into the ground much easier, and the weeds will be pulled out along with the roots, rather than cutting them off like shovels. From the remains of these roots a new weed will certainly grow. And the pitchfork will remove it, as they say, “by the roots.”

When deep, two-tier digging with loosening the lower layers of the earth, a pitchfork is also indispensable. Still, simple pitchforks are good in small areas or in hard-to-reach corners, but for large spaces many devices based on them were invented, which we will talk about below.

Shovels.

Now we’ll learn how to quickly dig up a garden with a shovel. For better penetration into the soil, especially virgin soil, regular sharpening is required. And besides digging, a shovel will serve you when digging holes or ditches. But still, as a rule, after shoveling, you will need to further process the area with a pitchfork. And the most reliable option shovels - titanium, especially on clay, virgin or rocky soils.

For a properly selected shovel, for minimal effort on your part, the handle should reach your elbow when the blade is immersed 20-25 cm into the ground. There are shovels with a special grip; it will be convenient especially for those people who have weak fingers. It is easier to dig with a rounded blade; it penetrates the ground better than a straight blade.

"Mole" is a miracle - a shovel.

It was the desire to ease the hard work of digging the ground that led to the emergence of a large number of different devices based on ordinary shovels or forks; there are even hybrid models. The mole is precisely one of these new phenomena in plot cultivation.

It consists of two counter forks with a width of 43-55 cm and a number of teeth of 6-9. The working (moving) teeth are attached to a frame on which the second teeth are made motionless (according to the principle of jaw operation). And a foot rest is also attached to the bed for ease of work.

So, you tilt the handle first towards you, and then down.

During the second movement, the movable forks are driven through the second layer of soil, while it is loosened and freed from weeds. When properly dug, the layers of earth do not mix with each other. This is exactly what happens when working as a Mole - upper layer the soil does not move anywhere, but at the same time it loosens well.

The Mole itself weighs about 4.5 kg, but you won’t feel this weight while working, nor will you feel a significant load on your back. This miracle - you can simply drag this shovel around the site without lifting it. But precisely because of its weight, it simplifies the insertion of a working tool into the soil.

By saving energy, you can increase the area of the excavated area. With such a shovel, it is quite possible to cultivate 1-2 acres of land in 1 hour, and at the same time practically not get tired. For women or elderly summer residents, such a shovel is simply a godsend.

But this option is good for digging up already cultivated flower beds or beds; it is not entirely suitable for virgin soil. It will also not be very convenient in a greenhouse; its handle is still a bit high.

Ripper Excavator.

The Zemlekop also retains the principle of double forks. But he also has differences from Mole:

2 handles are connected into one on the handle.
The footrest has been increased, which has increased the area being processed.
the counter forks are fastened with a hinge and both are movable; there is simply no fixed frame.

In general, the principle of operation of the Excavator is almost identical to the work of the Mole. But due to the wider working part, it is great for large areas, for example, under a potato plantation, but for narrow beds It won't be very convenient.

Shovel Tornado.

Another variety of Mole with a similar operating principle. Besides the shovel, this trademark produces quite a few gardening tools.

For example, the Tornado ripper, it is already quite famous among gardeners. This is a long pin with rounded handles on one end and sharp teeth on the other that twist clockwise.

It perfectly loosens the soil to a depth of 20 cm. And the handle can be adjusted to any height of the person working with it.

It is quite compact, which gives it advantages in small or inconvenient areas, under trees or bushes, while in large spaces it is better not to use it.

Miracle - rotating forks.

We can say that this is a more advanced version from Tornado. The handle is the same T-shaped, which is also adjustable to suit any height. But at the bottom there are forks attached to the handle, they are stuck into the ground and the handle is turned like a lever. When working with it, your back and legs practically do not get tired, but on heavy or rocky soil it will be completely uncomfortable to work with it.

Fokina flat cutter.

If you don’t know how to dig up a garden overgrown with grass, then the tips in this publication will be useful. The following instrument has been known since the end of the last century. It gained popularity and love due to its lightness and versatility.

