Good afternoon, my reader. Experienced summer residents, having collected the harvest and dug up the beds, begin to prepare the garden for wintering. Covering the soil for the winter, you can not only create favorable conditions for it and protect it from destructive freezing, but also preserve fertility. Every gardener should know how to do this job correctly.
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Why do you need to cover the beds with a "blanket"?
Left uncovered for the winter, the garden land does not rest, but is subject to destruction. Numerous inhabitants such as small soil animals and bacteria in the upper soil layer die from cold and moisture deficiency. A decrease in the number of these beneficial microorganisms leads to a decrease in soil fertility. This leads to the fact that in the springtime the land that was not covered before wintering cannot provide crops with nutrients.
You can avoid such problems by protecting the garden soil from frost and icy wind. For this purpose, mulch is applicable. Mulching is the most important technique in organic farming. Thanks to him, the fertility of the top layer of the earth is preserved, which nourishes the roots of garden crops and gives them strength for growth and fruiting.
The creation of a "blanket" for mulch beds is intended, first of all, to prevent freezing and drying out of the soil in the cold season.
What should a summer resident know about winter mulching?
Coarse mulch is used to protect the garden land from the winter cold. Before winter, summer residents sprinkle the beds with the following materials:
- post-harvest residues;
- non-acidic peat;
- fallen leaves;
- sawdust;
- hay;
- straw.
The thickness of the mulch cover should be between 6 cm and 8 cm.
At the end of the harvest, the summer resident must weed and remove weeds, loosen the soil, and apply organic fertilizer like compost. Only after completing these works is the soil covered with a layer of mulch.
Fresh sawdust is rich in tannins that inhibit the growth of vegetation. For this reason, wood shavings, which are re-twisted, are suitable as winter mulch.
The best option for creating a protective blanket for the beds is hay, straw. These heat-shielding materials are loose and breathable. They can cover the soil with them not only in winter, but also in the warm season.
If an airtight material has been used as winter mulch, it will need to be removed in the spring. Otherwise, it will become an obstacle to the heating of the earth.
Experienced gardeners cover the beds with partially rotted coarse compost. Do this on the eve of the first frost. In the springtime, the compost will need to be buried 15 cm deep into the ground.
In addition to organic matter, inorganic mulch is also applicable. We are talking not only about a film shelter, but also about expanded clay, gravel. However, it makes no sense to use the last 2 materials to protect the garden land from frost.
Features of summer mulching
Mulch is applicable not only to protect garden soil from freezing and overdrying in the cold season. It is also needed in the summer. Thanks to the mulching of the ridges, it is possible to preserve moisture in the ground, prevent the growth of weeds, and fertilize the soil. In the summer months, the beds are covered with weeds and cut grass.
Experienced summer residents mulch the planting with green fertilizers:
- wheat;
- oats;
- mustard;
- horse beans.
In the fall, they are not removed from the garden, but are left in the beds as winter mulch, which will need to be repaired in the soil with the onset of springtime.
Do you know why you need to cover the beds with a "blanket"?
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