Do you need to plow? To plow a garden or not? That is the question: Do you need to plow in the spring if you plowed in the fall.

Evgeny Sedov

When hands grow from the right place, life is more fun :)

Content

After the entire crop is harvested, you need to put the beds in order. Some summer residents are interested in the question of whether it is necessary to completely dig up the garden in the fall, in what way it is better to dig the earth before the onset of winter. The correct execution of work largely depends on the type of soil and the type of tools with which the process will be performed.

When is the best time to plow the garden, in spring or autumn

According to experts in the field of gardening, deep digging of the soil in autumn is much more effective than spring procedures. The procedure helps eliminate most problems, especially for regions with poor soil. This method is called "autumn plowing", when, after digging, the weeds, turned upside down, chill and freeze. It is recommended to carry out such processing annually, then the result will be noticeable.

What gives the cultivation of the earth in the fall

If you dig the soil regularly in the autumn, after the entire crop has been harvested, the quality of the soil will improve. Gardeners with many years of experience advise performing the procedure at this time because:

there is a disinfection of the surface layer, getting rid of harmful larvae and microorganisms;
the earth becomes looser;
ventilation of the lower layers occurs;
provides easy fertilization;
the roots of weeds freeze, their number on the plot decreases;
the fertile layer is deepened by placing compost from weeds removed from the beds on the lower soil layer;
the land is being prepared for spring planting.

After the snow melts, the soil dries out, the beds will be ready for planting seeds. You only need to loosen the clods. Such processing, carried out in the autumn period, has ancient roots, because it greatly facilitated the work of the farmer, when there were no modern devices that helped to dig mechanically.

Digging the ground for the winter

During digging, the soil is prepared for winter. This period is well suited to apply manure, humus or compost to the site. On farms where plants suffer from wireworm, mole cricket, Colorado potato beetle, and other pests, digging the soil for the winter will help get rid of larvae and adult insects that lie in the lower layers of the soil. In this case, you need to turn it into the ground to a depth of 20-25 cm.

Dependence on soil type

In order to understand whether it is necessary to dig up the garden in autumn or spring, you need to find out what type of soil is in the garden. In a summer cottage located in the region with heavy clay soils, fertility can be increased by a mechanical method. However, you need to dig the earth without breaking the lumps. After the snow falls, pieces of soil will begin to be saturated with oxygen. In spring, the earth will be more loose, supplied with nutrients. Fertilizers are not so important for wet soil, therefore, with this type of soil, it is better to dig up the beds in the spring months so that the remaining moisture evaporates.

When to dig a vegetable garden in autumn

It is important to consider the timing in which the garden will be processed in the autumn. In different regions, the time when gardeners dig up a garden may vary slightly. After all the beds have been removed, the tops should be chopped, evenly distributed over the surface of the earth and plowing manually or mechanically. It is advisable to schedule all work for mid-late autumn before severe frosts. Therefore, experienced gardeners positively answer the question: is it possible to dig the ground after the cover.

What is the best way to dig

The method of autumn processing depends on how much area you need to dig. If we are talking about a small area, then you can loosen the ground in the fall with a plow or shovel. This method is called "manual", as it is performed without the use of mechanized equipment. The advantage of this treatment is that the fertile layer does not receive serious damage, but plowing may not be effective enough, taking a lot of the gardener's time and effort.

If you choose a mechanical method for digging, then you can dig up the ground in the fall in the garden with a walk-behind tractor with adjustable plowing depth. It is not recommended to turn the soil more than 25 cm. In this case, beneficial microorganisms may be damaged. Now there are small tractors with rotary plows that allow you to work the soil without destroying the lower layers.