They can perform the following types of work:

hilling.
groove cutting various sizes for different needs.
loosening the soil.
formation of ridges.
crushing large lumps of soil.
removing/trimming weeds.

There are several options for flat cutters based on blade sizes. If you have several different ones, you can process both large areas and small secluded or inconvenient corners of your garden.

Hand cultivator.

In general, cultivators are designed for digging, loosening and creating beds on plots. There are 3 types of them:

root removers.
star or rotary.
rippers.

The axis of the star version is equipped with several star-shaped rippers. As soon as you press down and start moving the unit, these rippers will begin to rotate and loosen the soil and at the same time remove weeds.

But on heavy clay soils, such a cultivator is unlikely to please you with its efficiency. Here you will need a cultivator - ripper. It has several short-toothed curved shapes mounted on it. So they will save your energy when developing clayey area. And root removers are ideal for spot loosening the soil, for removing weeds that have deep and powerful roots, and for preparing holes for planting.

Ideal depth when digging up a site

Now you know what you can use to dig up your garden. Now it is important to talk about other points. There has long been an opinion that the optimal depth is at the bayonet of a shovel, that is, 20-25 cm. More modern farmers believe that 4-5 cm will be quite sufficient and natural. This is enough for sowing seeds, and the roots themselves will then go deeper to the depth they need. But with this approach it will be necessary to mulch the plantings 10-15 cm thick

But when cultivating virgin soil, you will have to dig up the area properly for the first time, at least to remove deep rhizomes of weeds that will noticeably deprive those cultivated plants that you plant.

Quick and easy digging of the site

To cope with this task with minimal effort on your part, the algorithm of actions should be as follows:

Use pegs and string to mark the required area of the site.
On one side of the perimeter, a trench is made the width and depth of a spade bayonet.
The soil from the ditch must be immediately cleared of stones, debris and weeds.
Such soil is stored in a separate place for further use.
Now, parallel to the first groove, we dig a second one. We put the earth from it in the first groove.
We continue this way until the end of the marked area.
We load the deposited soil from the first groove into the last groove.

Fast cultivation of virgin soil

This is land that has not been cultivated for ten years or more. The turf grows over the years and makes it much more difficult to cultivate such a neglected area. Sowing and caring for plantings without first cultivating the soil will be a fruitless effort. But console yourself with the thought that the soil, which has rested over these years, has accumulated nutrients and will gladly put them into your harvest, after its cultivation, of course.

Among the fastest options for cultivating virgin soil, we can recommend raised beds. We lay cardboard in the desired area of the virgin soil, and pour herbicides into the spaces between the rows. Now we pour fertile soil onto the cardboard and sow seeds or plant seedlings.

The method is fast, but expensive on the budget, because fertile land will have to be purchased, perhaps more than one car. If you still have time, try another option. Cover the required area with cardboard, press it down with a weight and leave it for the whole summer. Under the cardboard, all the green mass will rot and rot, and in the fall the area can be cultivated with any of the shovels or pitchforks described above. Or you can cut out layers of turf and immediately turn them over with the grass facing down. Potatoes can be planted in the gaps between the pastes, and after germination they are mulched generously with organic matter. In the fall, you will harvest the potatoes, and the plot will already be prepared for normal cultivation next year.

Making the right beds

It is not necessary to strain yourself on the site, trying to bring it into “working” condition in one day. Some current advice on this topic will reduce your labor costs:

Do not walk on a freshly dug area, especially if seeds have already been sown there. And also protect it from trampling by children or pets.
And it’s better to dig it up in several steps, especially if you haven’t exerted much physical effort all winter.
Stick the shovel into the ground perpendicular to it, then it will easily go into the required depth, that is, the entire bayonet.
And don’t try to remove as much earth as possible with a shovel, your back won’t last that long. It is better then to take less land, but more often.
It is better not to start digging immediately after the snow melts, because even if the ground has thawed, it is still very wet, which means it is heavy. Wait a few days for it to dry out a little.

Digging a heavily overgrown area.

Don't be afraid, you don't have to raise virgin soil. It is enough to spray the area with herbicides, and then, after a few weeks, dig it up. And after another week, deposit it on it mineral fertilizers and loosen. Now you can start planting on it.

