How to bring depleted soil back to life

Autumn is the perfect season to take care of the soil in your vegetable garden that has been depleted over the summer. After the harvest, it can be dug up and mixed with various substances to improve its quality and enrich it with nutrients.

OBOZREVATEL has collected some of the best ways to help prepare the beds for wintering. At the beginning of the new season, the soil will be of perfect quality to receive seeds and seedlings.

Natural compost

Everything that has been thrown into the compost pit in the summer acquires the right consistency and condition by the fall. And before the cold weather starts, compost can be applied to the ground. You don't have to make it yourself; you can also buy it ready-made. It will not only saturate the soil with nutrients and necessary microorganisms but also improve its air and water permeability. Spread a layer of compost on the dug-up soil and mix it to a depth of 5-7 centimeters.

Green manure

These are plant crops that can be grown in the beds after harvest, and then mowed and left to rot over the winter. They nourish the soil, create a fertile layer on its surface, suppress weeds and prevent erosion. Legumes such as alfalfa, clover, beans, and peas have bubbles on their roots that can pump nitrogen from the air into the soil, buckwheat and alfalfa lift nutrients from deeper layers of the earth, and mustard and rapeseed inhibit the development of pests and prevent weed seeds from germinating. To prevent green manure from turning into weeds, it is important to cut and dig it up before it starts to germinate.

Mineral fertilizers

They can be used to enrich the soil after growing demanding vegetables such as zucchini, cabbage, corn, or sunflower. For fall work, you can choose universal options and apply them according to the instructions.

Fallen leaves

You can get this invaluable resource for free by simply cleaning up your garden. Chop up the collected leaves and add them to the compost pit, and soon they will be ready to be applied to the ground. The shredded leaves enrich the soil with nitrogen, provide food for worms and other beneficial soil organisms, and enrich the soil and improve its quality. Leaves can also serve as mulch.

Humus

Adding prepared humus also makes the soil looser and more permeable. It is also a powerful source of nutrients for the soil. Like compost, it is added by digging. But you can also spread humus as mulch. During the fall and winter, it will naturally penetrate the soil, and in the spring, everything left on the surface will be added by digging.

Earlier, OBOZREVATEL shared how to reduce soil acidity in the garden.

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