It is deep autumn outside, the last root crops are harvested, and the earth is preparing for rest. At such a time, gardeners often think about whether it is necessary to dig up the garden in the fall, because after harvesting all the vacant plots have already been dug up.

Purpose of digging

Why do you need to dig up the ground in the garden at all? For example, in autumn it increases in volume by almost one and a half times due to porous air ducts. In friability, carbon dioxide and oxygen contribute to plant residues to quickly decompose and create nutritious humus. In such soil, the root system of crops easily penetrates deep into, finds moisture, food for itself, thanks to which the plants endure frosts and a dry period.

So, when is the best time to dig a garden? There are many arguments on this subject, arguments and conclusions, too, and diametrically opposed.

Digging in autumn

The work ahead is hard and not everyone enjoys it, but, according to experts, the turnover of the earthen layer in the autumn is necessary and for the following reasons:

to saturate the earth with beneficial microorganisms (and their number has already been calculated - ten kilograms per square meter), it is necessary to add organic matter - compost, humus, manure, rotted sawdust, ash, and all these utilities are brought in only during autumn digging

enable microorganisms and the earth to breathe, because it is air that helps the process of their reproduction

weed seeds will fall to a depth from which they will not be able to germinate in the spring

weeds moved deeper will rot and fertilize the soil

pests that are in the ground and prepared for hibernation (Colorado beetles, caterpillars, various wireworms), once on the surface, will die from the wind, sun or be eaten by birds

in the soil loosened in autumn, nitrogen-containing microorganisms are activated and fixed, they saturate the earth with plant forms of nitrogen

a layer of earth that goes up, saturated with fertilizers, minerals, that is, it seems to be useful for future plants

if there are trees on the site, their leaves are buried and become useful humus

after a dry summer and a dry autumn, the inverted clods of earth retain moisture, which is created by air, dew, and condensate. And it, in turn, is obtained from the differences in warm daytime and cold night temperatures.

Without waiting for the autumn rains, you can immediately dig up the liberated sections of the garden. Then nutrient organisms will begin to cultivate and improve the soil earlier.

Digging in the fall is a time saver that comes in handy when preparing gardens in the spring, and this is probably the strongest argument in solving the problem - when to dig the garden in autumn or spring.

Controversial moments of autumn gardening

Autumn digging for today is controversial issue, and experienced gardeners, who prefer spring tillage, also justify it:

when turning over a layer of soil in autumn, useful worms can die, but according to statistics, there are only ten percent of them, most of them are in clods that do not break in autumn

during spring digging, all processes are actively updated, the soil at this time is able to give all its useful substances to new plants and grains

in order to avoid weathering of food, moisture, in the spring the dug up earth is immediately harrowed. Its structure allows this to be done, but in autumn this process is in no way possible, because summer period the earth is so compacted that it has to be crushed

fallen leaves - perfect healthy trees it is now a rarity on the site, therefore, with the fallen leaves of fruit trees, their pathogenic microbes can also get into the ground during autumn digging, they are preserved and are waiting in the wings. So about the fallen leaves, the answer is obvious - they need to be removed from the garden.

At the expense of the depth of digging, agricultural technicians have proven that it is the upper five to ten centimeters of the soil layer that have one hundred percent usefulness, the farther inland, the poorer the soil. Turning the layer on the bayonet of a shovel, we bury beneficial microorganisms in fertile soil, and upper layer turns out to be destroyed, lifeless, barren. By nature, the biological soil becomes passive from active, and it needs time to recover, which we simply do not give it due to the annual habit.

It also happens that suddenly, in the allotted area for the garden, the fertile layer is small and, with deep digging, the subarable layer gets up. And it can consist of sand, podzolic unfertile soil, clay. They, mixing with the already cultivated soil, lower its fertility, and this area will constantly need additional fertilizer.

Do you need to dig your garden in the fall?

And it depends on the composition of the soil. After all, each soil has its own density, and for our crops we need an optimal one.

For example, marshy land is favorable for vegetables because it is light. In the fall, it is not necessary to dig it up, and it is useless. After the autumn digging, in the spring it will have to be processed with a roller in order to regulate the humidity and create conditions for the beneficial development of planted crops.

Chernozem is a mechanically heavy, moisture-intensive, very dense composition. The obligatory depth of its plowing is up to thirty centimeters. It is especially necessary to work in heavily clogged areas, while it is necessary to apply fertilizers.

Sandy, sandy, peaty soils do not need digging. And here, given that only the top layer is useful, such land can be cultivated with a small cultivator. Fertilizers should not be applied to the entire area, this is a difficult, impractical occupation, because the food is quickly washed off by rainfall and watering. It is more convenient and more useful to deposit exactly on the planned separated vegetable crops plots or directly into holes during spring planting.

