- This is one of the most important ingredients of the consumer basket in Russia. The importance of this root vegetable cannot be underestimated, because one of the main advantages is the long shelf life of potatoes, subject to necessary conditions, which allows us to provide this product to the consumer all year round. Growing potatoes is a separate science in which scientists have achieved excellent results. What is fundamentally important for those who grow potatoes? First of all, productivity and new storage technologies. Specialists are constantly working on these, and every year we see new varieties and technologies for cultivation and storage on the market. However, without the right strategy for preparing soil for growing potatoes, all these excellent results of scientists can be nullified. In this article we will look at the basic principles of preparing soil for planting potatoes and preparing crops for planting.

Preparing the soil for planting potatoes in spring

First of all, you need to understand which soil is most suitable for growing potatoes. Obviously, there are places where, despite all the work and expense, potatoes will not grow. Heavy clay soils with a lot of moisture are absolutely unsuitable. Lowlands where water can accumulate are excluded. The soil in which potatoes will feel “at home” is light, sandy loam, as loose as possible. Peat soil and, naturally, black soil are perfect. It follows that you should choose a dry, level area, but even if the soil is too clayey or acidic, it can still be prepared for planting potatoes by adding wood ash or sand with manure or compost.

If your site meets all the requirements, it is enough to properly prepare the soil for planting potatoes in order to get excellent yields. What is the secret of a good harvest?

• good soil composition;
• preparing root crops for planting;
• productive variety;
• proper care.

Loosening the soil in spring

Preparing the soil for planting potatoes- the first step to receiving good result. In spring, the soil needs to be loosened - this is done without turning the soil, preferably in dry weather. Loosening occurs to a depth of 12-15 centimeters for sandy and sandy loam soils. If your soil is more clayey and moist, then it should be processed twice during preparation: first, the usual loosening of 12-15 centimeters in dry weather. The second time, immediately after planting, you should dig up the area to the full depth of the spade bayonet and level it with a rake. This process is necessary to rid the earth of excess moisture and enrich it with oxygen as much as possible.

The earth needs oxygen!

Preparing the soil for planting potatoes in the spring is an important stage in the growing process, one might say fundamental.

There are many ways to grow potatoes, depending on the type of soil. Aeration is a method in which the soil is loosened as much as possible, leaving wide paths between the beds, and the potatoes themselves are planted in special ridges. Thus, the soil is constantly enriched with air naturally.

If the soil is sandy or sandy loam, it is already sufficiently filled with oxygen. For such land, the formation of ridge beds is not necessary. So the method of planting potatoes will depend on the properties of the soil.

How to plant potatoes correctly

When the land is ready for planting, you need to take care planting material. Tubers need to be planted not only in well-prepared soil, but also sufficiently warm and dried soil, otherwise they may freeze or rot. You can plant a whole tuber or divided in half. Before planting, potatoes should be carefully inspected and rotten or diseased tubers should be removed. Potatoes should look healthy, free from defects, mold and rot. Root vegetables weighing from 50 to 90 grams are ideal. Potatoes should be dried before planting. If you do not have enough material for planting, then the tubers can be divided, but in such a way that each segment has sprouted eyes. Divide immediately before planting.

Proper soil preparation for planting potatoes and preparing crops for planting is, let us remind you once again, the most important stages and this process should be considered in general.

Preparing the soil for planting potatoes

Potato soil loves oxygen. What does it mean? First of all, it is necessary to enrich the soil with oxygen by digging. This is done twice a year - in the fall, after harvesting and thoroughly cleaning the soil from grass and remaining tops, and also in the spring before planting. Preparing the soil for planting potatoes in the spring was discussed at the beginning of the article, but do not forget that in the fall it is also necessary to take care of the future harvest.

In autumn, the soil should be dug up carefully, turning the layer around. They dig to the full depth of the shovel bayonet, that is, 25-28 centimeters. It is very important not to level the soil with a rake during autumn digging, so that all pests and remaining weeds will die in the winter. Leveling the soil should be done in the spring before planting. Important point– after digging it is necessary to add organic fertilizers into the ground. During the autumn rains and snow melting, they will be absorbed and bring maximum benefit.