Having received a hectare, do not plow your land with a tractor. The view of the upturned earth, which then spreads like porridge from the rains and, drying up, becomes hard as concrete - a disgusting sight. Non-moldboard loosening methods are also bad: the walk-behind tractor turns the earth into dust, cuts worms in its path and wraps itself in weeds that are left on the beds as fertilizers. Try not to touch the ground. At all. One winter, as an experiment. In spring, the earth will become soft as fluff! You can easily stick your palm into it to full depth. The fact is that the water in the soil, freezing, breaks it into small grains. In spring, the ice melts and the water goes underground, and the space between the grains is filled with air. Not digging makes the earth soft, but frost! Note to the hostess: you can speed up the formation of humus by quickly freezing manure and other organic materials with dry ice or liquid nitrogen before applying them to the soil. This is especially useful in areas where winter is purely symbolic or in apartments. A shovel is needed only for digging potatoes and planting holes. Fears that without plowing and digging the garden will overgrow with perennial weeds will not come true! In a few years, you will notice that the garden is literally teeming with earthworms. But the joy will be short-lived: after the worms will come those who feed on worms - moles. They plow the garden up and down, hopelessly spoil all the plantings. Do not use chemical poison (harmful to plants and your health. Voles and hamsters winter freely on unplowed land and destroy up to a quarter of the entire crop and gnaw the foundations of houses (tested in a real settlement). In order to avoid rodents in the garden, you need to plant black root, several bushes are more than enough to make you forget about rodents forever.It does not hurt to plant black root next to fruit trees, because they also suffer from rodents and hares in winter.

You can fight rodents with humane mousetraps, boiling water, gas, hedgehogs and cats. Rodents are needed for the fact that they loosen the ground (first) and the second - for the fact that bumblebees live in their minks, and bumblebees are good pollinators. An excess of rodents is harmful to one, a lack to others. Bottom line: keep a reasonable balance of rodents, cats, hedgehogs, and bumblebees in your ecosystem. Perhaps the problem of bumblebees will be solved by a bee hive or wasp nests in wooden houses for wasps; it is not known which pollinators which plants pollinate and how qualitatively, who knows - share. Make houses for birds and wasps + plant more bushes. Birds are useful unambiguously - they eat pests. Make sure that there are no thrushes - they eat irga, chokeberry and other berries; perhaps the berry-eaters will be distracted by their excess (as in the old joke - plant so much that they choke :) in general, experiments should be carried out, maybe it will even come to falconry for thrushes and the anti-thrush division of tall-cats :) again the problem of ecosystem balance. Ideally, the balance should be maintained by its inhabitants themselves (according to the law of the jungle) without human intervention - so that a person does not waste his time on what nature should do. It is necessary to make Anastasia's clearing on our land - where all the animals and trees will do everything for a person and at his request.

Do an experience. Who does not believe - will check. Talk to weeds, explain to her where you can climb and where you can’t, give her a fiefdom. People say that herbs obey! The main thing is faith and love. Those who have already moved to the village or per hectare for permanent residence grow herbs "by order". And one more thing about faith: when planting something, believe that it will definitely sprout and be accepted. Seeds must be planted in the fall (what winter-hardiness) so that they get used to the weeds-neighbors, especially the first year of the development of the "virgin lands" - then the weeds will not drive out the cultural stranger, but will help him.

In unplowed land, the Colorado potato beetle winters worse. Such land does not require fertilizer, which your neighbors from the village are forced to pour annually in bags into their constantly losing soil. If you do not burn any weeds or leaves, then all this will be eaten by worms and there will be more than enough humus. Biohumus is one of the best and most expensive fertilizers. It is even better to add biomass from the surrounding mowing. Thus, you will save time on fertilization - as Anastasia said.

If the same real facts come from different continents, then this is worth thinking about. Spend in the spring in the country (or not a hectare) such an experiment:

Plant the first bed in the traditional way;

Plant the same number of seeds on the second bed as on the first, but do not dig deep into the ground - so that the seeds take root.

Next ... water the first bed vigorously, and do not water the second - just cut / mow from above those weeds that climb above the crop, so as not to obscure the crop. Then compare the quantity and taste of the harvest and remember the chapter "Taiga lunch". Those who read the books of V. Megre, plant half of the beds according to the Anastasia method (keep the seeds in your mouth) while others do not and also compare (there are facts that vegetables according to the Anastasia method are tastier). Do not waste your time on endless weeding - reality, weeds are friends.

