Garden vegetable garden October what to do. The most important work in the garden in October
On the eve of winter, he shared with Pravda.Ru his secrets and tips on running a garden in the country Chairman of the Moscow Union of Gardeners Andrey Tumanov.
- What is important to do now at the dacha, in the garden, in the vegetable garden in order to preserve vegetables and fruits and get them next year good harvest?
— The summer season never ends; it continues in late autumn and even winter. There will always be enough work, certainly at the dacha now. Those who have not done this yet, for example, need to finish harvesting. The same potatoes, beets, cabbage.
Then you need to put the potatoes in a dark place with room temperature. Under no circumstances should you let potatoes go straight into the basement! First, he must lie down, rest, as they say, heal some of his wounds and prepare for the winter. The same goes for carrots.
I strongly recommend that everyone thoroughly wash their vegetables before doing this. For example, I do this with a hose. After you wash away the dirty soil from the fruits, you can immediately see those with rotten or bruised ones. These are unsuitable for storage and must be eaten immediately. And, let’s face it, ripe, washed, clean vegetables look more appetizing.
Don't forget about order in your dacha. Always after the harvest season you need to thoroughly tidy up your plot. Then I always, for example, dig up the garden. This effective method weed control. I cultivate the soil in the garden. I definitely add lime or ash - this is to deoxidize the soil, because most of our soils are acidic. And if you apply certain types of nitrogen fertilizers, the soil becomes even more acidic, so every year you need to deoxidize the soil a little.
I usually burn a lot of ash, wood ash, ash is a soft deoxidizer, and it is advisable to add the ash for digging and in the fall. And somewhere during the digging I add at least a third of a bucket of sifted wood ash to square meter. This helps maintain the required soil acidity. And plus ash is a good fertilizer, it contains potassium, a little phosphorus and microelements.
I'll give you one more piece of advice. Look how many rotten apples are lying around - both you and your neighbors, hanging in the trees. You see, rotten apples aren't just unsightly or unsustainable - they're a recipe for even more illness next year. That is, when an apple rots, it bears spores and scatters spores. And if we somehow do not utilize them, it means that these diseases will develop in geometric progression. Therefore, of course, all this must be disposed of.
I have seen some gardeners have trash containers; they throw bags of apples there. This is wrong, because even rotten apples are organic, and organic matter is a big shortage in the country. As a rule, I bury such fruits. So I dug several holes for black currants, filled them with apples... When planting crops, you can simply bury them in the holes. They will rot there with the help of bacteria, earthworms will eat them, and seemingly rotten, completely unnecessary apples will turn into a good nutrient for plants. Compost is the same best fertilizer, which cannot be bought.
Therefore, use organic matter as much as possible, and diseases buried in the ground will not come out if you put at least 20-30 centimeters of soil on top. This way I recycle all organic matter. These are not only apples, these are also potato tops, which are one hundred percent sick with late blight. In theory, it should be burned, but I feel sorry for burning organic matter. I also use it. Tops of tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini - all these are diseased, but they can also become organic.
You can also do winter sowings. It’s quite possible to plant garlic - even, perhaps, in some regions of the country it’s too late, where the cold has already arrived. But if you haven't done this, plant winter garlic immediately. You can plant small bulbs: scylla, crocuses, tulips, hyacinths, daffodils. All this is planted in the fall, so hurry up and plant it so that you have it in the spring. beautiful flower garden. You can also make vegetable beds already - all winter-hardy vegetables, such as potatoes, beets, salads, onions, seeds, can be planted in the fall. The harvest will be at least one and a half to two weeks earlier. So the game is worth the candle.
Having dealt with all this, you can, if there is time left, make part spring work to relieve pressure next spring. For example, trimming bushes. In general, this, of course, I repeat, is work for the spring, but black and red currants, gooseberries, ornamental shrubs, for example, you can prune immediately after the leaves have fallen. Just right for bushes autumn pruning painless.
There is always enough work at the dacha, I speak from my own experience. So get to work!
Outside the window, the leaves are already falling in full swing, which means that autumn is gaining momentum and the cold will come very soon. We have compiled for you a list of things to do in October. So that this autumn month will be remembered throughout the cold winter. So what do you need to do in October?
To-do list:
1. Buy a bright umbrella. If you don’t already have a bright umbrella, then you should get one soon. Yellow and orange umbrellas will keep you warm in the heaviest rain.
2. Bake cookies in the form autumn leaves. Delight your friends and loved ones with delicious cookies in the shape of autumn leaves, cones or acorns.