You should also not adapt to the neighbors. Areas that are very close can be very different in type and humidity. Low-lying - damp, wet, they are well suited for arranging high beds, which dry out faster and warm up better in the spring sun.

The light soil is sod-podzolic, sandy loam is dry and not suitable for high beds. From double drying, the plants will have to be tight and they will have to be watered more often. IN this case they use the usual landing, at the level of the ground surface, and this saves effort, time and the result pleases.

Labor-intensive activities, such as digging up beds with the introduction of useful ash, lime, manure, the formation of plots for the necessary crops, are best done taking into account the above factors. After all, in the fall we have more time to prepare for the next summer season, and in his garden, each gardener himself determines when, what and where to dig or not to dig.

Tips for a beginner gardener: how to dig a garden "in winter"

(13.11.2011)

Among gardeners there is no unequivocal opinion whether it is worth dripping a garden in the fall. Opponents of autumn digging claim that in this way all the organic matter of the earth, created by worms and plant roots, is “killed”. In addition, according to them, the upper fertile layer of the earth may suffer from digging, since in the dug up state it will be more inflated by the wind. Those who are sure that it is necessary to dig a garden before winter say that it is precisely these very roots and bugs that need to be frozen out.

All these disputes have a constructive basis. But in general, for a simple gardener, they do not give specific advice. To dig or not to dig a garden in the fall depends on many factors: on the structure of the soil, on the methods of its cultivation, on the crops that are planted, and so on. In this case, practice is more reliable than theory.

From personal experience, I can say that you need to dig a garden in the fall. In support, I will give a few arguments and add tips on how to properly dig a garden “before winter”. It is necessary to dig up the garden in the fall, if only because in the spring it will be easier to develop the soil for the beds. If the topsoil is solid, then during the winter it will “clog” from precipitation so that it will be very difficult to make the earth soft. And most cultivated plants prefer "fluffy" soil. You need to dig up the entire garden where planting is planned for next year.

Digging "in winter" makes it possible to get rid of weeds. To do this, the earth must be turned over completely, so that the remains of the grass are not visible on the surface. Having rotted, these weeds will not be superfluous fertilizer for the earth, and the roots that will be on the surface will freeze. You need to dig up the earth in large blocks, without breaking them. So the organics of the earth will not be greatly disturbed. Moisture, at the same time, will penetrate deeper into the soil. And in early spring, the earth dug up by large blocks will shake faster and become suitable for planting.

As a working tool, it is better to use a pitchfork, not a shovel. It is worth fearing that the winter will be dry and frosty. This is bad for the soil, especially for dug up. Therefore, the beds should, if possible, be covered with fallen leaves, rotting, they will warm the earth.

We are VKontakte

Do it yourself for a summer residence

Equipment and inventory

Ideas for giving by mail

By clicking on the button you consent to the processing of your personal data

Country recipes

Peppers in gelatin for the winter, recipes with photos

Peppers in gelatin, prepared for the winter, will be an amazing and original snack not only on the menu for guests, but also for a morning breakfast or lunch. Moreover, the recipes involve the preparation of jelly on […]

Fried Bell pepper for the winter

Roasted sweet peppers prepared for the winter require little or no special canning equipment and require very little effort to prepare. But the result justifies all the trouble. The fried pepper appetizer is incredibly tasty. It can […]

Pickled radish for the winter, have you tried this?

Radish is a very unpretentious and very healthy vegetable that can be grown almost all summer. Due to the fact that the radish crop ripens quickly, it can be grown every 3 weeks, and with a weekly […]

Marinated eggplant with garlic and mint for the winter

Pickled eggplant is one of the vegetables that immediately comes to mind when it's time to prepare preparations for the winter. Today's eggplant recipe with garlic will also be original in that the composition of the marinade […]

Soaked apples recipe at home

Urination, like salting and pickling, primarily has important functions of preserving the crop for the winter. Therefore, pickled apples at home are practically a brand. Nothing like this […]

How to prepare pepper for the winter - 3 ways

There are many ways to prepare pepper for the winter. Each of them has its own advantages, and also allows you to preserve this product for certain purposes. In addition to targeted methods - cooking […]

Do I need to dig deep into the soil often? Twice a year (often incorrectly) tillage and its continuous loosening in the summer do not contribute to improvement, as many gardeners believe, but to spraying the soil structure. This means that such deep tillage in the garden should not be abused without the need, although in autumn it is practically impossible to do without it on heavy clay soil.

Digging heavy soil to a depth of no more than 15 cm should be done only in the fall, and not turning the soil over, but only shifting it and removing the roots of perennial weeds.

