Nature spreads rapidly as soon as man withdraws. In order to freshen up the overgrown garden, an initial inventory is important. It indicates whether digging up makes sense or whether an alternative is possible.
Digging makes sense in the case of severe unevenness and heavy soil
inventory
Before digging up a garden, you should get an overview. It is not uncommon for treasures to come to light in overgrown gardens that you would destroy if you took radical measures. Observe the garden for at least a year. This will give you an insight into what is growing in your garden and what soil types are prevalent.
Already existing beds with onion plants do not have to be dug up. Measures that bring the bed back into shape are sufficient here. Wild herbs such as sorrel, stinging nettle or lady's mantle spread in unused gardens, where they serve biodiversity and offer people additional benefits as vegetables.
consider digging
Digging up the garden is an option if the ground is very uneven. Heavy subsoil can hardly be used if it has not been thoroughly dug up and loosened. With light soils it is sufficient to loosen the substrate with a sow tooth. Stratifications are associated with a disruption of the soil structure. After such massive interventions, the soil needs time to regenerate.
If digging is necessary, you should pay attention to the weather conditions. Autumn is not always ideal for this measure. Rearranging is also possible in spring if the vegetation period has not yet begun.
Then you should dig up the garden:
- after light ground frosts
- in early spring with low temperatures
- before heavy rains
Beds without digging
After mowing, mulch the area that will later become a bed. In the overgrown garden there are large amounts of grass that, uncut, are perfect as a mulch layer. The longer the grass, the better. The shift sags significantly over the next six months.
Check the condition of the underlying lawn and apply an additional layer of mulch if the grass underneath has not yet rotted. The material decomposes slowly and provides an ideal protective layer for the floor. It keeps the substrate moist and warm so that soil organisms can convert the biomass into compost.