3. Replenish your supplies of delicious and aromatic tea. It is better to serve cookies with delicious tea. Discover new flavors of aromatic tea.
4. Arrange fun party in honor of Halloween. The end of the month promises to be both fun and scary. Be sure to throw your own Halloween party and invite all your friends to it.
5. Prepare a pumpkin dish. The harvest has already been harvested, which means that culinary experiments can be arranged. You can cook it from pumpkin tasty soup or bake a big pie.
6. Choose a warm October day and have a picnic in the park. You need to have time to enjoy the last warm day of autumn. Bring a warm blanket, hot tea and sandwiches.
7. Rustle the autumn leaves. It's so amazing to step on fallen leaves and hear them rustle under you.
8. Have fun cycling. Let's make the most of the last days of October, ride a bike, because winter will come very soon.
9. Watch the birds fly south.
10. Arrange an autumn photo shoot. Treat yourself to memories this fall. Arrange an autumn photo shoot at fresh air or in the autumn decoration of a photo studio.
11. Collect a bouquet of autumn leaves. A bouquet of autumn leaves can be used as a prop for a photo shoot or as a gift to your parents.
12. Collect and dry the herbarium. Remember how in childhood we collected a herbarium and laid it out in books.
13. Enjoy the new honey harvest. The bees have been working all summer collecting delicious honey, now it's time to enjoy it. And hot milk with honey will help you avoid getting sick this fall.
14. Bake cinnamon apple pie. We continue to improve our culinary skills and our next step is to prepare the most delicious charlotte.
15. Have a romantic evening with your loved one. Don't forget about your loved ones. Give them a romantic evening with candles and a warm blanket.
16. Brew mulled wine. The most warming drink of autumn and the coming winter is Mulled wine. Come up with your own unique recipe and surprise your loved ones with it.
17. Get a warm sweater. Perhaps many of you have already completed this point, but those who haven’t yet, then go to the closet in search of the warmest sweater.
19. Go to a cafe with friends. Invite your friends to an interesting cafe that you have never been to before. And be sure to order a drink that is new to you.
20. Organize your own October Fest. Have a blast at your October Fest.
21. Get your favorites rubber boots. Not all shoes can withstand heavy rains, and this is where rubber boots come to the rescue. If you have not yet acquired this wardrobe item, then you urgently need to do some shopping.
22. Draw an autumn landscape. Add a little creativity to your life. Golden is a great opportunity to learn how to draw.
The summer season has come to an end, but, my dear summer residents, this does not mean at all that we can now relax and sit back. You will be drinking tea with jam and looking at summer photos in winter, but for now you need to prepare for it.
In the garden in October there's still a lot of work to do. We are slowly preparing the beds so that we can just sow them in the spring. If you have been planning to plant trees or bushes all summer, but have just acquired them, plant them, don’t delay.
But in the mode of chronic time pressure, you can (and this is sometimes more correct!) bury the seedlings. This way they will survive the winter well, and in the spring you can plant them in pre-prepared holes.
This is better than making all the mistakes and dooming the plant to a difficult winter. And in general, don’t do everything in a hurry, think through the planting and work in advance, because it’s more expensive to redo it later. In general, we still need more than one fine day to work in the garden and in the garden.
At the beginning of October, the warm days of golden autumn can still please us with their bright bliss. This is the time when leaves fall from the trees and cover the cooling earth with a lush, warm carpet.
And at the end of the month, “manna” from heaven is already pouring into the beds. And then even the most persistent summer residents will want the comfort of home.
The summer was generous, there was enough warmth for us, the flowers, and the harvest. And now we need to have time to prepare the areas for winter so that frost does not spoil the bushes and trees or destroy perennials.
So what do we need to do to new season I was pleased with the excellent harvest and I didn’t want to miss anything.
October - “Garden Month”
There is a dance of falling leaves in the garden. How wisely nature works! To prevent the roots from freezing in the ground, the trees themselves make sure that they are at least a little warmer.
From this observation, you and I, dear summer residents, can draw a very useful conclusion: before the arrival of winter, it is good to cover perennials featherbed of fallen leaves. Birch foliage is best suited for this.
If you have not yet completed them, hurry to do them in the first half of October, because frost is just around the corner.
Harvesting the last harvest of apples and pears of late varieties
To preserve them longer, we collect the fruits dry, immediately after the dew has subsided, and always with the stalk. Let's carefully examine harvested and all fruits that do not have mechanical or other damage are placed in boxes lined with paper, sprinkled with sawdust, or you can wrap each fruit in parchment paper or paper napkins, which will significantly improve the storage regime, since if some fruit rots, it will not infect the rest.