Leveling the ground in autumn

A mandatory operation is leveling, which refers to surface tillage. It is usually produced during spring processing using a rake. When the soil has dried sufficiently, it is necessary to level its surface in order to reduce the evaporation of water from the spring melting of snow. To do this, they break up the clods of earth left since autumn and evenly distribute the entire volume of soil over the site with a rake, at the same time you can scatter mineral fertilizers and level them with the ground. The rake is driven back and forth with constant force, smooth continuous movements, making sure that the teeth slide over the surface of the soil without digging it up. The pre-dug soil is leveled

Latest articles about gardening and gardening

reciprocating movements of the rake, first in one and then in the perpendicular direction. With a rake, they usually lightly cover the seeds after sowing, shift the soil into the furrows, collect leaves, dry grass, last year's mulch, and any garbage on the site.

When to till the soil in autumn

There are several ways of autumn tillage according to this technology, both with the use of an EM solution and with the use of an EM compost. But there is one general condition: the higher the temperature of the soil, the more actively the microorganisms work. Therefore, the sooner you cultivate the soil, the more benefits they will have time to bring.

The first way: weed the weeds and, without removing them, treat the soil with a solution of the EM preparation. Microorganisms immediately begin to work, decomposing the cut parts of plants and the roots remaining in the ground. Weed seeds germinate together, with the onset of frost, the seedlings die.

Method two: treat moist soil with a solution of an EM preparation, loosen it by 5-7 cm and cover it with a layer of fallen leaves, plucked grass (mulch). Decaying roots and mulch by spring will make the soil much more fertile and improve its structure.

What gives the cultivation of the earth in the fall

First of all, it simplifies and facilitates landing work spring. Even those who are against such an event agree with this. After all, when the last vegetables are harvested, the cold weather is still quite far away. And if the weather is warm, then the beds are overgrown with weeds. This means that if you do not remove them now, then next season it will be more difficult to fight the dominance of weeds. During autumn tillage, a good water-air regime is created for plants;

The thermal properties of the soil also improve in the spring, the earth will ripen faster for planting.

The advantages of autumn work include the fact that the remains of stems, stones and other debris were removed ahead of time.

To dig or not to dig a garden by autumn

And the black earth is his work. How does the worm do it? It experiences a feeling of hunger, rises to the surface, captures plant remains along with the earth, descends, passing them through itself along the way, then is freed from waste products. And so in a circle.

During its movement, the worm leaves behind a passage that has access to the surface of the earth. This passage, it turns out, is filled with air and waste products of the worm - roughly speaking, its manure.

Soil cultivation in autumn with a walk-behind tractor

Often there are also deviations to the sides - these are withdrawals that usually occur on furrows that have already been cultivated. From here, another question may arise - how to plow with a walk-behind tractor so that the rotating knives do not go into the ground? Only the appropriate manipulation of the handles can help in this. Unfortunately, careful control must be on any soil. So, on loose ground, it is necessary to ensure that the cutters do not sink too deep, and in the process of processing hard soil and virgin soil, it may also be necessary to perform several approaches. It is desirable to carry out the first processing at low speeds, while it is important to adjust the coulter position accordingly.

Top dressing of mineral fertilizers in the soil in autumn

These inorganic substances are obtained during chemical reactions, which are controlled by man, or mined from the bowels of the earth. Mineral fertilizers are potash, nitrogen and phosphorus. Moreover, they can contain various micro and macro elements necessary for the normal life of trees.

Saltpeters: calcium, sodium and ammonium;

Urea;

Ammonium sulfate.

Top dressing with ash

You can make ash yourself. Just burn the weeds, tops and branches and scatter about 1 kilogram per square meter of soil, after digging up the ground. This is done once every 3 years. Like this food:

strawberry;
raspberries;
currant;
cabbage;
potato.

Don't overdo the ash. This is dangerous because the plants will begin to rot after planting.

Application of organic fertilizers to the soil in autumn

Humus. From organic fertilizers, humus, chicken manure, and compost are usually applied in the fall. On poor soils make fresh manure up to 300-500 kg per hundred square meters. In September-October, they are scattered over the allotted area and buried in the soil.

Application chicken manure. Concentrated organic fertilizer. Apply directly under the root, the fertilizer causes a burn of the root system of plants. For top dressing, bird droppings are diluted and used as a liquid solution for top dressing.

Compost. Compost is an organic fertilizer obtained from plant and animal waste with the addition of soil and (if any) peat.

Green fertilizers or green manure. Green fertilizers, or green manures, also belong to organic fertilizers. Podzimnye green manure is sown after harvesting the main crop in the fall for digging or leaving until spring training soil. They are used on heavy floating soils for the purpose of loosening (rapeseed, oats, phacelia, mustard, colza and others).

Destruction of weeds by autumn

The destruction of weeds by chemical means is carried out in calm and cloudy weather. For this purpose, I use Roundup herbicide. Before spraying the weeds, I cover the growing useful crops with a film, otherwise they may die along with the weeds.