Compost experienced gardeners They prepare it all summer and then in the fall, when cultivating the soil for the future harvest, they add it to the ground. Compost is applied to the furrow and then dug in. Manure and brown coal are added along with compost.

If you did not have time to fertilize the soil in the fall, you can do it in the spring, before planting, but practice shows that in the fall it is most effective.

Soil type and how to determine it

An important question is how to determine the composition of the soil? There are many ways and some are very simple. For example, you can take some earth and soak it in water. Next, you need to try to make a ball out of this mass - if one does not work out, then the soil is sandy. If you manage to make a lump, but cannot roll it into a “cord,” then it is sandy loam. If the soil is clay, then when moistened you can sculpt anything from it. Clay and loamy soils are not the best for Agriculture. Especially for growing potatoes. Firstly, it is difficult for crops to grow on it, and secondly, they taste qualities leave much to be desired. The taste of potatoes directly depends not only on the variety, but also on the soil. The most delicious potatoes grow on sandier and peaty soils. Such soil, as already mentioned, is saturated with oxygen; it does not have an excess of moisture.

Growing rules

The goal of any gardener, whether amateur or professional, is to get a lot of tasty and crumbly potatoes, and for this it is important to follow the rules at every stage of preparation and cultivation. Everyone undoubtedly has their own secrets, based on experience and applicable to specific conditions, but, as you have already understood from this article, there are general rules:

We hope that our tips will help you grow excellent harvest potatoes.

They begin preparing for the new gardening season ahead of time. Even in the fall, they carefully dig up the ground and supply it with necessary fertilizers and get rid of garbage. At the end of winter you need to draw up detailed plan preparatory and sowing work, which will allow you to plan future plantings and achieve efficient use of time with the onset of spring.

When do they start preparing the beds?

Typically, all land work for the season begins in April. It is impossible to give a more precise date, since much depends on the prevailing weather and climatic features your region. Often there is still snow at this time, and the temperature is below zero. You should not rush into the furrow as soon as the snow melts. At this stage, the earth is still very heavy, filled with moisture and cold. You need to wait for the sun to dry and warm the soil, otherwise your gardening will be like mixing mud. The only thing you can do while the earth is recovering from a long winter period is to free the shrubs and plants from winter protection.

To know the soil is ready, take some in your hands and crumble it. It should break up into small lumps, and not lie as a heavy massive block. You shouldn’t wait for the soil to dry out. If early sowing of crops is planned, then soil preparation begins earlier - when there is still remnant snow. In this case, the beds must be sprinkled with peat or ash, which will speed up the warming of the earth and allow crops to be planted much earlier.

Preparation stages

Spring preparation and its stages primarily depend on the work done in the fall. The better you do in October, the easier it will be for you when the new season begins. Therefore, it is recommended to begin preparing beds for spring immediately after the end of the previous season.

Digging or loosening

What exactly to do and in what sequence depends on the characteristics of the soil and how the area was processed in the fall. If at the end of the previous season the earth was not dug up, then you will have to do this in the spring - many gardeners do just that, while fertilizing the soil with nitrogen-containing fertilizers - this will allow the remains of weeds and other organic matter to decompose. In spring there is no need to dig deep (no more than 15 cm) - more thorough plowing should be left for autumn. Technique is much more important - try to ensure that the formation rotates so that the lower part ends up on the surface.

After spring digging, the soil should stand for a while and become compacted; vegetables and other plantings cannot be planted immediately. As a rule, 3-5 days are enough, after which you can begin planting work. If the ground was dug up in the fall, then it is loosened. In this case, it is necessary to remove the roots of weeds as much as possible, otherwise they will quickly fill the space and absorb the main elements from the soil. nutrients, so necessary for cultivated plants.

To loosen the soil, use a rotary cultivator or star roller, which easily breaks up earth blocks and makes the soil evenly crumbly. It is enough to “comb” light soil with a regular rake.

What to do with weeds

It is better to put all plant waste that is collected from the beds in the spring into a compost bin. Last year's leaves and various rhizomes, sprouts and flowers of dandelions go here. You can fertilize the compost pit with manure, but in this case you will have to wait until it rots and only then use the resulting humus. Do not put cabbage stumps or tomato roots into compost - all of these can be carriers of diseases. To make the compost ripen faster, do not forget to stir it with a pitchfork on sunny days to saturate the cavities with oxygen.