I advise you to first place the boxes with fruits in the barn, and only then, with the onset of cold weather, move them to the basement, where they will continue to be stored at low positive temperatures.
If we immediately put apples and pears taken from the tree into storage, then due to the temperature difference the fruits may become sweaty and the likelihood of their spoilage increases. It is best to place boxes in the basement when the temperatures in the basement and outside are equal.
Early October finishing the cleaning chokeberry . Its berries make excellent jam, as well as jams and juices.
We are also finishing cleaning remontant raspberry varieties.
The last of fruit crops remove the quince, since it ripens quite late - only in mid-October. She is inedible fresh, because the pulp is very tough, but there are still lovers who really like it, especially for its unique aroma.
But from quince you can make processed products that taste amazing: preserves, jams, marmalade, juice with pulp.
Fruit tree seedlings in the nursery
We continue planting fruit trees and shrubs, but we try to complete it before mid-October, since plants planted later are at risk.
Autumn is the best time to buy planting material. At this time, mass digging of seedlings takes place in all nurseries, so in the fall there is the most diverse and large assortment of planting material and, accordingly, the best opportunities for selection.
Only one remains for spring planting material, which they couldn’t sell in the fall.
If you are planning to rejuvenate or expand your garden, then purchase seedlings now, in the fall. Winter-hardy varieties Apple trees, raspberries, currants, gooseberries are best planted immediately permanent place. And it would be better to dig up seedlings of other less winter-hardy fruit crops for spring planting.
Many amateur gardeners still prefer to buy seedlings in the spring because they do not know how to properly preserve them until spring. And it's not that difficult.
To ensure that the seedlings are well preserved until spring, bury them in your area, choosing a well-warmed, high place that will not be flooded with melt water either in spring or in winter during thaws.
Then, in the selected area, we dig a ditch in the direction from east to west, about 50 cm deep and 100-120 cm wide (dimensions depend on the size of the seedlings).
We make the southern wall of the ditch inclined, and put the excavated earth on the northern side. We lay the planting material obliquely in one row, so that all root system and a third of the barrel was in the groove.
The crown should be oriented to the south. This arrangement greatly reduces the risk of the seedlings getting burned by the bright sun in February-March. Gently spread the roots along the southern sloping wall of the groove.
Just remember to write down the sequence of varieties and the quantity of each variety in the direction from east to west. Then in the spring you can easily determine the varietal identity of each seedling. To be on the safe side, you can also hang a thick foil label on each seedling with the name of the variety embossed on it.
Now you can cover the seedlings with soil, pressing it firmly to the roots. If the weather is dry at this time, then the soil should be well watered.
General lawn cleaning
Winter is the hardest time for the lawn, so we will try to prepare it well for the cold weather.
If after the last cutting the grass has grown a lot, then it is necessary to trim it, but not too short, leaving a height of 5-8 cm.
Sprinkle the seeds onto the resulting “bald patches”. The ants will not have time to take them away, and in the spring the seeds will have time to sprout before the first cutting.
Be sure to feed the lawn with potassium fertilizers, thanks to which our lawn can safely survive even severe frosts.
There is no place for fallen leaves, grass felt and debris on the lawn, so we take a frequent rake and thoroughly “comb” your lawn.
If the autumn turned out to be too rainy, then it is necessary to pierce the turf with a pitchfork to the maximum possible depth. This is done in order to divert excess water into the lower layers of the soil.
Otherwise, as soon as frost hits, the wet lawn will be covered with an ice crust, and by spring unsightly bald spots will form on it.
October pruning
There are plants that do not tolerate well spring pruning. These are many berry plants, including actinidia, in which sap flow begins early in the spring.
Therefore, it is better to prune them at the beginning of October, since by this time the plants have finished all their vital processes and are ready for winter. But there is still time for wounds to heal (before the onset of stable frosts).
We talked about pruning currants, gooseberries, and raspberries in previous articles, so now we’ll learn how to do annual pruning of actinidia. Actinidia pruning procedure:
first we cut out all the thin and broken shoots, and then the weak ones that thicken the crown;
we remove 1-2 vines that have been bearing fruit for 3 years, cutting them down to a powerful branch of a young vine located lower to the ground;
we shorten the vegetative shoots to the required length when they occupy the free space intended for them on the support;
we prune generative-vegetative shoots that form on last year’s growths to 30 cm in length;
We evenly distribute all the shoots remaining on the vine on the trellis, so that in the future they can grow freely and diffused light passes through them in a leafy state.