When it comes time to cultivate the garden, whether it be spring or autumn digging or harrowing, most gardeners clutch their heads in desperation. This rather complicated and time-consuming procedure, without knowledge of its rules, can even turn into a nightmare. It is especially difficult for beginners who take on a shovel as if it were a foreign object. Fortunately, there are convenient and right ways tillage, which will help you simplify this process.

How to dig correctly, instructions

Most gardeners advise digging to the depth of the entire shovel bayonet when digging or planting. This will help to turn the top soil with weed seeds, mineral and organic fertilizers that were sprinkled on the ground to the bottom of the hole formed.

In autumn, the most effective method of the pass is digging up the earth with furrows 40 cm wide, but not more than the width of a spade bayonet. The area to be dug up is mentally divided into two parts. The first row of furrows is dug, then the second row is buried. Thus, the soil layers are saturated with oxygen and useful substances. This method is also recommended if you fertilize the soil with manure or compost.

Having previously scattered it around the garden, dig up the ground for its even distribution. A "bed" of manure is also effective: put manure on the bottom of the furrow and sprinkle it with earth. If the soil of your garden needs lime, then it should not be mixed with manure - they can enter into a chemical reaction.

Important! Lime should be scattered over the surface of the site without burying.

It is best to dig up the soil while holding the bayonet of the shovel upright. This will increase the tillage layer by deep penetration and make it easier to separate the breasts.

Is it necessary, and when to dig the ground in the fall

This question is a stumbling block for most gardeners. Some believe that it is not rational to dig a garden in the fall, while others, following traditional methods of cultivating the land, argue that this will increase yields in next year. We will give several arguments that will help you answer the question of whether it is necessary to dig up the earth in the fall.

The benefits of autumn digging the soil is that the top layer of leaves, twigs and other plant elements falls into inner ball soil and rots during the winter, and the larvae of many insect pests rise to the surface of the earth and die from birds or winter frosts. The soil is enriched with nitrogen microorganisms, which are activated by oxygen.

The downside is that that when you dig up the soil, you bury the seeds of weeds, helping them to overwinter and sprout in the spring.

Important! When digging in autumn, you need to fence the site.

As you know, it is recommended to properly dig the ground in autumn no deeper than 10 cm, since with deeper penetration, useful substances disappear.

There is no unambiguous opinion about the autumn digging. On the plus side, the topsoil doesn't compact as much over the winter, and you'll have less time to prepare the soil for planting in the spring.

It is necessary to dig up the earth in the fall also because the soil needs to be recharged in the winter. When the first rains come, it is too late to dig up the ground, in autumn this period falls at the end of October. So it is better to be in time by the middle of this month.

Do I need to dig the site in the spring

When digging a garden in the spring, you must take into account that the soil has hardened during the winter.

How to dig up the soil in spring? If you worked the soil in the fall, then in the spring you only need to harrow the soil. Thus, moisture reserves will be preserved, preventing the upper layers of the soil from drying out.

Important! Dig up the ground in the spring should not be deep, half a bayonet of a shovel.

Shallow digging will help keep the substances in the soil that you buried in it in the fall. All humus, fertilizers, compost will be an excellent basis for your crop. Enriched soil is known to promote active germination of seeds and their preservation in the event of frost.

Did you know? In the spring, you do not need to dig up the entire area: it is better to leave the paths, and then the weeds will annoy less.

What is sole and how to get rid of it

The sole is a layer of compacted earth resulting from the frequent digging of a vegetable garden to the same depth.

Heavy soils (soddy-podzolic, clayey) and swampy soils are subject to the occurrence of soles. It is recommended to carry out a two-tiered digging of the territory every 4-6 years.

Important! You can not abuse the two-tier digging. Beneficial substances are weathered.

The sole prevents the growth of many root plants: celery, carrots, beets, onions, parsley, etc., and deforms their roots.

If the sole is strongly compacted, then water stagnation occurs, contributing to the development of unfavorable bacteria and microorganisms, which subsequently affect the development of vegetables.

A two-tiered digging of the garden will help get rid of the sole. It is advisable to carry it out in the fall, so that for the winter and spring period beneficial microflora has developed. To do this, you need to dig a furrow the width of the bayonet of your shovel and loosen its bottom with a garden fork. In this case, the earth along the edges of the furrow should also be loosened. After that, you can add compost or manure. As a result of such digging, the arable layer increases, and the earth is saturated with oxygen, necessary for the development useful substances, its physical and water properties are improved.

Did you know? With two-tier digging, the top layer of low-fertility soil is not taken out.

How to dig virgin soil

Virgin soil is a land that has not been subjected to any cultivation, is not plowed by anyone and, on the one hand, is wild.