Technologies with crop rotation and monocultural cultivation of plants for a family estate are not suitable in principle. It should be about organic farming using the principles of permaculture and mixed growing of plants. With the right selection of plants, the issue of insect pests, as well as many plant diseases, is practically removed - read books, now there is a lot of literature on this topic. If plants and animals fight against pests and weeds, you will save a lot of time.

According to one point of view, the seeds should be only their own. It is necessary to use non-purchased seeds, even from the best domestic breeders, namely your own seeds. When using your seeds, several important processes occur. First, there is a full guarantee that the seeds are normal. Secondly, plants will gradually restore their original natural set of genes. Unfortunately, today many "cultivated" plants have undergone changes not for the better. Thirdly, plants are gradually adapting to the given climatic conditions of the region, and even to the microclimatic conditions of this particular site and to its soil.

According to another point of view, it is necessary to buy new varieties and hybrids (seeds and seedlings). Old varieties and their seeds will die. Why? Because due to poor ecology, not only AIDS, a new flu and SARS appear, but also new diseases - plant micro-pests, they study old varieties and destroy them (phytophthora, cancer, etc.), new varieties and hybrids of diseases not up to the mark. Avoid genetically modified seeds and seedlings, they can cause allergies and diseases.

Two different points of view. What to do? Make 2 beds and see which is better. On one bed, old varieties and their seeds, and on the other, new varieties and hybrids. New varieties and hybrids can also be used to get your own seeds - do your own breeding.

Mandatory harvesting, which is used by summer residents and villagers, is erroneous. With monoculture, this really becomes a problem. But when mixed, it's gone. In addition, experiments show that with many plants it is possible to achieve their self-sowing, if part of the fruit is left for the seeds to ripen. That is, labor costs in the family estate can be further reduced due to this.

Conclusion: the fears of skeptics that it is unrealistic to cultivate a hectare are wrong. You will save time on: plowing, weeding, planting, pest and disease control, etc. - any action of a summer resident can be at least minimized and abolished as a maximum by instructing the ecosystem. Kurdyumov's new book "Shaping Instead of Pruning" allows you to save time on pruning fruit trees. There is another way: I use a hectare area to plant a lot of seedlings and the harvest will be due to the number of trees, and not the quality of their care.

Good afternoon, dear readers. I had a question a couple of years ago about when to plow the land. In addition, it became interesting how to properly plow the land. The longer I went deeper, the more questions and contradictions arose.

Let's just understand when and how to properly plow the garden in your area. Just for yourself, without delving into complex scientific methods and so on. After all, many are faced with a dilemma: dig a garden in the spring or in the fall?

Why is plowing the land necessary?

Before deciding to dig a garden in spring or autumn, you need to understand why this is done at all. Many, of course, will say that there are fewer weeds or pests, or maybe to fertilize the land so that it is not made of stone, and so on. All this of course is correct, that's what someone would not say.

But in fact, everything is much simpler. There are a lot of reasons for plowing, it needs to be done. And here's what for:

Salinization- the main problem of the soil, especially if the climate is humid. Even if the top layer dries out, moisture remains deeper and salt accumulates. This affects the yield. Plus, when turning over the top layer and loosening, we enrich the soil with oxygen. This is very important for beneficial microorganisms. These microorganisms are very important in soil fertility.
Weeds and various pests. When plowing, many roots and pests get to the top and die or die. Also an important process.
Soil erosion or excessive compaction. Here you need to understand and know how to properly plow the land.

Well, there are many more small reasons that are also important. But these three points immediately convince me that plowing is necessary. And when then to plow?

When should the land be plowed?

Mini tractor plows the garden

I won’t torment anyone, any experienced gardener or agronomist will tell you when to plow the land. Plow it once or twice a year. In the first case in autumn, in the second case in autumn and spring.