Soil nutrition

What and how to fertilize the soil in spring is a subject of debate among many gardeners. Some prefer organic fertilizers, others choose mineral ones, and still others do without at all. correct crop rotation. To understand what exactly is needed, evaluate the soil characteristics - acidity level and moisture supply. Most often used:

• compost - retains moisture well, saturating the soil with nutrients;
• sand - improves the drainage qualities of clay soil, it is better to use the construction variety;
• manure - applied during digging, helps retain moisture and provides drainage, due to the high nitrogen content, reduces the number of weeds;
• calcium-containing materials - reduce soil acidity, scattered over the surface before forming beds;
• peat moss - perfectly retains moisture, used in sandy soil;
• sawdust is an excellent drainage material that eliminates excess water.

When using fertilizers, it is important to observe moderation - an excess of them is just as harmful to plants as a deficiency. Follow fertilizer application recommendations based on the type of soil and crops you plan to grow.

Disengagement

One of the most labor-intensive procedures, requiring considerable experience and skills from gardeners. Many people prefer to dig up only the ridge itself where the crop will be planted. At the same time, the distance between the ridges remains untouched and the weeds have full control. On the one hand, there is less work: there is no need to open and plow the compressed soil (if the path has always been in this place). But on the other hand, it is this path that becomes the source of the spread of weeds. The grass shamelessly grows into carefully cleaned beds, forcing you to weed again and again. Sawdust or mowed grass can cope with this - they are periodically sprinkled on the rows, which does not allow weeds to appear.

If the territory allows, arrange narrow beds - 50 cm wide and with a boundary of 90-100 cm. With this approach, plants get the maximum solar energy, nutrients and moisture, due to which they grow rapidly without much effort on the part of humans. In cold regions it is advisable to form raised beds. Their borders are treated with any suitable material: logs, slate, boards, etc. The width of such a bed is 1-1.2 meters, and the height is 50 cm.

Preparing beds for different crops

• For a rich harvest carrots It is recommended to mix the seeds with a small amount of sand. A good neighbor For the orange vegetable, onions are used - they also add a little sand to it, which, by the way, makes harvesting easier.
• cucumbers grow well if in autumn or in early spring add a good layer of compost (not fresh, but prepared in advance) to the soil. To get rid of various organisms in the soil, it is recommended to steam the soil with boiling water or pour a pinkish solution of manganese shortly before planting.
• For garlic use either compost or double superphosphate and others mineral fertilizers, depending on the type of soil. Because this sun-loving plant, it is recommended to plant it in high narrow beds. Some gardeners prepare the ground for planting garlic using a mixture of peas, oats and white mustard.
• For tomatoes The soil must be protected from evaporation - when it is slightly dry, it is leveled with a rake, which speeds up its warming up. After some time, weeds appear on the surface - it is important to remove them completely at this stage. Tomatoes love organic (rotted) and mineral fertilizers.
• A bountiful harvest potatoes can be obtained by digging the ground well in the fall and repeating the procedure in the spring, but to a shallower depth. At the same time, you need to add nitrogen fertilizers. After plowing, the bed is harrowed. If the soil is too wet, it is necessary to organize drainage channels and sand the soil.
• For strawberries treat the ground with a solution copper sulfate(2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). Poultry manure or compost is used as fertilizer. It is advisable to sprinkle the beds with ash or chopped straw (sawdust). Nitrogen fertilizers will not be superfluous either.
• Noble Harvest beets can be obtained if you generously fertilize the soil with humus or compost - 2-2.5 kg are added per 1 m2. A little bit won't hurt ammonium nitrate(17-19 g), superphosphate and potassium chloride.

Preparing beds in greenhouses

Typically, the same crops are planted in greenhouses year after year, which requires gardeners special attention to the soil in the greenhouse. It is important to properly prepare the soil so that the next harvest is sufficiently abundant. This requires:

1. Replace the top layer of soil - remove 10-20 cm and add a purchased or self-prepared mixture (for one part of turf soil there is one part of river sand, three humus and five peat).
2. Sow green manure in the inter-row spaces.
3. Use EM preparations designed to make the harvest environmentally friendly and safe.