If you have such a site, then this is an excellent occasion to process it and get moral and physical satisfaction from the results. Once you gather your strength, tools, and inspiration, you can start right away. But keep in mind that this is a terrible work and test.

Important! When choosing a site, you should make sure that there are amenities nearby: water, a store, a gas station, roads.

You can process virgin soil with the help of equipment, and on your own (it depends on your health). The method of processing with equipment is quite simple, but before you think that, apart from a tractor, there is nothing to dig up virgin land, think about your arms and legs. A wonderful tool, and most importantly, free, for conquering virgin lands.

Manual processing is a complex and time-consuming process. First of all, you need to choose the right season. The period of autumn digging is perfect for such work. Since you need to clear your abandoned area of weeds to process virgin soil, start by choosing a lawn mower. You can take the usual one, but then the duration of the work will increase.

Important! It is also necessary to mow grass and weeds on virgin soil before mechanical processing.

You will also need a shovel. It is best to dig virgin soil in parts, dividing it with a thread. You need to dig to a depth of at least 15 cm. We leave the dug up area to dry for a while. Then you need to walk on it with a pitchfork and fluff the ground.

When digging virgin soil, it is important to be patient, because such a thing, due to its complexity, often remains abandoned.

Is it possible to facilitate the process of digging

First of all, you need to choose the right shovel. Its handle should be strong, smooth and sufficiently polished. This will protect you from damage to the palms and unexpected breakages. The blade of the bayonet needs to be sharpened well - then the process will go faster.

You also need to protect yourself from injuries (rubbed calluses, splinters). Gloves for work should have rubberized palms, then the hand will not slide on a smooth handle. choose shoes closed type with a hard sole, since with a thin one it may be painful for you to press your foot on the shovel.

Since it is possible to facilitate the digging of the garden different ways, let's start with the simplest - with how you hold the tool.

The shovel must be placed vertically, with the bayonet to the ground. Press down on the shovel tray with your foot, while holding the handle firmly with both hands. The shovel bayonet must be driven in to the depth required for the type of digging - full length or half. The working leg can be chosen at your discretion. Usually right-handers use the right, and left-handers, respectively, the left.

According to the rules, the shovel and its bayonet must be perpendicular to the ground, since you will not be able to dig deep into the soil when tilted. It is better to keep the pace of digging at an average.

The process of digging and cultivating the land is quite difficult, but by adhering to simple and useful tips, you will greatly simplify these tasks for yourself. seasonal work. Do not be afraid to experiment - tillage is based more on experience and own observations than on norms and rules.

Was this article helpful?
Not really

Flat cutters, potato planters and “pitchfork jokes” that FORUMHOUSE participants made with their own hands.

“Don’t be stubborn, give the shovel to your most harmful neighbor!”, - calls FORUMHOUSE participant with the nickname Boris Annenkov and author of Give a Spade to Your Neighbor. The participants of our portal, if they did not give the shovel to their neighbor, then at least successfully combine it with other, non-traditional tools for digging and loosening the earth. These tools allow you to dig beds faster and with less effort. And after working with them, neither the back nor the arms hurt.

In this article, we will cover:

How to make a miracle shovel: drawings, instructions, reviews.
An easy way to make a potato digger.
How to make a flat cutter.

Do-it-yourself miracle shovel

One of the most popular innovative digging tools is the miracle shovel, which consists of twin forks: one stationary, the other movable. Mobile forks lift the soil and push it through the teeth of the stationary ones. The soil is loosened to a depth of 20-25 cm.

We offer you drawings of the device: it is simple. A member of our portal who has seen welders only in stores, I successfully welded such a miracle shovel myself.

frame width: 35 cm,
frame length - 78 cm,
working fork length - 23 cm.

According to the experience of operating the unit by the participants of our portal, for its effective operation, the ripper must be inclined by about 25 degrees towards the ground.

Member of our portal with a nickname Mount“Slowly drank a grinder” on the winter weekend and on the May holidays tested this device in the country.

Mount

I am in shock: what in past years I spent several days, I did in a matter of hours. And the quality of digging is much better: you don’t even need to harrow it with a rake. Damp earth sticks to an ordinary shovel with terrible force, and this tool also coped with wet earth, although it worked better where it was drier.

Mount notes that the prong shovel works well on undigged ground (although this tool is not intended for virgin soil), and pulls out the roots. If you pour peat on the dug up earth, then the unit mixes it with the earth no worse than a mixer.

Digging the beds with this device is very simple: pass in one direction, turn, pass in the other direction. 10 minutes - and the garden is ready!

Mount

And - most importantly - there is no fatigue, as it was from a shovel. From the side of the female contingent, very skeptical remarks about the worthlessness of the device were heard at first, but after the first 15 minutes of use, silence ensued.

