When it comes time to cultivating a vegetable garden, be it spring or autumn digging or harrowing, most gardeners grab their heads in despair. This rather complicated and time-consuming procedure without knowledge of its rules can turn into a nightmare at all. Especially hard for beginners who take up a shovel, as a foreign object. Fortunately, there are convenient and proper ways of working the land that will help you simplify this process.
- How to dig, instructions
- Is it necessary, and when to dig the ground in the fall
- Do I need to dig a plot in the spring
- What is a sole, and how to get rid of it
- How to dig virgin soil
- Is it possible to facilitate the process of digging
How to dig, instructions
Most gardeners advise when digging or planting to dig to the depth of the whole spade of a spade. This will help turn the upper soil with weed seeds, mineral and organic fertilizers, which are sprinkled on the ground, on the bottom of the formed hole.
In the fall, the most effective is the pass method - digging up the ground with furrows 40 cm wide, but no more than the width of the spade bayonet. The area to be dug is mentally divided into two parts. The first row of furrows is digging, then the second row is buried.Thus, the soil layers are saturated with oxygen and nutrients. This method is recommended in the event that you fertilize the soil with manure or compost.
After scattering it in the garden, dig up the ground for its even distribution. The “bed” of manure is also effective: put manure on the bottom of the furrow and sprinkle it with earth. If the soil of your garden needs lime, then it should not be mixed with manure - they can enter into a chemical reaction.
It is best to dig up the soil, keeping the spade bayonet in an upright position. This will increase the layer of cultivated land due to deep penetration and facilitate the separation of the breasts.
Is it necessary, and when to dig the ground in the fall
This question is the stumbling block of most gardeners. Some people think that digging up a vegetable garden in the fall is not rational, while others, following traditional methods of tillage, argue that this will increase the yield next year. We will present several arguments that will help you answer the question of whether to dig up the earth in the fall.
Advantages of autumn soil digging is that the top layer of leaves, twigs and other plant elements fall into the inner soil ball and rot over the winter, and the larvae of many insect pests rise to the surface of the earth and die from birds or winter frosts. The soil is enriched with nitrogenous microorganisms that are activated from oxygen.
The downside isthat when digging up the soil, you bury weed seeds, helping them to winter and climb in the spring.
As it is known, it is recommended to dig up the ground in the autumn not deeper than 10 cm, since with deeper penetration useful substances disappear.
Single opinion about the autumn digging does not exist. The advantage is that the top layer of the earth is not so compacted over the winter, and in the spring it will take less time to prepare the soil for planting.
It is necessary to dig up the ground in the fall also because under the winter the soil needs to be fed. When the first rains come, it’s too late to dig up the earth, in the fall this period falls to the end of October. So it is better to have time by the middle of this month.
Do I need to dig a plot in the spring
When digging a garden in the spring, you must take into account that the soil has hardened over the winter.
How to dig the soil in the spring? If you have been tilling the soil in the fall, then in the spring you only need to harrow the soil. Thus, the moisture reserves will remain, preventing the drying of the upper layers of soil.
Shallow digging will help to keep substances in the ground that you buried in it in the fall. All humus, fertilizer, compost will be an excellent basis for your harvest. Enriched soil, as is known, promotes active germination of seeds and their preservation in case of frosts.
What is a sole, and how to get rid of it
A sole is a layer of compacted earth, resulting from the frequent digging up of a vegetable garden to the same depth.
The emergence of soles are subject to heavy soils (sod-podzolic, clay) and marshy. It is recommended to carry out a two-tier digging of the territory every 4-6 years.
The sole prevents the growth of many root plants: celery, carrots, beets, onions, parsley, etc., and distorts their roots.
If the sole is heavily compacted, water stagnation occurs, contributing to the development of adverse bacteria and microorganisms, which subsequently affect the development of vegetables.
Get rid of the soles will help bunk digging the garden. It is advisable to hold it in the fall so that a useful microflora can form during the winter and spring period. To do this, you need to dig a furrow to the width of your spade's bayonet and pierce its bottom with garden forks. At the same time the earth at the edges of the furrow should also be loosened. After you can make compost or manure. As a result of such digging, the arable layer increases, and the earth is saturated with oxygen, necessary for the development of useful substances, and its physical and water properties are improved.
How to dig virgin soil
Tselina is a land that has not undergone any treatment, is not plowed by anyone and, on the one hand, is wild.
If you have such a site, then this is a great reason to process it and get moral and physical satisfaction from the results. As soon as you gather strength, tools and inspiration, you can immediately proceed. But note that this is a terrible work and trial.
It is possible to process virgin soil with the help of technology, and independently (it depends on your health). The processing method is quite simple, but before you think that, apart from the tractor, do not dig up the virgin soil, think about your arms and legs. A wonderful tool, and most importantly, free, to conquer virgin soil.
Manual processing is a complex and time-consuming process. First of all, you need to choose the right season. For such work is perfect period of autumn digging. Since you need to clear your abandoned area from weeds for processing virgin soil, then start by choosing a gas mower. You can take the usual, but then the duration of work will increase.
You will also need a shovel.It is best to dig up virgin land in parts, dividing it with the help of a thread. It is necessary to dig to a depth of at least 15 cm. The dug-out area is left to dry for a while. Then you need to walk on it with a pitchfork and fluff the earth.
When digging virgin soil, it is important to be patient, because such a thing, because of its complexity, often remains abandoned.
Is it possible to facilitate the process of digging
In order to save time and effort, it is necessary to adjust the digging technique.
First of all, you need to choose the right shovel. Its handle should be strong, smooth and polished enough. This will protect you from palm damage and unexpected breakdowns. The blade of the bayonet needs to be well sharpened - then the process will go faster.
You also need to protect yourself from injury (grated corn, splinters). Gloves for work must have rubberized palms, then the hand will not slide on a smooth handle. Shoes choose a closed type with a hard sole, because when thin, it may be painful to press the foot on the shovel.
Since it is possible to make it easier to dig a vegetable garden in different ways, let's start with the simplest one - with how you hold the tool.
The shovel must be placed vertically, with a bayonet to the ground. With your foot, press on the tray of the shovel, while firmly holding the handle with both hands. The bayonet of a shovel needs to be inserted to the depth necessary for the type of digging - to the full length or to half. The working leg can be chosen at its discretion. Usually right-handers use right and left-handers, respectively, left.
According to the rules, a shovel and its bayonet should be perpendicular to the ground, since under an inclination you cannot dig deep into the soil. The pace of digging is better to maintain an average.
The process of digging and working the land is rather difficult, but, following simple and useful advice, you will greatly simplify this seasonal work for yourself. Do not be afraid to experiment - tillage is based more on experience and personal observations, rather than on norms and rules.