Greenhouses are protected from snow in winter, so in spring the soil inside can be dry. To prevent this, add snow at the end of spring. When it melts, the ground will be saturated with moisture and prepared to receive seeds.

Preparing beds using EM technology + video

Recently, there has been more and more talk about processing beds using EM technology. It's about mixing cultures beneficial organisms, which create optimal microflora in the soil, creating Better conditions for enhanced plant growth. The essence of the technique is to treat the beds with special solutions that saturate the soil with the necessary elements and significantly increase fruit set.

To prepare the land using this technology, it is necessary, as soon as the soil is “ripe”:

1. Treat it with a Fokin flat cutter or hoe.
2. Water with EM solution at a rate of 1:100. For each square meter there are approximately 1.5-2 liters of this solution.
3. Sow if desired.
4. Plant seedlings directly into green manure crops, which are then mowed and used as mulch in other areas.

After such preparation, seeds and seedlings are planted only after 2-2.5 weeks. Such preparation has a particularly beneficial effect on the yield of root crops and melons: the number of rotten fruits and fruits affected by pathogenic microflora is reduced, natural soil fertility is restored, and humus accumulates.

Preparations for the gardening season begin in early spring. But before that, at the end of winter, careful planning must be carried out to ensure that the preparatory work is as effective as possible. If you have a site plan, great. If not, you will have to go to the dacha and conduct a “reconnaissance” of the area. It is necessary to get an accurate idea of ​​what and in what volume you will grow in the coming season. And as soon as April comes, begin to prepare the land for the future abundant harvest.

Start of preparatory work

Preparation of beds in the spring begins depending on the climatic conditions of your area. Traditionally in middle lane it's April. The main thing is that the snow melts and the temperature rises above zero.

You shouldn’t go “to the field” as soon as the last snow has disappeared. Wait until the sun dries the top layer of soil, and the moisture from the melting snow goes deeper into the ground.

While the garden looks like a mud bath, the summer resident has something to do. Arranging a garden also requires attention. And so as not to waste precious time on processing and trimming later fruit trees And berry bushes, do this first.

They need to be freed from insulation and protective coverings, whitewashed, if you have not done this before, sanitary pruning until the kidneys wake up, and perform preventive treatment to protect young green leaves that will soon appear from greedy pests.

How to know when the soil is ready for cultivation

To understand whether the soil is ready or not for spring preparation of beds, people have long used a proven method. Take some earth in your palm and try to crumble it. The soil should break up into small fragments.

If it lies in a sticky lump, it is too early to process it. But if it crumbles as soon as you touch it, it means you’re a little late and the ground is dry.

You should not wait for the soil to dry out, otherwise you will have to water-charge the entire garden before sowing. So that the soil is ready for cultivation faster, for sowing cold-resistant and early cultures, pour peat onto the remaining snow on the beds. This will speed up the warm-up and allow you to start processing earlier.

Preparation in stages

Like any planned action, spring training gardening has its own stages, each of which must be completed in its own time. Much depends on what gardening work was done in the fall.

Digging

If you have not dug up the soil since the fall (it is recommended to do this in October, when the harvest has been harvested, the residues have been removed, but the cold has not yet arrived in full force), digging will be the first stage in preparation for sowing. There is no need to dig deep in the spring. If the autumn digging is done to a depth of 25 cm, in the spring 15 cm is enough. But the rotation of the layer must be complete so that the entire lower part of the soil is on top.

Fertilizer

Simultaneously with digging, the soil is saturated with nitrogen. You can only add well and completely rotted compost or manure. If you dug up your garden in the fall and added organic matter, you can skip these two steps and go directly to loosening. If digging and fertilizing is done in the spring, wait a week until the soil is slightly compacted again.

Loosening

The dug up soil must be loosened. The loosening layer should be shallow - 5-10 cm. In this case, all the roots of weeds are removed so that they do not germinate, becoming an obstacle to the germination of sown cultivated seeds. If digging is carried out with a shovel, then for loosening it is better to use a rotary cultivator or, in the case of the formation of earth blocks, a star roller.

