The time has come to prepare the garden for winter, and today we’ll talk about exactly that... 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 droppings...
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 give it Special attention. 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 in 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 groundwater 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, tops vegetable crops... 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 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!
Already in the fall you need to think about spring planting, which means now is the time to prepare the soil for winter.
Many insect pests can remain in the soil over the winter, for example cabbage fly, and many others. Seeds weeds can also be in the soil, and some pathogens overwinter in. Digging the soil will help you get rid of many troubles.
By preparing the soil for winter, you can avoid or use much less herbicides and insecticides in the next gardening season.
Clear the area of weeds, branches, and tops. Tops healthy plants can be used for, and the tops of diseased plants are burned. Dig heavy soil onto a layer without breaking the lumps or turning the lump over, so that the humus layer does not end up deep in the soil. The trunk circles of trees are dug up with a pitchfork to reduce trauma to the roots to a depth of 20 cm, under bushes - 10-12 cm. Lumps of earth freeze well in winter, thereby killing pests, enriching themselves with oxygen and retaining snow. Dig before the snow falls, since you cannot bury snow in the soil (in the spring the soil will take a long time to warm up and dry out). After digging, mulch the soil in a thick layer. In the spring, loosen and break up the lumps. You can dig up the soil with a shovel without disturbing the soil structure, or with a motorized cultivator when weather they no longer allow you to deal with this issue on your own.
Light soil is usually not dug up, but loosened. Then add 50 g of superphosphate and 30 g of potassium sulfate per 1 sq.m., as well as humus, peat and sand for nutrition and water-air exchange.
If on your site acidic soil, then spend it in the fall, since in the fall the plants are at rest and will not absorb the deoxidizer, spring liming of the soil, when the plants begin their growing season, will not play a role best role. In the fall, a deoxidizing agent (fluffed lime, carbonated lime, dolomite flour, cement dust or bone meal) can simply be scattered over the surface of the soil; in the future, it will penetrate into the soil from rain and snow. Remember, the heavier the soil, the more lime you need to add (250 g fits in a glass).
Let us remind you that in the fall you need to prepare not only the soil for winter, but also planting pits for shrubs and fruit trees.
If planting fruit trees is planned for spring, then it is necessary in summer or autumn, and for autumn planting - in May-June. During this time, the soil will mix with fertilizers and create a favorable microbiological environment for successful growth plants.
Modern agronomists see less and less the need to dig up the soil. Some people think it's even harmful. How to properly prepare the soil for winter and improve its composition in short term, watch in the next video.
Dull looking autumn garden and the garden, in fact, these days should become the site of a fierce battle for the future harvest. There are almost more things to do at the dacha now than in the summer.
Report by Victor Averin.
For Yaroslavl resident Yulia, all the fun at the dacha begins at the end of October. When whitewashing trees, of course, it’s difficult to feel like an artist. But this activity also requires, if not inspiration, then at least skill and accuracy. No section of the trunk should be left defenseless. Otherwise, the pests, who are going to spend the winter in the bark of the trees, next spring will first begin to destroy the apple and plum trees that are so beloved by the housewife.
Clearing your lawn of dead autumn grass is only half the battle. So that in the spring it begins to please the eye with greenery as soon as possible, in the fall you need to trample it properly. But not with boots, but with special studded sandals. The process is called aeration and, in addition to practical benefits for the lawn, it brings a lot of fun to the gardener.
The final chord is harvesting the cabbage. Even novice gardeners know that it is not afraid of frost, so it should almost be the last thing to remove.
Unlike her colleague in dacha work, pensioner Valentina Ivanovna figured out cabbage a long time ago. Now all efforts are being devoted to pest control. The entire garden should be dug up so that the insect larvae that have settled in the soil for the winter freeze out.
Valentina Nekhaeva: “If we don’t dig it up and leave everything as it is, then harmful insects multiply in the spring, there will be many more of them, and we will lose the harvest."
Every year at this time, her dacha neighbor Leonid Andrianovich comes to visit Valentina Ivanovna and shares the latest achievements of horticultural thought aimed against rodents. Anything that can attract mice to the garden - garbage and crop residues - should be removed. And their place will be taken by poisoned bait. You can simply scatter it, but it is better, the pensioner believes, to build a simple device - a piece of roofing felt rolled into a tube. One side is clogged with fallen leaves and only then the container is filled with poison.
Winter is just around the corner for gardeners in the Irkutsk region. The first snow has already fallen here, and we have to work in harsh conditions, which, however, cannot interfere with another important task - planting garlic.
In order for its sprouts to appear along with the spring warmth, it is necessary now, despite the fact that the soil has already been “grabbed” by the cold, to properly loosen the bed. Plant the garlic cloves in the ground, cover with manure and cover with potato tops, which will act as insulation.
