It’s the very beginning of autumn, and the entire crop hasn’t even been harvested from the plot yet. But you may not believe that in order to ensure next season’s harvest, it’s time to start preparing the vacated soil for future beds. And this is not a joke at all: this soil needs to be prepared not anyhow, but correctly, so as not to be disappointed in next year’s harvest. How to prepare beds, how to properly dig and apply fertilizers for the most common vegetable crops already now, we will tell you today.
Autumn preparation beds in the garden. © Charles Dowding
It is clear that the formation of above-ground mass, the formation of crops that we harvest, consume or store, leads to the removal of the most different elements. First of all, it is the well-known nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. So, immediately after harvesting and when preparing the bed for the new season, it is advisable to compensate for the deficiency of these elements in the soil, although it is not visible to the naked eye.
The autumn period is almost an ideal period for applying various types of fertilizers, which winter time“will reach” the soil, and the plants sown or planted in the beds we have made will begin to consume them in an accessible form, and not wait until they turn into such, wasting precious time on their development and forcing us to wait longer for the harvest.
For example, organic matter and various minerals: in fact, any vegetable crops perceive and react to them purely positively. However, in order for the root system to accept this or that element, it must already be in an accessible, dissolved form, and this takes time. Winter is just such a time.
Of course, when choosing fertilizers, you need to take into account a number of factors - this is the biology of the crop that will grow in this place in the future, and the type of soil (heavy, sandy soil, black soil and so on) and even weather at a given moment in time, determining, among other things, the condition of the soil.
So, enough reasoning, let’s move on directly to the rules for preparing beds in autumn period for the next season.
Why prepare the beds in advance?
This question is often asked: after all, there is spring, when you can have time to prepare the beds, sow seeds, and plant seedlings. Yes, absolutely true, but, firstly, not all fertilizers will have time to transform into a form accessible to plants, as we said above, and secondly, spring is such a fleeting period that in fact you may simply not have time to do everything, how necessary. Remember the Russian proverb in the words of a peasant peasant: “If my hat falls in the spring, I won’t pick it up” (that is, I’m so busy).
On top of everything else, if we prepare the beds for winter in the fall, think for yourself how much we will ease the spring worries: all that will need to be done is to loosen the ready-made beds, make holes for planting seedlings or furrows to sow seeds, and begin to carry out the usual procedures related to shoots or seedlings, without rushing or being late.
In what order should the beds be prepared?
The first step is to clear the areas of future beds from weeds and plant debris and burn them outside the site, although if they are without signs of disease, then it is quite possible to put them in compost heap, and then add chalk or lime as a fertilizer when digging the soil and, if necessary, add chalk or lime along with fertilizers to normalize the pH.
You need to clear weeds as thoroughly as possible, everything creeping weeds, wheatgrass with parts of its root system and dandelions just need to be excluded (uprooted) from the garden by all possible ways, they shouldn’t be there, no matter how much effort you spend on it.
When the soil is free from weeds and plant residues, that is, it is in pure form, you can enrich it with the elements necessary for each plant - nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Since nothing will grow in these beds this season, you can add urea (20-25 g per square meter), superphosphate (18-20 g per square meter) and potassium chloride (15-20 g per square meter). IN in this case There is no need to be afraid of potassium chloride, since the chlorine will be neutralized before spring and will be safe for plants. In addition, it is advisable to add well-rotted manure at 5-6 kg per square meter, or humus (3-4 kg per square meter) and wood ash (stove or soot) at 250-300 g per square meter of soil.
If the soils of your site are heavy and clayey, then you need to add river sand in a bucket per square meter, preferably mixed with compost in the same amount, this will increase the looseness of the soil and enhance its fertility.
Sandy soils do not retain moisture and nutrients well; here it is necessary to add a bucket of clay per square meter, as well as well-rotted compost (5-6 kg per square meter), leaf humus(3-4 kg per square meter) and sawdust(bucket per square meter). Be careful about sawdust - they can acidify the soil, so you need to use as gray as possible, that is, almost rotted sawdust.
Soils are acidic, where the acid-base balance (pH) is below 6.0, it is necessary to lime or chalk. If the acidity is below 4.5, then lime should be used at 200-250 g per square meter, if the acidity is from 5.5 to 4.6, then chalk: add 250-300 g of chalk per square meter.
Naturally, fertilizers, chalk, and lime - all this is added during the autumn when preparing the bed for digging, by initially scattering it over the surface and then covering it by digging it with a full bayonet of a shovel.
How to dig up beds?
Usually there are two main options for digging the soil - a non-mouldboard method and a moldboard method. Let's start with the dumpless method of digging. With the dumpless method of digging, they try to do so that most of the earthen lump does not break or turn over. The purpose of such digging of the soil is to maximize the preservation of the beneficial microflora of both the lower and upper layers of the soil. Clods of earth also do not break up.