These devices can break up soil compactions and give the soil homogeneity and light structure.

Weeds and other plant waste that you remove from your garden bed can be composted. Also here, autumn foliage collected from the site is allowed if the trees are not affected by fungal diseases. You can transfer the plants in the compost pit with manure or sprinkle them with humus. In the first case, it will take longer for the compost mass to rot.

Leveling and marking beds

Loosened soil must be leveled. This can be done with a regular rake. After this, you can begin marking the ridges. Traditionally maximum width The beds should not exceed 1.2 m, so that it is convenient to carry out sowing, weeding, digging and other work on caring for plants. The length can be any at your discretion.

Along the edge of the bed, if there is no border at the border with the passage, sprinkle well earthen rolls, up to 8 cm high. They will not allow moisture to drain from the ridge when watering and will protect the useful sown area from the penetration of weeds from the outside.

If the garden space allows, create ideal beds, the width of which will be 60-70 cm. Between them, arrange paths of approximately the same width. Then everyone, even the tall ones garden plants there will be enough sunlight, moisture and space in the soil to grow to its full potential.

Interesting way:

Paths are also dug up, like ridges, but not so deeply, just to remove weed rhizomes from the soil. After the beds are ready, the paths are sprinkled with sawdust or other mulching material. This way, weeds will not grow on them, which otherwise will soon end up on the useful area of ​​the bed, interfering with the cultivated plants and taking away their nutrients.

You can equip high beds. This is especially true in the northern regions. Their borders are outlined half a meter wide wooden beam, slate, board, any materials so that you get a kind of box. The interior is filled with earth at a level higher than 35-45 cm than the level of the garden. The width can be about a meter, but not more than 1.2 m.

How to improve the soil

Sometimes it is necessary to improve not only the structure, but also the quality of the soil. In the spring this is done by applying fertilizers. To understand exactly what substances need to be added, evaluate the quality of the soil. This can be done manually by determining the type by the nature of the earthen clod. Clay soils from a coma they do not break up. Fertile black soils are broken up with average force. Sandstones crumble instantly.

What can be used.

1. Organic fertilizers.
2. Mineral fertilizers.
3. Peat or sand bedding.

When applying fertilizers and auxiliary substances, moderation is important. Don't use too many cutting components, choose one or two depending on the needs of your soil.

What components are added to the soil?

How to prepare beds in greenhouses

In the greenhouse in the spring, it is also necessary to prepare the area for sowing. This is done two weeks earlier than the weather allows you to start preparing in the garden.

Often in greenhouses, crop rotation is not observed particularly carefully. The same crops have been sown in their places for years. Therefore, the soil must be prepared for sowing in a greenhouse with special care.

1. Replace the top layer first. Remove about 15 cm of old soil, take it out of the greenhouse (it can be used on open beds) and fill this place with freshly prepared soil.
2. For topping up, the soil is prepared from turf soil, river sand, humus and peat in a ratio of 1:1:3:5.
3. Next, the poured soil must be well moistened by choosing any watering method. You can, if there is still snow outside the greenhouse, throw it on greenhouse beds. Once melted, it will provide the necessary moisture.
4. The last stage is loosening, marking the beds and arranging holes or furrows for sowing seeds.

After harvesting, garden beds need to be properly prepared for the spring sowing season, the most best time for this it is autumn. In addition to preparing the beds, it is necessary to remove and burn the vegetable tops remaining after harvesting, and carry out a set of necessary measures to arrange warm beds. Everything in this article necessary measures how to prepare your garden for winter. Proper preparation gardening for the winter is a guarantee of a rich harvest.

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

To ensure next year's vegetable harvest, preparing beds in the fall is a necessary and important event. Work in the garden should begin with removing tops and weeds from the beds. Old grass is a favorite wintering place for garden pests and rodents, so preparing your beds for winter begins with thoroughly cleaning them.

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

1. Burn – when plant residues are burned, pathogens of infectious diseases and pests are destroyed. The ash can be used to fertilize beds and garden trees.
2. Prepare compost - this method of disposing of weeds takes longer than burning, but the resulting nutrient substrate will help to inexpensively and efficiently increase the fertility of garden beds.