Our user specially made this machine not lightweight so that it can cope with the most difficult soils, including virgin soil.

Over the three years of successful operation, the following advantages have been identified in comparison with motor cultivators:

the miracle shovel does not cut the roots of weeds and thereby does not contribute to their spread throughout the garden, but completely pulls them out;
she can spud potatoes: walk along the aisles while removing weeds, loosen the ground, and then spud;
it is convenient to dig long beds with a tool;
no need to break up lumps and loosen the dug up earth with a rake;
the device loosens the soil without turning over the fertile layer.

A similar device called "two shovels" was made by a user with the nickname Dva11.

Dva11

I reviewed the options for shovels on the Internet and stores and made my own. Due to the large lever, less effort is required and it is not necessary to lean too much.

This is an easier option than the previous one, but it also requires the application of strength. Saddle frame made of profile 15x15x1.5 and electrodes 4 mm; the forks themselves are made from a 20 pipe and seven teeth from a horse rake (the distance between them is about 6-7 cm).

The length of the teeth is 28 centimeters, but due to the fact that the axle is raised by three centimeters, 24 centimeters go into the ground.

A similar tool was also assembled by a FORUMHOUSE participant with the nickname TOSA1970.

TOSA1970

It helps very well when digging, and the back does not get tired, as from a regular shovel.

Do-it-yourself potato digger

No one likes to pick potatoes from the holes - this is the most difficult and dreary in the whole process of digging potatoes. Mount I made another manual garden tool, a manual potato digger, which itself takes root tubers out of the holes, and also cleans them from the ground!

Mount

The advantage of this unit is that it is not necessary to shake the ground with a shovel. He stuck his pitchfork under a bush, stamped his foot on the lever - a clean potato flies out of the ground.

This tool is convenient to dig all root crops. It is much easier to work with them than with a shovel - you don’t get tired at all!

A potato digger is also used for digging a vegetable garden. But she needs to dig a garden not along, but across the site.

How to make a flat cutter from a braid

Vladimir Fokin invented his flat cutter after he could not work with a shovel. This garden tool is capable of performing many operations: loosening, weeding, hilling, mowing, forming beds, etc.

Its main purpose is to remove weeds and at the same time loosen the soil at a depth of 2-5 cm, but without turning the top layer of soil. Supporters organic farming they know that this method of loosening does not destroy beneficial microorganisms living in the soil, and therefore increases its fertility. Fokin's flat cutter is a bracket that is bent at certain angles in several places, its three cutting surfaces are sharply sharpened. The bracket is fixed on the handle. It is important to learn how to work with a flat cutter correctly, then this tool will have no price.

Any movement of the flat cutter must be strictly parallel to the ground.

You can also check yourself this way: if the back is straight during work, the body is tilted quite a bit, the thumbs on the handle look up, then everything is correct. If you hold the tool correctly, then the physical load when working with it is reduced several times.

Deyler FORUMHOUSE member

Fokin is my father-in-law. Letters of thanks, especially from the elderly or people with poor health, stood in sacks at his house.

FORUMHOUSE member with nickname Antol13 based on Fokin's flat cutter, he made his own tool - the Kosar super flat cutter. This super-efficient tool is made from Sable scythe, which was lying around in the household unnecessarily.

The most difficult task in agricultural work is preparing the land for planting. This applies to both a small garden and a large plot. But there is nowhere to go, you have to dig a garden to plant a crop. A variety of agricultural tools are used for digging.

For many years, a shovel and a pitchfork were used to dig the garden, but recently new devices have been invented that facilitate the hard work of summer residents and gardeners. Let's figure out which of the garden tools is the most effective and allows you to dig a garden quickly and easily.

regular shovel

In order to dig up the garden, many still use a shovel. Although this is the most common inventory, it is still not very easy to use. Digging up a garden, you have to make an effort, and if you dig a large area, then by the evening you may not straighten up. All due to the fact that when working with a shovel, the muscles of the back tense, and this can adversely affect overall well-being.

A shovel is most suitable for sandy soils, it is very difficult to dig black earth. The downside is the weight of the shovel, if you buy a shovel made of titanium, it will be much easier and more convenient to work.

Regular forks

Another equally well-known garden tool that is used to dig up the earth is the pitchfork. They are most conveniently used for digging black soil. Unlike a shovel, a fork completely removes weeds without leaving roots. Due to the wide arrangement of the teeth, the worms are not destroyed. The disadvantages of a pitchfork and a shovel are a small digging area, a load on the arms, back and legs, only healthy and hardy men can dig with them.

Miracle shovel ripper "Mole"

At present, the production of agricultural machinery is so developed that it is not necessary to bend your back to cultivate your plot.