With the dump digging method, lumps of soil are turned over and broken. Typically, the second option is often used when preparing beds in the fall. In this way, we embed fertilizers deep into the soil, and with them chalk or lime, if necessary, and literally pull the overwintering stages of pests and diseases to the surface.
At the same time, it is undesirable to break up clods of soil, because in this case the soil will freeze to a great depth, becoming maximally disinfected. But if you decide to prepare a full-fledged bed with clearly defined edges and in the spring do not worry about breaking up the clods, then it is better to finish the digging job: break up the clods, level the bed and make the bed a couple of centimeters higher by pouring layers of soil when digging on top of each other soil level, so that eventually the soil on it warms up faster than on the rest of the site.
Preparing beds in the fall. © lasercuttingmachine
Preparing beds for certain crops
So, we talked about how to prepare the bed as a whole. There is nothing complicated about this: we clear the area, add fertilizer for digging, try to dig up the bed with an increase in the soil level, thus outlining the edges of the future bed, but this is in general. It seems to us that we also need to talk about how to properly prepare a bed for the main crops, which certainly exist in every garden; beds for them can also be prepared in the fall.
Beet beds
So, in order for red beets to grow beautifully, you need to choose the most illuminated area, where the soil is light and well-drained. Ideally, of course, the bed for beets should be prepared in the fall on sandy loams and loams with neutral acidity. On heavy soils, clayey, for example, beets will grow poorly even with sufficient nutrition. You should also avoid places where melted water accumulates for a long time, rainwater, and, of course, acidified soils.
The best predecessors for table beets are crops that leave the site early - cucumbers, zucchini, early potatoes, early varieties of sweet peppers and eggplants and, again, early tomatoes. You should not sow beets after spinach, rapeseed, carrots, chard and cabbage.
In the fall, when preparing the soil for beets, it is advisable to add organic fertilizers, for example, compost or humus in the amount of half a bucket per square meter of the future bed. From mineral fertilizers it is quite possible to add potassium chloride in the amount of 12-14 g per square meter, as well as ammonium nitrate and superphosphate at 22-25 g per square meter.
Next, prepare a bed for pumpkins and zucchini.
You need to know that these crops are generally unpretentious and simply respond wonderfully to various fertilizers contained in the soil. You can apply manure under them, but well-rotted manure and in an amount of 3–4 kg per square meter of bed, no more, of course, for digging.
As for the choice of location, the soil must be neutral, therefore, if acid predominates, then chalk or lime must also be added before digging.
The best predecessors for pumpkin and zucchini are considered to be: potatoes, onions, cabbage, root vegetables and legumes, but cucumbers, zucchini and squash are considered the worst.
Pay special attention to the soil, so if the soil is clay, then as with general training beds, for pumpkins and zucchini you need to add half a bucket of humus and a bucket of river sand per square meter for digging. As for mineral fertilizers, 10-15 g of superphosphate, 250 g of ash and 15 g of potassium sulfate are enough.
On sandy soils on which you decide to grow zucchini and pumpkin, add a bucket of clay and half a bucket of humus per square meter.
Beds for dill and other greens
To obtain good harvest dill and other greens, you must first deal with their predecessors. Good predecessors for green crops are: cabbage, tomatoes and onions, and bad ones are parsnips, celery and carrots.
Next, try in the fall to choose the most well-lit bed, and, therefore, the one that warms up as much as possible. Ideally, the soil should be made as fertile as possible and try to keep snow on it by covering it with spruce branches. Do not forget to pay attention to the acidity of the future bed, acidic soil Green crops grow poorly, so lime and the addition of chalk for digging, under conditions of high acidity, are necessary.
For green crops, preparing a bed in the fall is not difficult; the digging depth should not be very large, only 22-23 cm. Be sure to add 2-3 kg of well-rotted manure per square meter and 15-20 g of ammonium nitrate, 8-10 g of potassium sulfate and 10-12 g of superphosphate for the same area. In the spring, all that remains is to loosen the finished bed, make grooves for sowing, be sure to water them (2-3 liters of water per meter) and lightly compact them before sowing to prevent the seeds from sinking (a couple of centimeters deep is enough).
Preparing beds for tomatoes
Tomatoes - their best predecessors are: beets, cucumbers, onions, beans, carrots, various greens, peas, corn and zucchini, and their worst predecessors are potatoes, late cabbage, peppers and eggplants.
That's sorted out, now let's find a site for tomatoes before it gets colder. The best will be fertile soil, it is enough to dig it up, and if it is acidic, then lime it (150-200 g per square meter), but with fertilizers, in particular superphosphate, which tomatoes adore, you can take your time and simply sprinkle it over the surface of the soil without digging. By the way, tomatoes react very jealously to the level of acidity and the dose that we indicated may not have an effect on different types soil For example, if you have sandstone or loam on your site, then it is better to add 250 g of lime for digging, and if there are medium and heavy loams, then 350 g of lime and also for digging.
Do not make beds for tomatoes that are too high, do not forget that they themselves tall plants, so 22-23 cm is quite enough and about a meter wide, no more is needed either.