Work in the garden
Gardeners are trying to complete everything by mid-October seasonal work, because not everyone had enough time in September to deal with harvesting and preparing the garden for winter.
Harvesting late vegetables
At the beginning of the month we dig up the remains of the colored one, and then, after the Intercession, and later white cabbage. We cut down the heads of cabbage and take them away from the garden.
If frozen water and ice are found at the top of the leaves, then remove the covering leaves, dry the heads of cabbage and store them.
And if there are pockets of rot, fill them with a mixture of sand, slaked lime and chalk. After white cabbage, we begin harvesting late Brussels sprouts. To preserve Brussels sprouts better and longer, it is recommended to dig them up with their roots and bury them in the basement in a large deep box in damp sand or hang them upside down on a crossbar. The temperature in the basement must be maintained at +1...+2 degrees.
Having allocated the cabbage for storage, we return to the site and dig up all the stumps with roots remaining in the ground. Don't leave a single root in the ground!
And the point here is not only the cleanliness of the area (although this is also very important), but also the fact that cabbage fly larvae overwinter on the roots of the cabbage. And if we don’t remove the stumps, then in the spring, as soon as the ground thaws, these larvae will warm up and begin a feast on the same roots, unnoticed by us summer residents.
And in June, as soon as we plant fresh cabbage seedlings, they will be attacked by young cabbage flies that have just emerged.
We dig up radishes, parsnips and celery, and small root vegetables of parsley and celery can be left over the winter so that in early spring You could already have fresh herbs on your table.
At the end of the month we collect Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Be sure to leave some of the tubers in the ground for the winter - new plants will grow from them in the spring. Jerusalem artichoke grows well in one place for no more than 5 years, then it is better to transplant it to a new place. It is better to store the tubers in the basement, layering them with earth so that they do not dry out.
After the onset of frost, you can dig up horseradish, because by this time the plant has accumulated greatest number nutrients and it turns out aromatic, sweetish and not so vigorous. We select the roots cleanly, otherwise the horseradish will grow throughout the entire area, dry them and put them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
To dig or not to dig?
Another mandatory autumn procedure is digging up the soil. Although increasingly Lately there are doubts about its feasibility. Many supporters of natural farming believe that digging up the soil leads to the death of beneficial soil microorganisms and promotes the growth of weed seeds. And our attempt to give the roots air sometimes destroys these very roots.
To understand whether to dig or not to dig the ground, of course, it is best to experiment yourself. But you should still take into account the type of soil. For example, heavy clay and uncultivated soils require autumn digging. While light and loose soils require deep loosening using a flat cutter.
Tilling the soil in the garden should begin immediately after harvesting, carefully removing weeds and applying the necessary fertilizers.
But if we still decide to experiment, then let’s take several beds for our experiment and, without digging, process them with a flat cutter, and then cover them with a thick, even layer of mulch (hay and straw), level them well and compact them.
The layer should be at least 10 cm. This is not so much, since in the spring, when the snow melts, this layer will not be so large.
From autumn until spring, under this layer they will actually be preserved. ideal conditions for the active growth of soil microflora, which will inhibit the development of pathogenic microbes.
In addition, they will “fatten” earthworms, which in the process of their life activity provide nutrition to the soil and loosen it.
Proponents of natural farming believe that in the spring, seedlings and seeds should be planted without removing the mulch layer, but only lightly raking the mulch and digging holes for the seedlings.
And we sow the seeds in this way: we rake the mulch, make furrows, put the seeds in them, lightly sprinkle them with earth, and then return the layer of mulch to its place.
Under such a layer of mulch, moisture is well retained, so seeds and seedlings can be watered less often, and in early spring there is no need to water at all, since mulch retains snow moisture well in the soil.
Also, a favorable microclimate is created under the mulch, which promotes rapid seed germination and rooting of seedlings.
Finally, decomposing mulch provides excellent root feeding. And all this with minimal costs for fertilizer and watering. Moreover, we will save our energy, and this is very important for any summer resident.
Getting ready for winter sowing
In the first half of October, we plant winter garlic in previously prepared beds.
In areas with unstable, frequently changing weather, it is very difficult to guess the timing of planting, but the plants must have time to take root well, but at the same time not produce green shoots, otherwise they may freeze. And more late landings They can also suffer from frost, as they do not have time to form a root system.
