Everything ready for the new garden year

There is no fertilization in autumn

Since the bed is fallow, there are no plants that would absorb the nutrients. Therefore, fertilizing with quick-acting agents would be counterproductive, because the fertilizers are only washed out into the surface and groundwater.

Spread green manure

However, it is recommended to apply green manure plants. These not only improve the quality of the soil, they also protect the earth from compaction and silting up. Some of these plants such as lupins and clover even enrich the substrate with nitrogen with the nodule bacteria that have settled at their roots.

Mulching improves the quality of the soil

Many Green manure plants die with the first frost. This is intentional because the leaf mass, like a layer of mulch, protects the soil. If the earth remained fallow, the weather would have an unhindered effect. Cracked, hard and compacted soil is the result.

As an alternative to the mown or frozen green manure, you can use mulch material that accumulates in the garden:

• Lawn clippings are applied in a thin layer so that the damp material is well converted.
• Tall grass, unless it contains weed seeds.
• Nettle leaves provide larger amounts of nitrogen and potassium. Do not use any flowering or seed-bearing parts.
• Vegetable waste from harvesting the beds.
• Depending on the nature of the soil Leaves make a good mulch material be.

Bark mulch is unsuitable as this material removes nitrogen from the soil and releases tannins.

Digging is unnecessary

Dug up beds look nice and clean. However, cutting is not only arduous work, it also leads to a disruption of the soil culture. The microorganisms that are important for soil health are transported upwards, while the crumb ends up below.

It is better if you carefully loosen the soil in the vegetable patch with a digging fork in the spring and work in the remains of the green manure.