Autumn soil preparation in the garden. © Vesna Maric Beds for cucumbers
Well, cucumbers, because you are unlikely to find a plot where cucumbers do not grow, but only tomatoes or cabbage. The best predecessors for cucumbers are: tomatoes, eggplants, potatoes, onions, legumes, spinach, rhubarb, early and cauliflower, beets, carrots and greens, but the worst are considered to be: cucumbers, zucchini, pumpkin, squash, melon and watermelon.
Ideally, in the fall, the bed should be made so that it is light, preferably loamy or sandy loam. If the only soil you have is clayey and heavy, add a bucket of river sand per square meter for digging. By the way, cucumbers grow well in slightly acidic soil, so if this is the case for you, then there is no need to worry.
The beds for cucumbers must be dug up with a shovel full and 5-6 kg of well-rotted manure added.
Subtleties of fertilizing warm beds in the autumn
In the autumn, you can build warm bed, first you need to knock down a box from boards, usually meter width and two meters long, place a layer of drainage at the base, this can be, in fact, any large debris, for example, various branches, pieces of boards, stumps, plant tops. You can sprinkle all this with river sand, sawdust, wood chips, weeds, peelings from potatoes and other vegetables, lay leaf litter, humus and scatter wood ash on top. Of course, the layer should be such that fertile garden soil (20-30 cm) fits on top, in which vegetable crops will grow next season.
A few words about mulching
Questions arise whether it is necessary to mulch the beds prepared in the fall, the answer will be positive. In principle, mulch, if it is made from natural components (the same leaf litter pressed down with spruce branches), then it will not in any way affect the vital processes of beneficial microorganisms in the bed you have built. Therefore, in the spring, after removing the mulch, the bed will look even fresher. The main thing is to remove the mulch early so that the soil warms up faster.
Many people think that carrots should be planted in the spring and harvested in the fall. Experienced gardeners prefer to sow this vegetable before winter, which will allow them to obtain the first vitamin-rich root crops much earlier than the earliest ripening varieties planted in the spring.
- the scarce spring time is freed up;
- carrots sown in autumn reach food maturity already in the first half of June, about 15–20 days earlier than any early ripening spring variety;
- root crops grow large, even and very juicy, because melted spring waters maintain constant soil moisture;
- in early spring, most pests have not yet become active, therefore the risk of damage to crops by them is significantly reduced (especially by carrot flies);
- In the area vacated at the beginning of summer, you can plant another crop (radish, lettuce, etc.).
Carrots planted before winter ripen very early
One of the disadvantages of planting carrots in the fall is the fact that these fruits cannot be stored for long periods of time and spoil quickly.
Video: why and how to plant carrots in the fall
Contrary to general opinion Early ripening varieties of carrots are completely unsuitable for winter sowing. They produce fast and early shoots, which are often damaged by frost. In the event of unexpected warming, sprouts may appear, but subsequent cooling will inevitably destroy them. The likelihood of spring carrot shoots bolting increases significantly, so it is better to focus on vegetable varieties that are less prone to flowering.
Carrots planted in autumn may bloom in spring
For sowing before winter, you can safely take the following varieties:
- Chantenay Royal;
- Losinoostrovskaya 13;
- Nandrin F1;
- Nantes improved;
- Nectar F1;
- Children's sweet;
- Moscow winter A 515;
- Incomparable;
- Beauty Maiden, etc.
The bag of carrot seeds should indicate its suitability for winter sowing.
Technology autumn sowing can be used in almost all regions of our vast homeland, excluding the regions of the Far North.
Video: how to choose carrot seeds for winter sowing and when it’s time to sow
Instructions for autumn sowing of carrots
The technology for winter sowing of carrots is not particularly complicated. But it is extremely important to consider several important points agricultural technology.
Planting carrots before winter is not difficult, but you need to know some nuances
Sowing dates
It is impossible to predict the exact timing of sowing work in advance, since autumn weather is changeable. You need to focus on the local climate and specific weather conditions. The most favorable period is considered to be when the temperature is constantly around -2...0 °C, and warm days are a thing of the past. Untimely return of warming can cause seeds to germinate. Subsequent cold weather will definitely freeze the sprouts and all the work will be in vain. It is best to sow about 7-10 days before the onset of real frost.
Carrots are sown when the ground has already cooled down
The ground should cool down a little, but not freeze. It is even allowed to plant carrots under the snow in furrows prepared in advance in the garden bed.
Preparing the bed
To arrange a garden bed, you need to choose a place on an elevated, well-lit, sunny area, where the snow melts first in the spring.
Choose an open one for the garden bed sunny place where the snow melts faster in spring
You cannot plant carrots in a place where they were just harvested in the fall. Replanting in this area is allowed only after 3–4 years.
The best predecessors would be:
- pumpkin (cucumbers, pumpkin, zucchini, etc.);
- onions (onions, garlic);
- potato;
- greens (lettuce, dill, etc.);
- cabbage;
- tomatoes.