These wisdoms of the novice gardener Tatyana were taught by their experienced neighbors. In other cases, she compensates for the lack of knowledge with bold ideas. One of them is to grow parsley in open ground in winter. To get a harvest New Year she came up with a simple greenhouse.
Tatyana Faktorovich: “Cover with boards, then the snow will fall, draw a path here, trample and pick green parsley in winter. It is very frost-resistant, it will withstand severe frosts.”
Can parsley withstand 40-degree frost, Pyotr Danilyuk from Ulyanovsk region does not know. His specialty is viticulture. A tender, heat-loving vine will not survive the winter without his knowledge and skills. Peter has a whole range of measures in his arsenal. Properly trim the plant, water it, dig it in root system earth and cover with insulation. If everything is done on time and as it should be, the vineyards are not afraid of any cold weather.
Each gardener has his own recipe for how to prepare a plot for winter. But general rule one thing - the more effort you put in, the greater the chance that the garden will thank its owner in the spring.
Presenter: How can we properly prepare the dacha with all the plantings for winter, Vladimir Omelchuk, associate professor of the famous Timiryazev Academy, will explain. Let's start with plants that require protection from frost. Which ones do they require?
Guest: Well, first of all, these are the most favorite flowers of our women - roses. Rhododendrons, a lot of heathers, which also require shelter.
Host: What material do we use? Spruce branches, leaves, sawdust, peat, maybe?
Host: But if we're talking about about roses, then it is very good to cover the tree trunk circles with sand for 5-7 centimeters. It’s very good, of course, to work with spruce branches, but, unfortunately, our forests near Moscow are already producing less and less spruce branches.
Host: How to seize the moment so that it doesn’t get too warm and freeze?
Guest: Well, when the temperature becomes between 0 and -3, that’s when it’s best to start covering.
Presenter: And some fruits, berry bushes do they require shelter or not?
Guest: Well, lately we have been growing cherries and apricots, but they are very difficult to cover. So, if you really want to preserve everything, and there is a danger that there will be severe frosts, then it would be a good idea to cover it for a while, say, for the period when very severe frosts are predicted.
Host: They say that one of the best covering materials is snow. How to attract him Right place and keep it there?
Guest: Well, they bet wooden boards, so that the snow sweeps. The same birch branches are placed so that they retain the snow. And artificially - he brought it from the path, cleaned the path, and fell asleep.
Host: How can we protect trees and shrubs from mice and hares that starve in winter?
Guest: First of all, lay out bait for mice. Of course, you need to leave less grass, especially the fruits of fruit trees, say, apples, pears, you need to choose them, because they are bait and food for the same rodents. The fact is that mice cause a lot of damage. fruit plants, especially young ones, in young gardens. The same goes for hares. You should try to keep everything away from hares, well, at least to a height of two meters, because even if the hare gnaws the young branches, it’s okay, the main thing is that he doesn’t gnaw the trunk and skeletal branches.
Host: What to wrap it with?
Guest: Recently, burlap has been used very well, wrapped in the same spruce branches.
Host: Is it possible at the dacha in cold house store seeds?
Guest: Yes, but if it's a glass jar.
Host: That is, the seeds are not afraid of any frost?
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 the yield next year. 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
Strawberries, or garden strawberries, accumulate 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 the weeds on the site; leave this task 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 protect the superficial root system of 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 use chicken manure at the rate of 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 Luke. 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 bed for carrots in the fall so that next year you can get 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 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, from mineral fertilizers add superphosphate at the rate of 20 g per 1 sq. 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 both 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 for each square meter 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.
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 the 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.
Fertilizing the soil
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 it all, ash remains - beautiful 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 remains and spread directly onto the beds.
Organic fertilizers can be accumulated throughout the year.
Mulching
Mulching the soil is an integral part natural farming. It saturates the soil required quantity organic matter, makes it fertile and prevents it from depleting. The autumn season is the most the right 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 everyone else organic materials can be used by placing them in tree trunk circles trees.
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. They will recycle it 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 food waste and grass clippings, feces and herbaceous vegetable residues. Cover the top with a layer of fallen leaves, then earth and water it with a solution of preparations with 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 tops of vegetable crops, leaves and a small layer of earth, and a little EM preparation on top.
When compost pit is completely filled with such layers, then it needs to be closed on top plastic film and leave until the compost matures (until spring). He is not afraid of winter frosts and cold. Until spring, the bacteria will do their job.
Construction of warm beds and trenches
If your compost bin is full to the top and there is still organic waste left, 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 on summer cottage. And such trenches and beds are useful for growing various vegetables. They will provide favorable conditions for growth and a large harvest.
Protection of fruit tree trunks
Great harm fruit trees can be caused by mice and hares. 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 you need to carefully inspect and, if necessary, wash, dry, clean, sharpen, and lubricate. 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.