But most the main process is autumn plowing. It is worth emphasizing on it.

Let's say in my family it used to happen like this: in the fall they cleaned the garden and that's it. Spring has come and the plowing begins. It is necessary to be in time for the potatoes. But I felt something in my gut. Firstly, the weeds simply overpowered, every year the grass rushes and rushes, rushes and rushes. That's terrible.

Secondly, the yield is simply not so hot. You begin to be interested in friends, neighbors. Yeah, they don’t have a very good harvest these days – and I don’t have any at all. And when they have a good harvest, then I have it, but not that.

Then he went to help his parents. I was offered fertilizer there and this and that. As a result, I began to find out who plows how, and here it is. Everyone plows in the fall, but I only plow in the spring. So learned by bitter experience. We understand further.

There are many, many myths on the Internet about not having to plow the garden in the fall. I won't list all the reasons. I’ll just tell you one truth, according to which it is imperative to plow the land in the fall.

The fact is that we prepare the land in autumn for the new gardening season. The earth is saturated with oxygen and many weeds die off. In addition, beneficial bacteria are restored by spring, which is favorable for soil fertility.

I think that the most useful thing for many is getting rid of weeds. Of course, not 100% get rid of, but they will be much less. This is an incentive.

And of course, if you have “virgin soil”, you have never planted anything, then you definitely need to plow well in the fall, and then also in the spring, you can also fertilize with organic fertilizers. If you grow wheat or other non-root crops, then you can not plow in the spring.

Proper plowing in autumn and spring.

We plow and harrow at once

When to plow the land, figured it out. In any case, it is necessary in the fall. Now understand how to do it.

In autumn, plowing should be carried out deep. But when? The climatic zone plays an important role here, because the temperatures are different everywhere. Plowing should be carried out in the fall, after harvest, when it becomes cold. In the southern regions, plowing can also be carried out in December.

Here is another example of the fact that you need to plow the garden at the end of autumn, before frost. If you plow the garden earlier, then some weeds will still grow before the onset of cold weather. So all your work will go to waste. That is why even garden trees are pruned in September, not earlier.

It is very important to plow the land before the temperature drops below +5 ºС at night. At such a time the earth is still soft to plow, and the weeds will no longer grow and their seeds will not germinate. In general, for most regions, November is an ideal month for deep plowing vegetable gardens. Although this is how it is with us - in the Kemerovo region, September, somewhere by the end of the month.

By the way, if the soil is clayey, sandy, then when plowing, you can fertilize the land with humus or manure. This will increase the fertility of the soil. But not fresh. Straw or manure should burn out within a year. Otherwise, it will only harm the soil.

What are we doing now in the spring? Everything is easier here. We only need to make a soil reservation. This should be done as soon as the top layer of the earth dries out. Many now do this: if there is a large garden, then they pass with a tractor cutter. It can be so, if you do not plant it deep. Then the layer of soil with beneficial bacteria will remain unharmed.

How to get rid of weeds by autumn plowing?

A plow turns over a layer of earth, the roots of weeds freeze

Getting rid of weeds is good when plowing the land in the fall. Everything is simple and banal here. The fact is that if the garden is plowed correctly in the fall, then frosts come. That's when the weeds die. Their horses just freeze. And in the spring they do not germinate. Really verified by experience.

Previously, we did not plow a garden for potatoes in the fall. The grass just won. There was so much that it was impossible to drip potatoes. Two years ago we plowed in the fall, the next summer we could not get enough of it. Grass, weeds are many times less. Processing and even more so digging potatoes is much easier. Plowing plays a big role and facilitates the battle with weeds, which sometimes becomes unbearably difficult.

And those who plow the garden once or twice a year will say that in this way you can almost completely get rid of weeds. Of course autumn

But there is another factor that affects the quality of plowing. It is necessary that the one who plows understands what he is doing. In other words, it is better to involve specialists when the time comes to plow the land. You need to know how to plow and to what depth.