A carrot bed for autumn sowing is prepared as follows:
- Clear of plant residues, dig thoroughly and deeply (25–30 cm).
First, the area under the carrots is dug up
- Select the roots of weeds.
- Fertilizers are applied per 1 m2:
- Prepare grooves (holes) 2–3 cm deep and at a distance of 15–20 cm from each other.
Furrows are made in the garden bed at a distance of 20 cm from each other, 3–5 cm deep.
- Cover with film or any other covering material.
The prepared bed is covered with film or agricultural material
Video: preparing a bed for carrots
Sowing
You should sow carrots before winter like this:
- The seeds are placed in furrows at a distance of 2-3 from each other (they are sown more densely than during spring sowing).
Carrot seeds are placed in grooves
- Sprinkle with a layer of dry, warm garden soil, prepared in advance.
The furrow is covered with loose soil, which has been kept warm
- A layer of peat or humus mulch (2–3 cm) is placed on top.
- Lightly compact with a shovel or roll with a special roller.
- They throw snow.
After sowing, the carrot bed is covered with snow.
- Cover with spruce branches.
To insulate the beds, cover them with spruce branches.
Do not pre-soak seed material.
I learned that carrots can be planted before winter quite by accident. In late autumn, a bag of seeds that had remained there since spring fell out of my jacket pocket. Small seeds scattered on the ground; of course, it was impossible to collect them all. In the spring shoots appeared. Out of curiosity, I did not pull them out and waited for orange root vegetables at the end of June (in Siberia), although they did not grow where they were needed.
Video: planting carrots in the fall
Post-planting care
In the spring, as soon as the snow cover melts, you need to remove the spruce branches. Further spring work for caring for carrot crops are as follows:
- A greenhouse is constructed using arcs and non-woven agricultural material (film) to accelerate seed germination. When the first shoots appear, it is immediately removed.
The productivity efficiency of carrots exceeds 1,000,000%; only red and fodder beet, tobacco and mustard. From 1 acre you can collect more than 50 kg of root crops by sowing a bed with seeds weighing 20 g. But in order to achieve such results, you need to be very careful in preparing the soil and bed in the spring, taking into account compatibility with the plants that grew in this place last year.
You can make beds with your own hands, you just need to know right size and width and prepare it in the fall. Any soil has its own characteristics and requires preparation so that carrots can germinate without problems.
There are several general requirements for all types and varieties of carrots, regarding what kind of soil it needs.
- She must not contain solid particles, not rotten roots.
- In it there should be no increased acidity.
- You need to add sand to clay soil and chernozem - 1 kg of sand per 1 m2.
- In sandy soil, carrots will feel at ease if peat, cattle manure and potato peelings. The fertilizer takes 10-12 months to prepare. When dry, water it with water. Stir after 2-3 weeks. For 1 m2 – 5 kg.
Sand is an indicator of humidity levels.
In addition to the fact that it loosens dense soil and allows air to penetrate deep into dense soil, sand absorbs excess moisture.
In pure chernozem, the root crop will have an excess of fatty acids - a short shelf life. The viscosity of the soil contributes to improper development of the upper part of the root crop. Clay, without adding sand, dries quickly - the plant is sluggish and small.
Will never grow under the following conditions:
- After the sunflowers.
- Tobacco.
- In the shadow.
- On dry soil, regardless of its composition.
- On a site that slopes sharply downhill.
- If wheatgrass is present.
Do I need to prepare the soil in spring?
No matter how good the soil is, it is impossible to grow a high yield without proper preparation. Before digging the bed, you need check it for moisture permeability.
Pour onto an undug area 50 x 70 cm 8 liters of water. If moisture enters after an hour and bluish spots appear, the soil is dry and contains a lot of salts. Not suitable for carrots.
If the soil is spotless and you can make a ball out of it, you can safely begin preparation.
How to properly prepare the ground for planting
The difficulty in growing carrots is not mineral supplements, A solid ingredients available in the soil, its density.
- Land for cultivation should be perfectly loosened.
- Before loosening, the bed dig twice. The depth of the first digging is at least 30 cm. The second is 15-20 cm.
- Maintain an interval between the first and second digging of 10-12 days. This way you can find out the water permeability of the soil.
- If the second digging reveals a lot of deep-rooted weeds and pebbles, the soil is unsuitable for carrots.
- If the result is positive, after the second digging, dry soil sprinkle with crushed peat– thickness 1-2 cm, and water generously.
- In the spring, you need to dig and loosen it again.
Fertilizer application
The soil for carrots can be fertilized organic fertilizers in autumn or mineral– 1 time 2-3 weeks before planting and 2, and for late varieties 3 times during the growing season.
The dilution proportions of mineral fertilizers are indicated in the manufacturer's instructions.
If carrots are grown in small quantities at a dacha or personal plot- It is better to give preference to organic.
Features of organic feeding:
- Root vegetables last longer at the right temperature.
- Everything is saved healing properties both root crops and tops.