If you need to dig up a frozen area.

It is better, of course, not to perform such feats, but there are such life circumstances that there is simply no other way. Then we will give you some detailed advice on this topic:

Build a fire on in the right place. The earth will warm up, thaw, and then it will be possible to dig it up.
Use a jackhammer or a pick to remove the still frozen surface of the soil, then the soil that is no longer frozen will go, it can be dug up normally.
Autumn digging of the site. Is it really necessary?

Some gardeners do not know the answer to the question of whether it is necessary to dig up the soil in the fall. Now, if you just purchased your plot in the fall, and it is in a state of virgin soil, then it simply needs autumn digging. AND The best way- dig it up in larger layers and you can leave it like that for the winter. Frosty cold will perfectly penetrate the cracks between clods of earth and destroy the roots or seeds of weeds. And when digging, it is better to immediately add phosphorus preparations to the soil; in the spring, your plantings will really need them.

Another advantage of autumn digging is that after it the earth will be well saturated with oxygen, which will also be very useful for the roots of your plants.

If you are lucky and you get an already cultivated area, then you don’t have to dig it up in the fall, but it is advisable to cover it with a layer of mulch; in the spring it will serve as an excellent fertilizer.

Finally.

So, you have become familiar with the options for improved shovels and forks for every taste, now you will not have to break your back in the garden, as before, during the spring preparation of the site for planting.

Do you diligently dig up the soil on your site every year? Are you sure that it increases fertility, but you can’t grow a truly impressive crop? Perhaps it's time to switch to no-tillage!

Digging the soil is considered one of the most important dacha work. During the procedure, you can clear the soil of weeds and debris and make it looser. Also, after digging, some of the pests and their larvae remain on the surface, where birds happily feast on them. Every summer resident has carried out dump digging at least once in his life, when a lump of earth is turned over and the top layer is sealed to the depth of a spade bayonet. But there is more modern way– no-moldboard tillage, which allows you to revive land that suffers from intensive farming and does not produce the usual yields. The main difference of the method is that the excavated layers of soil do not need to be turned over and broken up.

No-moldboard tillage is becoming increasingly widespread in agriculture. It is also called No Till, or zero technology. Specialists from many countries (Brazil, Colombia, North Korea, Australia, etc.) are successfully implementing this innovation. Its main feature is that the seeds are sown in uncultivated soil, which still contains plant remains from previous harvests. Disc cultivators, flat cutters, etc. are used for work.

Why should you use no-moldboard tillage on your property? We have identified 5 main reasons.

Reason 1. To preserve and increase the number of beneficial soil organisms

Soil is the habitat of many insects, bacteria and fungi, some of which are responsible for soil fertility and maintaining the natural balance in it. During dump digging, the natural balance is disrupted, beneficial organisms die along with harmful ones. As a result, the land becomes impoverished and deprived of its valuable properties. And it will be quite difficult to restore soil fertility in the future.

Do not worry that the soil will become less loose after non-moldboard cultivation. Worms and beetles will remain in it, which will successfully loosen the top layer of soil and make it suitable for growing plants.

Reason 2. To get an environmentally friendly harvest

During normal digging, it is convenient to add fertilizers to the soil. In the case of no-moldboard processing, it will be more difficult to carry out such a procedure, which means that the risk that you will add more fertilizer than necessary is reduced. In addition, plant roots from previous harvests can be an excellent alternative to fertilizing (provided that they are not affected by diseases and do not contradict the principles of crop rotation).

One of the tasks organic farming, part of which is non-moldboard tillage, is the preservation of soil organisms that improve the structure of the soil. Therefore, it is advisable not to use dangerous chemicals to control weeds, pests and plant diseases.

Reason 3. To increase fertility and reduce the risk of soil erosion (destruction)

Non-moldboard tillage allows you to improve the structure of the soil, retain moisture and humus layer in it. Summer residents who tried it this method, also noted an increase in the soil’s ability to retain snow and resistance to wind erosion. In other words, the quality of the soil became higher and it retained its physical properties for a long time.

