A Properly Arranged Compost On The Site Will Help You To Increase Soil Fertility And Increase Yields In Greenhouses And Garden Beds (part 2)

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

The clever grows the crop, and the wise grows the soil

Read the first part of the article

Compost bed

The next year, in the spring, I level the plant residues on the heap, put a good layer of fresh horse manure (with sawdust) on them, almost to the top of the heap, and then - a layer of earth. I water everything well with water, the Extrasol solution and cover the compost bin with black foil for 2-3 weeks. We now begin to put all waste, manure and other organic matter into another compost bin using the same technology, from which we obtained and used compost that was “ripe” for a year.

And in the first compost bin filled to the top, on the twentieth of May, I make cross-shaped holes in the foil and plant seedlings of zucchini, pumpkins or melons with watermelons there. I pour them with warm water and cover them with white dense spunbond. I remove this shelter when flower buds appear on the plants. Before planting the seedlings, I add a little compost to the holes cut out in the film before planting the seedlings, one (without a slide) teaspoon of azophoska, double superphosphate, potassium magnesium, a pinch of AVA fertilizer, a tablespoon of ash. I mix all this well with a garden shovel.

I water the plants on the compost heap with warm water every five to seven days, depending on the weather. Once every ten days I water it with a liquid manure solution. I already stop feeding in August. At this time, I carry out preventive spraying of plants from powdery mildew with Topaz solution (according to the instructions).

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Where does the compost go

In late October - early November, I shoot black film. The compost is ready. During the summer, I do not shovel it, as many experts advise, so that air gets there. I believe that microorganisms, worms and others that inhabit the compost heap, the inhabitants do their job well without shoveling. Moreover, it is impossible for me to do this, because plants grow on the heap.

There are many liquid formulations available in stores to speed up the composting process. I bought them, but I did not see the difference in natural composting with these preparations, so I think that they are not needed - this is a waste of money.

In early November, I sift the top layer of this compost. I add sifted earth from the greenhouse (from under the cucumbers) there and take it to the city. I will use it when making an earthen mixture for growing seedlings for the new season.

Part of the compost will go to greenhouses, where in late autumn I make hot beds, changing the soil. How this can be done, I have already written several times in last year's issues of the magazine.

The remaining compost will be introduced into the garden, and I will hide some of it for mulching the plants in the greenhouse. Of course, such compost has not completely decomposed, but after it is introduced into the soil, it will ripen, releasing a huge amount of heat and carbon dioxide, which plants really need for photosynthesis. Most of this carbon dioxide - and this is 65% - is formed by the decomposition of organic residues by microorganisms that are food for them. In turn, they will supply plants with nutrients in the course of their life. By the way, the current concentration of carbon dioxide in the air is not quite sufficient for plant respiration. Ground-level increase in the concentration of carbon dioxide significantly increases the leaf surface of plants, which has a positive effect on their yield.

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If we compare the harvest of pumpkins, zucchini obtained on a regular garden bed and on a compost heap, then the latter wins. In addition, it is convenient to water the plants on the compost heap - no need to bend over. The main thing is that the compost can be approached from any side.

I do not advise putting compost into the garden in the fall, because in the fall, 13% of the nitrate nitrogen contained in it leaves the groundwater. With an excess of moisture, which is typical for our autumn weather, this nitrogen is washed out from the surface layers of the soil and transferred to deeper layers or groundwater. In addition, many gardeners have water on the plot in the spring, which also carries nitrogen away from the soil, leading to nitrogen starvation of plants and trees.

I noticed that our land in the area from the introduction of such compost warms up much faster in spring than in other areas. In addition, the appearance of the plants is also noticeably different from the neighboring plants. Previously, I conducted experiments on potatoes: I applied only rotted manure to half of the plot, and compost to the other half of the plot. Where the compost was applied, the yield was two or more times higher than on the area fertilized with manure. Thanks to the annual composting, I preserve the arable layer of the soil and constantly maintain its fertility, which significantly affects the yield of all crops. In addition, the soil into which the compost was introduced is easy to cultivate - it is loose, breathable. When watering the ridges, water is quickly absorbed, and does not drain from it, which is very important for our soils.

Weed control

The compost has one drawback - the presence of seeds of annual weeds is possible, which, getting into the garden, sprout in a week and grow quickly, like by leaps and bounds. But it is easy to find justice on them. I do it like this: after digging up the soil and preparing the garden bed, I water it well with water, and then also with a solution of microbiological fertilizer. Then I cover this entire surface with a black film. I do this in order to make the weed seeds sprout. They sprout, but there is no light under the film, besides, there is a high temperature there from heating by the sun, and most of them die. After a week, I remove the film, loosen the ground with a rake or a hoe in order to raise the weed seeds to the surface from deeper layers, and water it again with the solution of the same preparation. And again I cover it with black film for a week. This procedure can be repeated a third time. Only after these events can the seeds of cultivated plants be sown. If annual weeds will sprout, then only single specimens. And you do not have to engage in tedious weeding, which is especially true in the carrot-planted beds.

In order for the land to generously endow you with the harvest, you need to take good care of it, increasing and preserving its fertility. Our soil is alive, and only in living earth can you get stable and generous yields of aromatic and tasty vegetables, berries and fruits. It cannot be replaced with lifeless artificial soil or hydroponics! After all, buying vegetables in the store in winter, you involuntarily remember the tomatoes and cucumbers grown with your own hands on your native and living land! So let's treat it more carefully, creating and increasing its fertility! And here an ancient Chinese proverb involuntarily comes to mind: "A foolish person grows weeds, a smart one grows a crop, and a wise one grows soil."

Olga Rubtsova, gardener, candidate of geographical sciences

Vsevolozhsky district of the

Leningrad region

Photo by the author