- It doesn't taste bitter.
- The middle is homogeneous.
- When using mineral fertilizers, it is impossible to get your seeds in a year.
- If you apply mineral fertilizers, complete degeneration of the variety occurs after 3-4 years - seeds different sizes, fruits with an overgrown root system predominate.
With regular use of mineral fertilizers, you need to mix your seeds with purchased ones. Round, short carrots will not be juicy in dry soils fertilized with chemicals.
Desirable predecessors
If in the garden last year I grew bad potatoes- the land is depleted. You need to give it a year to rest. Potatoes are the only indicator of the quality of soil for carrots.
After cucumbers Carrots will grow well if the soil is prepared and 1.5 kg of cattle manure and 5 kg of crushed corn leaves are given per 1 m2.
After red beets– 0.5 kg of cattle manure and 5 kg of peat per 1 m2. Fertilize chernozem with potato peels and sand 1 to 1. 1 kg per 1 m2.
Winter varieties on rich black soil will be perfectly preserved if they are sown after fodder beet. But in this case, high yield will not be possible to achieve.
An amateur gardener, when first cultivating a plot of land, is recommended to plant cabbage. If it grows inconspicuous and small, the site requires both minerals and organic matter.
Tomatoes– indicator of humidity level. If the fruits turn black, then the bed is suitable for parsley and beets. It is contraindicated to sow carrots.
If legumes grew short and stunted - the soil is defatted and requires organic matter. Organic matter is added to well-dug soil for the winter.
If the beans have grown tall, you can safely plant carrots in this place Preparing the bed for planting
After previous crops, the bed needs get rid of weeds. Let it rest for 2 weeks. During this time, you can see which weeds will prevail next year. If weeds with deep roots and fibrous root systems predominate, then a carrot harvest is not expected.
Further mark a 3 by 5 m area. After the first digging, carefully break up large clods. If, when broken, the earth breaks into large sharp lumps, you need to fertilize it with humus from plants. If there is none, 0.5 kg of bean leaves, cow manure and peat, per 1 m2. Drain thoroughly with water. Dig in 2 weeks.
If the plot is used for the first time as a vegetable garden, it dig 4-5 times in autumn and 2-3 times in spring. This is necessary in order to carefully select the weed roots. If over the course of a week the ground is homogeneous dark color– there is no need to fertilize it.
When preparing a bed for carrots, you need to loosen. Clumps - break. Small pebbles - remove. If the bed is being dug up on chernozem soil of a uniform dark color, there is no need to fertilize.
Organic fertilizers must be applied no later than the winter before planting. Mineral - the first time 2-3 weeks before planting. Further, depending on the variety, 2-3 times during growth.
If the sleigh needs to be prepared in the summer, then the garden - better in autumn. Proper cultivation during this period includes preparing the soil (digging and adding various substrates to improve its physical characteristics), applying fertilizers, and for some crops also mulching and covering winter plantings. Such actions significantly increase next year's harvest. It is best to prepare beds in the fall for various crops, taking into account the requirements of each of them.
How to prepare strawberry beds for winter
Strawberry, or garden strawberries, accumulates resources for future fruiting in the fall. Therefore, if you want to get a rich harvest of berries, and also protect them from frost, read in advance how to prepare strawberries for winter in the garden.
Autumn is the time to prepare the garden for the new season.
Autumn care for strawberry plantings
The main activities for caring for strawberries are best carried out after the end of fruiting, at the end of July, in August or at the beginning of September. What to do during this period:
- Carefully, so as not to damage the growing points of young leaves, cut off old leaves and tendrils;
- remove weeds from the area;
- loosen the soil between the bushes, while hilling the plants a little (do not cover the growing point);
- apply fertilizers and, if necessary, treat with insecticides;
- Water the plantings abundantly, but not often, soaking the soil well.
Trimming old leaves
The root system of the plant is superficial, even with proper preparation of the strawberry bed it is injured, therefore, the sooner you treat the plantings, the stronger the bushes will be and the better they will withstand the winter. In the fall, especially before frost, do not pull out weeds in the area; leave this activity until spring.
Fertilizing strawberry plantings
After the strawberries have finished fruiting, don’t forget to feed them. Before winter sets in, you need to do this twice:
- Immediately after harvesting (late July - early September) - use nitroammophoska, scattering it around the bushes (consumption 25-30 g per 1 sq. m.), or prepare its aqueous solution (2 tbsp. per 10 liters of water), pouring 0.5 liters for each bush. You can also use organic fertilizers such as mullein. Dilute it with water 1:3, leave for two days, add 1 glass of ash and apply 0.5 liters to each plant.
- In late autumn (from the end of October), mulch the strawberry beds with humus or rotted compost, consumption 3–5 kg per 1 sq. m. m. You can also add superphosphate.
Sprinkle fertilizer around the bushes
When fertilizing the area, avoid getting fertilizers (especially dry mineral ones) on the leaves and growing points of plants, this can cause burns and destroy the bushes.