For this they invented excellent tool like a miracle shovel ripper Mole. It is twice as wide as a bayonet shovel. It consists of two pitchforks, which, when digging, loosen the earth. You don't need to use force when digging. No big load on the back. Greater productivity than when working with a conventional shovel or fork.

Working with an ordinary shovel, you need to constantly raise it with the ground, this is not necessary here. To dig a miracle with a shovel with a ripper, you need to apply effort only with your foot, there is no load on your back. After digging, there are no lumps left, so there is no need to pass with a rake. Not only men, but also women can use a miracle shovel.

Cons miracle shovel ripper "Mole"

An ordinary shovel is used both for digging up the earth and for planting. The miracle shovel is used only for digging, it will not work to make depressions with it and dig in trees.

Ripper "Super-Digger 7"

There is another agricultural tool that makes it easier to work on the site. This is the Super-Digger 7 ripper. It is also convenient to use, like the Mole shovel, it is distinguished by the use of two cuttings. Otherwise, it performs the same functions as the miracle shovel.

The only difference is that the emphasis is made with both hands, which is much more convenient. Between the cuttings there is a jumper, on which emphasis is placed, called the handle. The most important thing before starting work is to correctly set the height of the handle. To make it easier to work later.

Using a super digger allows you to quickly and easily dig up the ground without harming your health. The main advantage of both the miracle of the shovel and the super digger is the affordable price.

Agricultural machinery

To quickly and easily dig up a site, many use agricultural machinery. Lately many people buy a motor cultivator, which can plow a large plot of land in just a few hours. But here you need to decide which one is better to choose.

If small plot land, you can buy an electric cultivator that even a woman can control. For large area it is better to buy a motor cultivator on gasoline. For the speed of processing the site, walk-behind tractors are also used. But a walk-behind tractor has many more functions than a cultivator.

With the help of a walk-behind tractor, you can plant and harvest potatoes, mow grass, dig and hill the ground, and take the harvested crop out of the garden. The only disadvantage of agricultural machinery is the price, so give preference to more affordable and newer models for self made.

Create conditions for yourself, thanks to which you will be happy to work in your garden.

How to dig the earth with a shovel?

Only at first glance it seems that digging with a shovel is a rather simple process, but, however, not fast. But actually it is not. The presence of aching calluses and pain in the lower back after working with a shovel is a consequence of a violation of the correct digging technique. This article will tell you about the rules for using a shovel and how to quickly dig a hole yourself and about many other nuances.

Correct technique

It is necessary to dig correctly at least in order to make the whole process much easier and faster.

As children, many saw how to use a shovel. The basic movements remain the same, but you need to pay attention to one main point - you can not lift the instrument with the ground with your wrists. You need to try to hook the end of the handle with your elbow, thereby giving an additional impulse, due to which the load on the back and joints of a person will decrease. Following this simple rule, you can dig a large garden without any problems.

During the entire working process, the back should remain straight, and the center of gravity should be in the middle, otherwise you can wake up sick and infirm in the morning.

The position of the dominant hand can be changed alternately, while maintaining the necessary balance.

This technique becomes especially useful and necessary for large-scale and long-term work, for example, when you need to dig a garden or remove large amounts of snow in winter time of the year.

Subtleties

The most important nuance is the correct selection of the tool - you need to choose it yourself for yourself. If the shovel is too large and heavy, then subsequent pain in the back and throughout the body is inevitable. If the length of the handle reaches the elbow when it is stuck into the ground by about 20-25 cm, then it is chosen correctly and under the height of a person.

The bayonet of the tool must be sharp and well ground for easier penetration into the soil.

It is best to take not a square shovel, but a rounded one, since the latter option cuts through the ground better.

Optionally, the angle of the bayonet to the soil during penetration should be straight - it all depends on the purpose of digging. To carry out loosening of the soil, 45 degrees, shallow penetration and scrolling movements are sufficient. Right angle movements are best done when digging a trench or hole.

Most shovels can be sharpened easily with coarse sandpaper. There are other ways to sharpen a shovel: using a knife and a rasp.

How to dig overgrown area?

The tool itself plays an important role in this matter. It is best to purchase a model made of titanium and a non-classical shape, the so-called miracle shovel. This tool is great for loosening or digging up the soil layer. It is an iron frame opposite sides which are equipped with fork gratings directed one to the other.

The operation of this simple device is as follows: one pitchfork penetrates the ground, and the second is a lever for them. The frame serves as a support for two pairs of forks.

You can loosen the earth with a miracle shovel in much less time than a simple option. In addition, the fact that when loosening the soil in this way, you can get rid of weeds is also an advantage.

Of the shortcomings, it is worth noting the following point: a miracle shovel can neither dig a hole nor process wetlands.

How to dig a hole?

This particular digging technique is used by soldiers to quickly and efficiently dig trenches. They use a compact sapper shovel.