How to prepare compost correctly

Winter compost should be prepared slightly differently than summer compost. Vegetable residues that are not removed from the soil are suitable for composting. summer cottage, including not only vegetable tops, but also branches of trees and shrubs, weeds, household waste, animal manure, bird droppings.

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

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

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

The components included in the compost rot by the beginning of summer, allowing you to obtain a nutrient additive to the soil that doubles fertility, and at the same time get rid of garbage and weeds.

Preparing the beds

Tool for digging and loosening beds.

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

The second option for processing a vegetable garden in the fall is to superficially loosen the soil to a depth of no more than 5 cm, for which a Fokina flat cutter is used. It is useful to mulch loosened soil with sawdust and ash; sometimes it is practiced to sow green manure grasses, the shoots of which are embedded in the soil when digging in the spring.

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

Green manure for winter sowing

The roots of green manure penetrate deeply into the soil, loosening it.

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

Green manure is used based on its purpose and desired end result:

• Loosening the soil - rye, mustard, oats, and rapeseed are ideal for loosening heavy soil in garden beds.
• Disinfection of soil from pathogenic diseases of vegetable crops - winter sowing of a mixture of crops is used, which includes rapeseed, mustard, marigolds, calendula and oats.
• Increasing soil fertility - a mixture of vetch with oats or rye, mustard with legumes, alfalfa, sweet clover.
• Mulching – phacelia, vetch, alfalfa.

Sowing of green manure herbs can be done scattered or in rows in prepared beds after the autumn harvest of vegetable crops. A properly prepared garden will be able to provide a high harvest next year.

Sowing vegetables before winter

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

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

Beds for winter planting of vegetables are chosen on dry open area, where wetting of the beds with groundwater and melt water is excluded. It is useful to protect crops from the directional north wind, and also to mulch the beds with compost or peat. The seeds will be able to successfully overwinter under reliable shelter and produce their first shoots in early spring.

It should be remembered that seed consumption when sowing vegetables in winter can double.

Autumn is just approaching and the harvest has not yet been fully harvested. There is still a little time left and the beds will remain completely empty. This means it’s time to prepare the site for the upcoming season. This is done in order to prepare the soil, to supply it with the necessary elements for better cultivation crops next year and, accordingly, so that the harvest turns out to be rich and healthy. But we will tell you exactly what procedures and measures need to be carried out in this article.

Preparing beds in the fall

Every year the soil loses its unique properties, allowing you to grow strong vegetation and harvest fruits at the end of the season. That's why she needs our help. Regular application of fertilizers with substances such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus helps compensate for the lack of these elements. We do not see this deficiency, but we can understand that it exists only by the condition of the plants.

Autumn is the optimal period to enrich depleted soil with various fertilizing and fertilizers, which will be absorbed and absorbed during the cold period. And when you start planting and sowing garden crops in spring period, they will be able to receive adequate nutrition, since during the winter the fertilizers were processed by the soil into the form necessary for vegetation.

It takes some time for organic matter to take the form necessary for vegetation to perceive. That is precisely why, in order not to wait for spring and when everything is processed, it is necessary to introduce the nutrient medium into the ground in autumn. Over a long cold period, the elements will decompose into their components and will be ready to feed crops and seedlings before planting.

But fertilizers cannot be applied thoughtlessly. It is necessary to take into account whole line nuances, namely soil condition, soil quality. And also plan future plantings in advance, because the same complementary food is not suitable for all plants, so take this into account and build on all of the above to choose the right nutrient medium.

Fertilizers should not be applied thoughtlessly

Now let's move on directly to considering the proposed topic in more detail, let's look at every nuance.

Why do you need to prepare the ground in advance?

Gardeners often ask this question, because it’s spring and that’s when you can prepare the ground before planting vegetables. But this is not entirely the right way of thinking. Because as we already said, fertilizer needs time to cultivated plants could consume it for their growth. And in the spring there is already a lot of hassle: preparing seeds, growing seedlings, preparing holes for planting and planning the days for planting seedlings in the ground. Agree, this is a very labor-intensive process, and you simply may not have time to do everything.

Preparing the ground in advance

This is why autumn preparatory work is very important. Having spent a little more effort in the outgoing year, you will be able to pay more attention to the planting work itself, because the site will be completely ready to grow a new crop. So don’t be lazy, and you can slowly plan your actions when spring arrives.