Ideal winter shelter
Garden strawberries in the presence of abundant snow cover It tolerates frost well, but cold winters with little snow can destroy the plants. To avoid this outcome, do not forget to insulate the strawberry beds in the fall after establishing a stable subzero temperature. You shouldn’t do this before; slight frosts will be beneficial.
The list of materials that can be used for shelter is quite extensive, but each has its own advantages and disadvantages:
- Leaves, hay, straw are the most available materials, but they cake, it is quite difficult to separate them from the plants in the spring, the bushes under them can rot, and mice often overwinter in the straw, damaging strawberry plantings.
- Pine needles, spruce branches - optimal choice for shelter, has good air permeability, which prevents damping out, but at the same time retains heat well.
- Agrofibre - protects crops well from freezing, but it must be stretched over pre-installed arcs (the so-called air-dry shelter) so that the material does not come into contact with the plants, otherwise they will freeze even more than in the open air.
Covering strawberries for the winter with straw
In regions with little snowy winters, pay attention not only to the plants, but also to the row spacing, mulch them with leaves, straw, grass, and so on. This way you will save the superficial root system strawberries, because the soil will dry out, freeze and crack less.
Autumn preparation of beds
Areas for annual garden crops are also prepared in the fall. During the winter, the soil sags, becomes saturated with added minerals and organic compounds, and by spring it is almost completely ready for new plantings.
Preparing a bed for onions
Preparing beds for onions in the fall begins with choosing a location. Set them up where cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, potatoes grew, these are the best predecessor plants. Avoid places where garlic, carrots and, naturally, onions grew; it can be returned to its original place in 3-5 years. Compliance with sewing cycles not only optimizes plant nutrition, but also protects them from pests and pathogens.
Basic requirements for a landing site:
- sunny, open area;
- no weeds;
- non-acidic loamy or sandy loam soil;
- moderate soil moisture.
Fertilizers are evenly distributed throughout the area
If the area that was planned to be allocated for onions does not correspond to the ideal, it does not matter, everything can be corrected. So, lime acidic soil two years before planting onions. In addition to slaked lime, you can use wood ash, chalk, limestone and other substances. Build high beds on waterlogged soils.
Now about how to properly prepare a bed for onions. Autumn activities in this matter are quite simple:
- remove weeds;
- apply fertilizer;
- Dig the soil to the depth of a spade.
Small sets for autumn planting
How to fertilize a bed for onions? Before digging, apply organic fertilizers, optimally 5 kg of compost or humus and 1 kg wood ash per 1 sq. m. You can apply chicken droppings based on 200 g per square meter. m. In addition, mineral fertilizers are applied in the fall. For example, 20 g of double superphosphate and 15 g of calcium chloride per 1 sq. m of territory.
The recommended width of the onion bed is 45–90 cm, and the length is determined mainly by the size of the plot. When determining the optimal parameters for sowing, keep in mind that the width between the furrows for planting onions should be about 20 cm, and the distance between the sets should be about 8 cm. Do not forget to leave wide passages between the plantings, they will greatly facilitate the care of crops.
Some gardeners practice autumn planting of onions. To do this, select the smallest set, less than 1 cm in diameter. Plant it in early October, about 2-3 weeks before the onset of frost. Deepen the bulbs into the ground 3 cm, and mulch the top with leaves, straw, pine needles or spruce branches.
Preparing a bed for carrots
Do you want to know how to prepare a carrot bed in the fall so that next year get a good harvest? The main activities during this period come down to choosing a location, digging and fertilizing the soil. Proper preparation will allow you to grow beautiful root crops and significantly increase productivity.
Choose a place in the garden, taking into account the compatibility of the crop with its predecessor plants. It is better if the carrot bed is laid out in the place where potatoes, legumes, cabbage, and tomatoes previously grew. It is advisable that carrots should not be sown here for the previous 4-5 years. The following soil parameters are optimal for root crops:
- high level of humus;
- pH (acidity coefficient) 5.6 – 7;
- easy permeability (loose loams or sandy soils).
Carrots grown on unprepared soil
Please note that in heavy or rocky soils, the roots will grow small and twisted. A similar effect is observed when fresh manure is added before planting.
Ideal preparation of a bed for carrots should take into account the characteristics of the soil on the site:
- peat - per 1 sq. m of land, add 5 kg of river sand, 3-5 kg of humus, 6 kg of turf soil;
- clayey and podzolic - per 1 sq. m – 1–2 buckets of peat and sand, 1 bucket of humus, 3–5 kg of sawdust (preferably not fresh);
- light loamy - the same as for clay soils, only without sand;
- chernozem - per 1 sq. m – 0.5 buckets of small stale sawdust and 1 bucket of sand.
Preparing high beds for carrots
In addition, add superphosphate from mineral fertilizers at the rate of 20 g per 1 square meter. m (some replace it with wood ash), as well as potassium salt - 10–15 g per 1 sq. m. After adding all the substances, dig up the area 1-2 shovels deep and level the surface.
