The gardening year is coming to an end. The last vegetables have been harvested and the time has come to put away the garden furniture and tools. But before that, it is important to prepare the vegetable patch for the cold season. It is important to respond to the soil conditions, because loose soil requires different treatment than heavy, loamy substrate. In this article we clarify:

Frost-hardy plants can be additionally protected with fleece
  • What soils loosened and
  • which are dug up.
  • How soil is protected from erosion.
  • How to protect vegetable crops like cabbage from excessive cold.

Which soils are only loosened up?

Normal soil, which is finely crumbly and smells pleasantly of earth, is loosened up with the digging fork. You can save yourself the digging, which messes up the soil structure. Remove weeds and roots carefully so that these unwanted plants don't sprout before the vegetables in the spring.

For fertilization, it is advisable to work some ripe compost or manure into the top layer of soil. Alternatively, you can make a green manure. The covering plants provide the soil creatures with food and act like a warming, protective blanket in frost.

Digging up heavy soil

To ensure adequate aeration in loamy soils, they are dug up to the depth of a spade. Again, pick out weeds carefully; Plant residues from the vegetable plants, on the other hand, are chopped up. It is recommended to improve the soil structure by working in some sand and mature compost.

Protect winter vegetables

When the first night frosts threaten, the vegetable patch is almost harvested. You can only leave hardy vegetables such as Brussels sprouts or leeks. Cabbage in particular should be exposed to the cold, because it tastes much more aromatic afterwards.

If the temperatures drop sharply in very harsh areas, you should cover these plants with garden fleece. Protected in this way, you can also rely on vitamins from your own vegetable patch in winter.

Apply a warm layer of mulch

The final work in the vegetable patch is the distribution of warm blankets made of protective and at the same time nourishing material. This imitates the natural processes: When the leaves fall from the trees, they remain on the ground and protect the soil. Green manure plants or a layer of straw are well suited.

tips

In some locations where there is little snow, the mulch layer is often carried away by the wind. To prevent this from happening, you can also cover the vegetable patch with a net that you weigh down with large stones on the side.

Category:

Vegetable garden