Which method to choose for plowing: manual or mechanical?

Walk-behind tractor in a small area is ideal for autumn plowing

Many inexperienced gardeners ask this question. There are many ways and devices. answering the question of when to plow the land, the question arose of "how" to plow. Of course, many will say - you need to dig with a plow. We mainly use three types: a shovel, a walk-behind tractor and a tractor. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Shovel - cheap and cheerful. But definitely do not damage the fertile layer. But more often this method will not give a special result. You can plow with a shovel if you have a very small garden.

If you have at least 5 acres, then a walk-behind tractor is ideal. They can plow deep enough - up to 25 cm. This will saturate the earth well with oxygen and remove a lot of weeds. And also they can plow all the moves of rodents. Then they will not harm you the next time they land.

But if you have large gardens, then in any case you need a tractor. It is desirable that a person not only knows how, but also knows how to plow the land correctly. What type of tractor is better to use depends on the properties of the land. Some heavy tractors may simply not take deep ground. They can sink into the ground and not really plow.

That's all for me, I think this article was useful to you, share it on social networks, write comments, bye everyone.

Updated: March 30, 2019 by: Subbotin Pavel

One of the most important and responsible operations on the site is the main tillage. Plowing or loosening with flat cutters is the most time-consuming work in any garden. It is depressing, however, that scientifically based deadlines are not always observed.

WHEN DO WE FLOOR?

The majority (almost 100%) cultivate the land not at the moment when agrotechnical conditions require it, but only when free time appears or after a neighbor (so as not to be considered a quitter). At the same time, few people think about what timely tillage gives.

First of all, it is a guarantee that the lion's share of pests and diseases remaining in the soil will leave you alone forever. It is known that in more than 90% of the various enemies of the garden, a certain part of the development takes place in the ground. Larvae of click beetles (wireworms), May beetles spend here for four years! Caterpillars of many butterflies, beetles, cabbage and carrot flies, which usually spend their lives on plants, go into the soil to pupate. Therefore, timely plowing is a mandatory agricultural technique in the system of pest control measures on the site.

With any treatment, the living conditions and development of pests in the soil change, this is a kind of stress for them and in any case leads to a decrease in their number and viability. In addition, eggs and pupae, once on the surface, simply dry out or become lawful prey for birds.

On a note
Autumn tillage improves its water-air properties - the earth literally begins to breathe, soil-forming processes are activated, nutrients are being absorbed, and moisture is accumulating.

EARLY AND LATE - THE BEST PLOOWING TIMES

The most effective is deep autumn plowing (disking, chiselling). However, it is important to choose the right plowing time. This is best done in early autumn when the weather is nice and warm. In this case, most of the larvae will be exterminated by birds. Do not doubt the effectiveness of such a sweep, the main thing is not to chase the crows, as you do in spring or summer, because now they are allies.

If it was not possible to plow in early autumn, then it is better to wait until the average daily air temperature drops to 5-6 degrees. The people say: you need to plow for the winter when the earth is chilly from the cold. At this temperature, the larvae and caterpillars, once on the surface, fall into a stupor and cannot go deep into the soil. After late plowing or digging, a significant number of pupae and caterpillars that have prepared for pupation also die.

DO NOT FORGET TO PREPARE CORRECTLY FOR PLOWING

Before you start plowing or digging up the ground, take the time to clean up the garden. It is necessary to collect garbage and plant residues. It is best to burn all this, and distribute the resulting ash over the site. If this is not done, then as a result, ready-made hotbeds of many diseases and pests will simply be plowed into the ground. But simple cleaning will get rid of problems in the future.

Before plowing, it would be good to do the main dressing of the soil with fertilizers. Scatter manure (a bucket per square meter) and sprinkle potassium and phosphorus - 15-20 g on the same area. However, if the soil on the site is light, then it is better to postpone this operation until spring: fertilizers during the winter will simply “leave” in the lower layers of the earth, without bringing any benefit.