The size of the carrot beds largely depends on the size of the plot, but experts do not recommend making them too wide. Narrow beds 45–90 cm wide and wide row spacing will provide the plants with maximum illumination. Please note that plantings should be placed at a distance of 25 cm between rows. The depth of the carrot bed should be at least 30 cm.
Preparing a bed for garlic
A bed for garlic in the fall is prepared as for planting winter varieties in open ground before the onset of frost, and for planting spring varieties in the spring. Site preparation usually begins in early September, and the basics of agricultural technology are the same for all types of plants. Answering the question: how to properly make a bed for garlic, we can distinguish several important steps:
- choosing a location taking into account planting changes and soil characteristics;
- removing weeds and digging up the soil to a depth of 25–30 cm;
- application of fertilizers.
Winter garlic, prepared for planting
Place the bed for winter garlic where pumpkins, legumes, early cabbage. It can be returned to its original planting site no earlier than three years later, but if you still have to plant plants there again, pay attention to how to treat the garden bed after garlic in order to prevent diseases. To do this, water the soil with a solution of 1 tbsp. l. copper sulfate per 10 liters of water, consumption is approximately 1 bucket per 2 square meters. m. After watering, cover the ground with film.
Garlic prefers light, dry areas with light sandy loam soil. You can “improve” other soils with simple additions:
- heavy clay soils– 1 bucket of peat and river sand per 1 sq. m;
- peat soils - 1 bucket of river sand and loamy soil per 1 sq. m of territory;
- sandy soils - 2 buckets of clay soil and 1 bucket of peat per 1 sq. m plot.
Garlic plantings mulched with humus
A garlic bed needs fertilizer in the fall:
- organic - preferably compost or humus (1 bucket per 1 sq. m), but in no case fresh manure, it significantly increases the incidence of plantings and the susceptibility of plants to various microorganisms;
- mineral - 2 tbsp. l. potassium sulfate, 1 tbsp. l. double superphosphate, 1 tbsp. dolomite flour and it is possible, but not necessary, 2 tbsp. wood ash per 1 sq. m.
Do I need to close the beds for the winter? It all depends on the climate and winter characteristics in a particular region. Garlic is quite frost-resistant, but severe winters with little snow can significantly thin out the plantings, even despite mulching with peat or humus. Therefore, after the onset of frost, it is better to cover the beds with pine needles, leaves, sawdust, and tops.
Preparing a bed for cucumbers
Cucumbers are plants that are not very demanding on the composition of the soil, but still best harvests collected on sandy and loamy soils with neutral (or close to it) acidity. It is important that the area for this crop is not swampy. Nevertheless, proper processing will help to grow vegetables in any area, the main thing is to do it in advance.
The perfect cucumber bed
Don't know how to prepare a bed for cucumbers in the fall? Follow these tips:
- Determine the location, preferably taking into account the planting shift schedule. Onions, legumes, cabbage, potatoes, and tomatoes are considered good predecessors of cucumbers. Do not plant them where other cucurbits have previously grown.
- Prepare a trench or install sides for high beds. Place branches, straw, sawdust, and leaves on the bottom.
- Apply fertilizers: mineral fertilizers are added during spring cultivation, and fresh manure is applied to the beds in the fall so that it “settles” a little over the winter. Although, experts are divided on when to put manure on the beds. Some advise doing this only in the fall, while others say that you can do it in the spring, adding 100 g of nitrophoska and 3 cups of wood ash per square meter of land.
- Pour water over the manure and cover it with fertile soil approximately 30 - 40 cm.
Cucumbers love manure fertilization
The use of this technology will accelerate plant germination, the appearance of fruits and significantly increase the yield of vegetables. However, if it is not possible to create them, use another technology:
- Dig up the beds in the fall and sow rye.
- In the spring, two weeks before planting cucumbers, distribute humus over the area (3 buckets per 1 sq. m).
- If necessary, add a soil loosening agent (stale sawdust, sand, etc.).
- Dig up the ground, incorporating green manure and fertilizers into the soil.
Working in the garden requires a lot of effort and time, but it rewards you with high-quality environmentally friendly products. Proper preparation of the site in the fall, taking into account the individual needs of crops, significantly increases their yield, and helps perennials survive the winter without loss.
In addition, root crops sown in autumn are often larger and less susceptible to attack by pests and diseases. Disadvantage: early carrots are not suitable for long-term storage. But planting carrots in spring or early summer gives a harvest that will last all winter.
How to choose a site for planting carrots in the fall
At the end of summer, a place is selected to plant carrots for the winter. You need to find a flat, well-warmed area, protected from the winds. You cannot plant seeds on a slope, as they will be washed away when the snow melts in the spring.
It is important to pay attention to crops that have grown over the previous three years where carrots are supposed to be planted. It is very undesirable if these were representatives of the Celery family: parsley, dill, fennel, as well as celery or carrots themselves. They provoke an increased “interest” of specific carrot pests in this area. In addition, over the past years, the listed species have already removed from the soil a significant amount of micro- and macroelements required for a full-fledged carrot harvest.