During deep dump digging, a less fertile lower layer of soil appears on the surface.

Considered to be severe clay soil still needs digging, especially in the fall, otherwise it will be difficult to grow anything in it. Light soils do not require careful cultivation. Therefore, before switching to dump-free cultivation, it is worthwhile to better understand the properties of the soil on your site.

To determine the type of soil, you will need an ordinary glass of water. Add a spoonful of soil to it, mix and leave for a couple of hours. Then see what happens. If the water is almost clean, and a small layer of sediment is visible at the bottom, the soil is loamy. Pure water with sediment of grains of sand and pebbles - a sign of sandy soil. Muddy water with small sediment and floating pieces of suspension means that the area has peat soil. If the water is cloudy and the sediment is thin, clay predominates. Now it will be easier for you to decide what kind of treatment the soil on the site needs.

Reason 4. To reduce financial costs for soil cultivation and plant care

Outdated methods of working with soil are being replaced by new, less expensive ones. Financial reasons prompted many summer residents to switch to no-moldboard cultivation. Of course, you will still need equipment, but it will be almost universal, replacing a shovel, fork, hoe, rake and other tools. They can carry out a wide variety of care activities. In a country house, for example, a flat cutter will be sufficient, which can be used for:

processing heavy clay soil;
loosening and weeding the soil;
forming beds and leveling their surface;
hilling plants, etc.

Exist different models flat cutters, therefore, depending on the tasks, it is worth choosing several tools.

This way you will significantly reduce the cost of growing crops, save a lot of time and get good results.

Reason 5. To maintain your own health

After digging up the garden, it’s rare that a summer resident feels invigorated. The most common concern is muscle pain. So, no-tillage will also save physical effort. You won't have to strain your back and arms to prepare enough large plot land for future plantings.

Of course, mechanized digging can be some alternative, but it also requires a lot of effort and good physical training. In addition, you will have to spend extra money on gasoline. But working with a flat cutter will be possible for women and even teenagers, because... there is no need to turn over layers of soil.

Disadvantages of no-mouldboard tillage

Like any method of tillage, the non-moldboard method also has its drawbacks. We mentioned above that with such a procedure it is difficult to make required amount fertilizers, because the clod of earth does not turn over. In addition, it is quite difficult to control weeds, diseases and pests. Seeds weeds remain on the surface and germinate faster. True, with ordinary digging there is also no complete guarantee that there will be no weeds, but at least it is easier for them to remove. You will also need to purchase additional equipment, for example, a flat cutter, which entails additional financial expenses.

But, despite the disadvantages, the method still has many more advantages. True, it is not so easy to completely master such processing right away. It is worth starting small, for example, cultivating a small area and comparing how the soil and yield have changed. It would be a good idea to do some preliminary research. chemical composition soil. Also, do not forget about observing crop rotation, sowing green manure and mulching.

Moldless tillage will help you increase soil fertility, maintain its structure, accelerate the biological activity of microorganisms and ultimately obtain a richer harvest.

Spring is early this year, and very soon the first harvest will be harvested - greens, onions, young beets and potatoes. You have already decided what to sow in the vacant beds, you just need to dig up the soil... Stop! You and I are not on a collective farm, but at a dacha. Let's try to enjoy working in the garden - to make our work easier and at the same time increase soil fertility. Let's try... not to dig. There are at least five reasons for this.

Reason one: digging deprives the soil of living organisms

We are accustomed to considering the earth to be inorganic matter, that is, nonliving, and we treat it accordingly. And soil is a very complex living organism with its own hierarchical structure, its own laws of coexistence, densely populated by microorganisms and lower animal organisms, such as, for example, earthworms.

When digging to the depth of a spade bayonet, turning the layer over, we swap the layers of soil, and each type of microorganism finds itself in an unfavorable environment for itself. Most of them die, and the soil, devoid of microorganisms, loses fertility. And at the same time, it is completely useless to apply any fertilizers until its population is restored.