How to properly follow the sequence of preparation

Preparation should begin with clearing the area of ​​remnants of tops, weeds and other remnants of vegetation. If they are healthy, then put them in a compost pit to dry out, then you can use this to improve the quality of the soil. If necessary, you can add chalk or slaked lime to such fertilizers to normalize the acidity of the soil. If they show signs of disease, it is better to burn them outside the territory.

Preparation should begin by clearing the area of ​​remnants of tops

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

Now that you have cleared the entire area of ​​weeds and their remains. It is necessary to start enriching the soil nitrogen fertilizers, potassium and phosphorus - they are suitable for all plants. Since nothing will grow in the beds, you can also add urea in the winter; it’s not difficult to calculate: 20-25 g per 1 m2; superphosphate complementary foods in a ratio of 18-20 g per 1 m2; potassium chloride in a proportion of 15-20 g per 1 m 2. Don’t be afraid to add chlorine; by the time spring arrives, it will no longer be in the soil. In addition, it is good to put a layer of manure, already rotted, in the proportion of 5-6 kg per 1 m 2 or deciduous humus at 3-4 kg per 1 m 2. Stove ash, wood ash or soot in a ratio of 250-300 g per 1 m2 will also be useful.

To lighten heavy or clay soil in the garden, add 1 bucket of river sand for each square meter, after mixing it with compost. This will make the soil looser and increase its fertility.

And vice versa, if you have sandy soil in which neither water nor nutrients are retained, you need to mix it with clay, also a bucket per square meter, add compost in the amount of 5-6 kg per 1 m2, humus from leaves 3-4 kg per 1 m2, as well as sawdust, 1 bucket per 1 m2. Be careful with sawdust, as they can oxidize the soil, so make sure that when laying them, they are saturated with water and slightly ripe.

Be careful with sawdust, as it can oxidize the soil.

Land with an acidity level below 6 units must be enriched with chalk or slaked lime. If the acid-base balance is less than 4.5, it is necessary to use limestone in an amount of 200-250 g per 1 m2. With indicators in the range of 4.6-5.5, add chalk in a ratio of 250-300 g per 1 m2.

All the described substances are added in the fall at the time of digging the garden. First, you spread it over the top layer of turf, then dig up the soil using a shovel full, mixing all the necessary ingredients with the soil.

You need to dig up the beds correctly

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

You need to dig up the beds correctly

Let's first consider the non-dumping method; it consists in preventing the layer of earth from breaking up and turning over. Thus, the beneficial microflora of the soil of the lower and upper layers is completely preserved. The resulting clods of soil should also not be broken up.

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

We prepare beds for each vegetable separately

We looked at the general features of how to prepare for planting in winter: applying fertilizing, coating, dump digging, layering the soil on the plots with increasing their level. But that's only general recommendations. But our task is not so much to find out the basic recommendations; it is to competently cultivate the plot for each individual type of vegetable crop. And all this is also carried out after the harvest, namely in autumn period.

Beds for planting beets

To sow vegetables, you need to choose a well-lit place with well-drained and light soil. Then you can safely expect a good harvest of root vegetables. Optimally, plots should be prepared on rocks or loam, with a neutral acid-base balance. Other types of soil are not suitable for growing this crop, even with normal nutritional content. It should not be planted in places infused with water. And you should avoid planting in highly acidic soil.

Beds for planting beets

It is better to plant a vegetable in the space vacated by cucumbers, zucchini, potatoes early varieties. Also good predecessors are varieties of early sweet peppers, eggplants and tomatoes. And it is strictly forbidden to sow table beets in place of spinach, carrots, rapeseed, cabbage and chard.

Be sure to lay a layer of compost during the autumn preparatory work or leaf humus at the rate of ½ bucket per 1 m 2 of one plot. As a fertilizer with minerals Potassium chloride in a ratio of 12-14 g per 1 m2 and ammonium nitrate with superphosphate in a ratio of 22-25 g per 1 m2 will be good.

Please note that in no case should you apply fresh manure to the soil during the preparation process, otherwise you risk growing a crop with a high content of nitrates in the coming year.