It is much better if cucumbers, melons, onions or potatoes previously grew in this place. Cabbage and tomatoes are also considered good predecessors. Immediately after harvesting, the bed must be cleared of plant residues, dug deep (as much as a shovel) and loosened: carrots love loose soil.
Fertilizers for carrots - keep it in moderation
At the same time, digging up the soil, apply fertilizers. Fresh manure is not suitable in this case, since after applying it, carrots can only be sown in this place after two years. Otherwise, the carrot tops will turn out tall and thick, but the roots will be clumsy and branchy.
Fertilizers for carrots are prepared as follows: per square meter of bed is required
- 2-4 kilograms of humus (one fourth of a bucket)
- A tablespoon of superphosphate
- Half a tablespoon of potassium salt
If the soil is too acidic, it can be neutralized by adding wood ash. Poor soils need additional feeding nitrogen fertilizers: less than a tablespoon per square meter of soil. There is no point in exceeding the specified dosage of mineral fertilizers: this will not affect the yield in any way. When digging, sand or half-rotten sawdust should be added to heavy, clayey soil. Fresh sawdust and other undecomposed components of organic nature cannot be added to the soil: the plant begins to suffer more from carrot fly, and root crops lose their marketable appearance.
A bed for planting carrots for the winter
Immediately after the soil is fertilized and prepared, a bed is formed. The bed for carrots needs to be high, from fifteen centimeters, so that the water does not stand on it. Now the place prepared for planting can be left untouched for a month and a half.
When planting carrots, the seeds will need to be sprinkled with dry sifted soil. This soil needs to be prepared in advance, since after the first frost the soil structure will change. Dry soil, preferably sifted through a large sieve, is poured into a bag or box. Store under a canopy in a dry, preferably even warm, place.
In October, the soil in the garden bed became saturated with moisture and settled. Now you need to harrow it with a rake. This will retain moisture and loosen the soil.
Next, grooves are cut for the seeds. They should be deeper than spring planting, up to five centimeters. Maximum depth seed placement is used on light soils prone to drying out, minimal (about one centimeter) - on clayey and heavy soils. The distance between the grooves should be fifteen or twenty centimeters.
Now the land is left alone for another month, before sowing. To prevent rain from washing away the grooves made, the bed is covered with film.
How to plant carrots before winter
In mid-November, even if the ground is already covered with snow, you can begin planting in previously prepared furrows. Autumn planting carrots do not require any special processing seed material . Under no circumstances should the seeds be soaked - they should be placed in the ground dry to avoid premature germination. There is enough time ahead to naturally absorb moisture, undergo winter hardening and spring up in spring.
When planning when to plant carrots in the fall, you have to take into account weather anomalies, for example, prolonged November warmings. During such periods, seeds at a temperature of three degrees above zero begin to hatch and grow without waiting for spring, and then die from frost. Ideally, the soil will be frozen and warming is unlikely. Therefore, when deciding when to plant carrots before winter, it is better to focus on mid-to-late November. In order not to lose the required volume of the harvest, the rate of seeds prepared for planting should be increased by twenty percent.
Successful planting of carrots in the fall is also due to correct selection varieties. You need to take early ripening and cold-resistant ones. It is also worth considering that varieties with short roots have the shortest growing season: such carrots grow faster.
If the prepared grooves are sprinkled with snow, carefully sweep it away with a broom. Seeds are poured into grooves along the entire length with an approximate frequency of ten seeds per ten centimeters.
The seeds are sprinkled on top with pre-prepared dry soil, pre-mixed with sand or peat. It is good if this mixture differs in color from the main tone of the soil. Then in the spring it will be easier to understand where the rows are located in order to loosen them. The planted seeds are lightly compacted or rolled with a special roller to reduce the risk of being washed away during the spring snowmelt.
Care - finishing touches
A four-centimeter layer of peat or humus is thrown on top of the bed. This is soil protection (mulching) so that it does not freeze excessively. Additionally, the plantings are covered with spruce branches or cut branches.
When loose snow falls, they need to throw in the bed to create additional protection from frost. Now we just have to wait for spring.
When the snow melts, the branches are removed from the garden bed and covered with film to speed up germination and protect it from night frosts. Germinated seeds can withstand temperatures only up to minus four degrees. When shoots appear, the film must be removed.
The crop can be treated against pests fifteen days after emergence. Carrots begin to require complementary feeding no earlier than the third and fourth leaves appear.
Weeding over long areas is labor-intensive, so carrots are often treated with herbicides. The most well-known herbicides for carrots are linuron, prometrin and gesagard. They are effective, but have a peculiarity:
Root vegetables can be used for food only four months after processing.
It turns out that in order to eat fresh carrots in June, you will have to give up herbicides. Weed control will have to be done manually. Otherwise, caring for the June and August generations of carrots is no different.