It is best to plant garlic at a time when the average daily air temperature no longer rises above 10 degrees.
For planting we use garlic cloves, bulbs and single cloves. We plant the cloves to a depth equal to three times the diameter of the clove or bulb.
After the soil on the garlic plantings has lightly frozen, it is advisable to mulch them with peat compost or cover them with a small layer of fallen leaves.
From mid-October to early November we begin sowing vegetable crops before winter: carrots, parsley, dill, lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, rutabaga, celery, onion seeds for turnips.
It is best to start sowing in the pre-winter period, when the soil temperature drops to 2-3 degrees, and experienced vegetable growers sow already when the soil begins to freeze 2-5 cm in depth and only thaws slightly during the day. Of course, we will prepare the beds in advance in September and cover them with covering material so that the furrows are not washed away by rain.
It is very important that seedlings do not appear in the fall, since in this case they will freeze.
But if the seeds go ungerminated before winter, then neither winter frosts, nor the spring cold snap will have a detrimental effect on the crops. And in early spring, more friendly and even shoots will appear, and the harvest can be obtained 2-3 weeks earlier than with spring sowing.
Another plus winter sowing is that in the spring we will have free time to carry out other work and sow other crops at more favorable times.
It is important to pay attention to following rules for winter sowing:
We choose high areas with loose fertile soil, which quickly dry out in the spring, warm up, and most importantly, do not flood.
We sow the seeds dry.
The seeding rate should be higher than in the spring, since most likely not all seeds will sprout.
We sprinkle the seeds not with soil, but with a mixture of good humus and sand, which must be prepared in advance. The top of the planting can also be covered with dry leaves.
Digging up useful roots
Let's choose a nice day in early October and start collecting roots medicinal plants that grow in or near the garden. This best time for collecting the roots of dandelion, burdock, creeping wheatgrass, chicory, angelica and calamus.
We wash the dug roots in running water, blot with a napkin. Then we cut them into cubes and dry them in a well-ventilated area. Store dry roots in kitchen cabinet in a tightly closed glass jar no more than three years.
It is also important to do:
We remove and burn vegetable waste
We dig up (in the second ten days of October) old trees that are no longer bearing fruit, while trying not to leave roots in the soil. Then you can saw them and burn them. Next you need to treat with a solution copper sulfate(2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) soil in the places where they grew and dig it up. In place of dug up old trees, fruit crops should not be planted for 3 years, but it is better to sow legumes (peas, beans, lupine). Seedlings can be grown nearby.
We will feed those plants that we did not have time to feed at the end of September, then, if autumn is dry, we will carry out autumn moisture-recharging watering of berries and fruit crops, and ornamental perennials.
We weed rhubarb, sorrel, asparagus, spring onions and other perennial crops, pick off old leaves, loosen them and feed them. To do this, it is best to mulch them with compost with a layer of 2-3 cm. You can apply a complex mixture around the plants, in the furrows. mineral fertilizer and immediately plant it into the soil.
If your garden is located on a slope, then in order to prevent soil loss, we dig deep intermittent furrows across the slope or make earthen rolls.
We prepare holes for planting seedlings in the spring and fill them with fertilizers.
Let's prepare the soil in the beds for spring sowing - add potassium and phosphorus, manure, and ash. Cover well ready beds black film to protect the soil and provide better warming in the spring.
You don’t have to weed beds that are heavily overgrown with weeds, but simply cover them with a dark film and the weeds themselves will die next season.
We drain the water from the vessels, barrels, drain the water from the pipes, fold the hoses and bring everything into the utility room.
We remove all plant debris, dry fallen leaves and tops and put everything in compost heaps.
We clean ditches, gutters, drainage system from pollution. If necessary, we repair the drainage system, water supply system, paths, and buildings.
On a dry sunny day, we will collect all the sticks and supports that we placed for tomatoes, beans and other crops. They will still be useful to us in the future summer season. Before putting them under the canopy, treat them with a solution of copper sulfate and dry them thoroughly.
Regularly, starting in October, we inspect stored cabbage, root vegetables and potatoes and remove spoiled fruits.
We hang bird feeders in the garden.
We tightly tie the trunks of young trees with spruce spruce branches, roofing felt, synthetic bags, deepening the lower end of the tie into the ground. Just do not use straw or reeds for tying, as they are an excellent shelter for the overwintering of many harmful insects.
That's probably all the main work. The work at the dacha this season is almost complete and now you can relax a little.
See you soon, dear friends!