Prepares a plot for zucchini and pumpkin

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

Prepares a plot for zucchini and pumpkin

The soil must have a neutral acid-base balance. If your kidney has a high acid content, coat it or add limestone.

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

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

Sandy lands can also be developed for growing zucchini and pumpkins; to do this, add a bucket of clay and ½ bucket of leaf humus per 1 m2 of beds.

Preparing a place for planting herbs

Dill and other greens also cannot be planted just anywhere to get good harvest. They will successfully grow in a place freed from cabbage, tomatoes and onions. But don't plant herbs in a patch of carrots, parsnips and celery.

Landing place herbs

Good illumination of the sowing area is also important; it will also be well heated. In the fall, cover the area planned for greenery with coniferous branches so that the snow lies there longer, so the land will be more fertile. Check your PH balance this area. After all, vitamin bushes grow poorly in high acidity. Add lime or chalk to normalize the acidity level.

These plants do not require special preparation. Dig the bed no deeper than 23 cm, be sure to add 2-3 kg of rotted manure per 1 m2, 25-20 g ammonium nitrate, 8-10 g potassium sulfate, 10-12 g superphosphate per 1 m2. With the arrival of spring, you just need to loosen the soil well and arrange holes for sowing. It is also necessary to thoroughly water the plots at the rate of 2-3 liters per 1 m2 and compact the soil a little so that the seeds do not “drown”. The sowing holes should be 2 cm deep.

Preparing the land for tomatoes

Tomatoes should be planted in the ground instead of beets, cucumbers, onions, leguminous plants, carrots, lettuce, greens, corn and zucchini. Cabbage is considered a bad predecessor late dates ripening, potatoes, eggplants and Bell pepper.

Preparing the land for tomatoes

Once the location has been selected, you should begin selecting the soil type. The soil must be fertile. Excessively acidic soil should be fed with lime in a proportion of 150-200 g per 1 m2, but this will not work with any acidity. If the soil consists of sandstone or loam, then you will need to add 250 g of limestone per 1 m2 for digging; for medium or heavy loam, you will need to add 350 g, also under a shovel.

Take your time when applying fertilizer to the site. Prepare superphosphates, tomatoes love it, and simply distribute it over the entire garden bed without digging up the top layer.

Since tomato bushes grow tall, you should not make a raised bed for them. Limit yourself to dimensions of 23 cm wide and 100 cm long; you don’t need to do more in volume.

Plots for planting cucumbers

And of course, we allocate a plot for this vegetable crop. There are few places where you can find a garden where cucumbers do not grow. It is better to plant them after tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, legumes, spinach, onions, early varieties of cabbage, as well as cauliflower, carrots and greens. And you should beware of the place after cucumbers, melons, watermelons, pumpkins and squash.

Plots for planting cucumbers

Try to prepare the soil in the fall and make it light. Best suited for cucumber seedlings loamy soil or sandy loam. Clay and heavy soils require the addition of sand: 1 bucket per 1 m2 under a shovel. The soil may be slightly acidic, cucumbers feel calm there, so if only such a piece of land remains, don’t worry.

And please note that it is also necessary to add 5-6 kg of rotted manure, and then dig up with a full shovel.

We lay down complementary food for warm beds

Autumn is also very suitable for building insulated beds. To do this, you will need boards to mount a box or box, as a rule, they are made 1 m * 2 m. We put them in the bottom layer large branches, bark, thick stems of plants, for example, corn, it can also be saw cuts of logs and pieces of hemp or boards. Next, add a layer of sand, sawdust, chains, vegetable peelings and plant remains, even a layer of fallen leaves, humus and distribute the ash. When laying these layers, take into account the fact that there must still be soil on top, mixed with compost, up to 30 cm high, into which the plants will be planted.

Complementary food for warm beds

Is mulching necessary?

If you have a question about the need to mulch the beds that you have so carefully prepared, then yes, of course this activity needs to be carried out. Created on the basis of pure organic substances, it will in no way be able to harm or affect the active life of all beneficial bacteria in the plots you have created. At the beginning of spring, you just need to remove the spent mulch from the surface. The area is now ready to accept new plants, and the fertile soil will help them grow.