Losing its inhabitants, the soil loses its structure along with them. Such soil is washed away by rains and carried away by winds. You probably have own experience about this question. Remember: you fill up a large pile of earth, for example, removed from the place where you are going to build a house, and then you want to use it for garden beds. And suddenly you discover that the soil has somehow become barren, although you put mostly sod in this pile.

Thanks to the use of agricultural machinery, today we have almost completely destroyed the most fertile lands on the entire planet and an inexorable decline in soil fertility. You and I cannot bring all of humanity to reason, but on our own plots we are quite capable of stopping disastrous agriculture and starting to restore the lost natural fertility of the soil.

Total 1 message .

Correct technique

You need to dig correctly if only to make the whole process much easier and faster.

As a child, many people saw how to use a shovel. The basic movements remain the same, but you need to pay attention to one main point - you cannot lift the instrument from the ground using your wrists. You need to try to hook the end of the handle with your elbow, thereby giving an additional impulse, which will reduce the load on the person’s back and joints. Following this simple rule, you can dig up a large vegetable garden without any problems.

During the entire working process, the back must remain straight, and the center of gravity must be in the middle, otherwise in the morning you can wake up sick and weak.

The position of the leading hand can be alternately changed while maintaining the necessary balance.

This technique becomes especially useful and necessary during large-scale and lengthy work, for example, when it is necessary to dig up a garden or remove large volumes of snow in winter time of the year.

Subtleties

The most important nuance is correct selection tool - you need to choose it yourself for yourself. If the shovel is too big and heavy, then subsequent pain in the back and throughout the body is inevitable. If the length of the handle reaches the elbow when it is stuck into the ground about 20-25 cm, then it is selected correctly and for the height of the person.

The bayonet of the tool must be sharp and well sharpened for easier penetration into the soil.

It is best to take not a square shovel, but a rounded one, since the latter option cuts through the ground better.

It is not necessary that the angle of the bayonet to the soil during penetration should be straight - it all depends on the purpose of the digging. To loosen the soil, 45 degrees, shallow penetration and scrolling movements are sufficient. Movements at right angles are best done when digging a trench or hole.

Most shovels can be sharpened easily using coarse grit sandpaper. There are other ways to sharpen a shovel: using a knife and a rasp.

How to dig up an overgrown area?

The instrument itself plays an important role in this matter. It is best to purchase a model made of titanium and a non-classical shape, the so-called miracle shovel. This tool is great for loosening or digging up the soil layer. It consists of an iron frame, on opposite sides of which there are fork bars, directed one towards the other.

This simple device works as follows: Some forks penetrate the ground, and the second are a lever for them. The frame serves as a support for two pairs of forks.

With a miracle shovel you can loosen the soil in much less time than with the simple option. In addition, another advantage is the fact that when loosening the soil in this way, you can get rid of weeds.

Among the shortcomings it is worth noting next moment: The miracle shovel cannot be used to dig a hole or cultivate wetlands.

How to dig a hole?

This special digging technique is used by soldiers to quickly and efficiently dig trenches. They use a compact sapper shovel.

The basis of this technique is that you need to cut the soil of a small thickness - 3-4 cm. Such small sections are easier to dig up and throw further than a full joint of soil.

You can work with this technique for several hours and dig more than one hole without much fatigue.

Any soil, including clay and peat, is easily amenable to this digging method.

How to properly dig frozen ground?

It is no secret that domestic winters can be quite severe, and the ground, like most bodies of water, freezes to a considerable depth.

There are several ways to dig a hole from frozen soil.

The first and proven method is quite easy to use, but can take quite a lot of time. Before digging, you need to make a fire in the place of the pit. After waiting for it to go out, you should start digging. After the top layer is removed, you need to make a fire again in the hole and continue digging to the desired depth.
Another proven method is to use a jackhammer. If it is not possible to purchase a jackhammer, you can rent one. Using a jackhammer, it is enough to remove only the top frozen layer of soil, and then you should continue working with a shovel.
The next method is to use a pickaxe. It is a manual percussion instrument, specially designed to work with dense and even rocky soil. But a pickaxe alone will not be enough - you need a shovel.