Every gardener and vegetable grower dreams of having fertile soil on which to grow a garden. But over time, the fertile layer of soil becomes thinner. The soil shows its exhaustion in different ways. Read our article about how to improve the garden soil in spring.
The thickness of the fertile layer has decreased, what to do
If you have grown plants with a shallow root system in the same place for a long time and saved on fertilizers, it is not surprising if the fertile layer becomes thinner. After all, your green darlings have probably used up all the useful substances for their growth and development, and you have not applied enough fertilizer to normalize the situation.
What should be done? Try adding compost (3 buckets per 1 square meter) to the dug soil. This organic fertilizer can significantly improve the quality of “tired” soil and provide plants with the necessary microelements.
The ground is crumbling like dust, what to do
Let's say you're conservative through and through and prefer to plant traditional vegetables (like cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage or zucchini) that require a lot of nutrients. You forego fertilizers because you believe the crops should be organic, and you forget about mulching because your grandparents didn't do it. And so it is not surprising that after a few years the once fertile soil in your vegetable garden begins to absorb moisture poorly and flies away during gusts of wind.
Also read:Which plants for clay soil in the sun & shade
What should be done? You can, of course, replace the topsoil, but this is quite expensive. Try itfirst with fertilizer. Add 2-3 buckets of compost per square meter and spread it to a depth of 10 cm. This weighs down the soil and makes it more nutritious at the same time.
Pay attention to the soil conditions on your property. Certain soils, such as B. sandy soils dry out quickly and can hardly retain moisture. It is not recommended to dig them more than once a year.
How to improve your garden soil in spring if it has become too dense
A hard, wet floor that is no longer easy to shovel can be the result of improper maintenance. If e.g. For example, digging deep into clay soils in rainy weather, leaving heavy clay on the surface, can form a water- and moisture-tight crust over the soil.
What should be done? Sometimes like is treated with like, so the soil can be easily dug up to a depth of 10 cm before the onset of the cold season. Experienced vegetable gardeners are of the opinion that if you just dig up the clods of earth, but do not break them up and do not turn them over, they will really freeze and become loose over the winter.
If the surface of the soil is clay, you can bring sand (1 bucket per 1 square meter). It is also worth attracting earthworms to the property. These invertebrates love decomposing organic matter. Therefore, it is a good idea to mulch the soil around the plants, e.g. B. with fermented compost.
You can feed your garden soil with an infusion of dandelions, which also attracts earthworms. To do this, 1 kg of dandelion sprouts and roots are poured into 10 liters of water, strained after two weeks and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10.
Also interesting:Using Sand in the Garden: Helpful Tips and Ideas to Try This Spring!
The soil is affected by pests and diseases, what to do
Insects, bacteria and harmful fungi don't take a nap in summer and infest the plot at a rapid pace. And in winter they rest - also in the ground, so that they can take up the fight for the harvest with you again next season.
What should be done? Mechanical methods of combat are not superfluous. For example, if you dig up the soil in the beds in late autumn (without breaking the clods), the larvae of the pests become prey for the birds. And some of the insects simply can no longer burrow into the ground and overwinter. It is also important to remove fallen leaves as pest larvae often overwinter underneath.
The easiest way to combat insects that overwinter on the ground is to treat the soil. Which home remedies are suitable for treating garden soil against pests?Here you can find some ideas.
Floor covered with moss, what to do
Moss can appear in beds, flower beds and even lawns. The most common causes are high humidity, excessive shading and dense or acidic soil.
What should be done? Moss in beds is usually removed mechanically. But ensure the appropriate soil moisture. To normalize soil moisture, you can dig shallow drainage channels at the edge of the site into which excess water will flow.
It is also important to take into account that moss, like any weed, primarily conquers free areas. So if you don't want to grow vegetables under the canopy of a branchy tree, plant plants that tolerate the shade well, such as forget-me-nots, ferns or hydrangeas.
Also read:Biodynamic garden: what needs to be taken into account so that plant cultivation works properly