The basis of this technique is that you need to cut the soil of a small thickness - 3-4 cm each. Such small cuts are easier to dig and throw further than a full joint of the soil.

With this technique, you can work for several hours and dig more than one hole without much fatigue.

This method of digging easily lends itself to any soil, including clay and peat.

How to dig frozen ground?

It is no secret that domestic winters are quite severe, and the earth, like most water bodies, freezes to a considerable depth.

There are several ways to dig a hole out of frozen soil.

The first and proven method is quite easy to use, but can be quite time consuming. In front of the dig itself, you need to make a fire in the place of the pit. After waiting for it to go out, you should start digging. After the top layer is removed, you need to make a fire again already in the hole and continue to dig to the desired depth.
Another proven method is to use a jackhammer. If it is not possible to purchase a jackhammer, then you can rent it. Using a jackhammer, it is enough to remove only the top frozen layer of the earth, and then you should continue to work with a shovel.
The next way is to use a pickaxe. It is a hand-held impact tool specially designed to work with dense and even rocky ground. But one pick will not be enough - you need a shovel.

The modern garden tool market offers a variety of various models shovels: gardening, construction, loading and unloading. Each of the varieties has its own characteristic features that make this or that work much easier and faster.

In conclusion, it is worth noting that most of the recommendations and rules can be used while working with a pitchfork. In some cases, they can also serve as a shovel, but with one difference: if the shovel cuts the earth, then the pitchfork, rather, breaks it off more.

You can see how to properly dig the ground with a shovel in the video below.

Should I dig my garden in the fall? We understand the intricacies of autumn digging

Adding an article to a new collection

After a busy summer season, I want to relax as soon as possible and, if possible, reduce the list of works. One of them - digging the earth in the fall - until recently was carried out by all gardeners and was considered very important.

And now the question arises more and more often: is this really a necessary procedure, is it worth spending time and effort on it, or can you get by with just spring digging? So, let's finally find out whether it is necessary to dig up the garden in the fall and understand all the intricacies of this work.

Preparing the beds in the fall for the new season is one of the essential conditions for a rich harvest. During the winter, the soil is saturated with minerals that were brought in for digging. Snow saturates the beds with moisture faster, while the dug up soil itself does not compact. As a result, in the spring it is much easier to carry out preparatory work before planting. Significantly saves time and energy. But this is not all the advantages of digging!

Why dig up the ground in the garden - the advantages of the procedure

Have summer residents been mistaken for decades, starting to dig the earth with a shovel in the fall? To be fair, we should say no. Digging has many advantages, some of which are quite obvious, while others are not so noticeable, but also make a useful contribution. So, digging is useful in that:

during operation, it is easier to introduce the necessary mineral and organic fertilizers, deoxidize the soil, the effect of these procedures will increase many times over;
weeds will not get a chance for free wintering, and their seeds - for further development, due to the fact that they will be deep in the soil;
garden pests and their larvae, pathogenic bacteria, once on the surface, quickly die from cold, wind or exposure to chemicals, and birds are not averse to eating insects;
the soil becomes more friable, water and breathable, it is easier to soak with moisture during the winter and does not compact too much, and warms up faster in the spring;
it becomes possible to clear the site of weeds, leaves, stones and other debris, which in the spring creates a lot of problems.

As you can see, digging is important and brings many benefits. But where there are pros, there are always cons.

Do I need to dig up the ground in the fall in the garden - the disadvantages of digging

And now let's look at the disadvantages of digging the soil, why adherents of organic farming disliked it so much.

The soil is a home for many living organisms, and each of them has its own place in this “kingdom”. When digging, not only harmful inhabitants are found on the surface, but also useful ones, thanks to which the soil retains its fertility. By depriving the beds of “good” bacteria and insects, we thereby impoverish the soil. And restoring soil fertility, alas, is not easy.

There is also a chance that weed seeds will still survive under a layer of soil and safely overwinter until spring. In addition, with deep and frequent digging, a less nutritious soil layer rises to the surface, the soil structure is disturbed, and it loses its physical properties.

And, finally, digging is hard work, which has a bad effect on the condition of the back, heart and overall health in general, if the summer resident is not very physically prepared. Mechanized digging also requires considerable effort and preparation.

When do you really need to dig your garden?

As you can see, digging has enough pros and cons. But in fact, it all depends on two factors: the type of soil on the site and the climate in your area. In other words, the disadvantages will be clearly manifested if you carry out digging where it is not needed at all, and vice versa.

If the soil on the site is heavy, clayey and uncultivated, then digging in the fall is highly desirable. But loose and light soils are easy enough to loosen. sandy soil needs only spring processing.

In regions with a hot climate, the soil is drier and does not require frequent digging, and in humid and cold areas of the country, this procedure is necessary, because. ground under the influence natural conditions compacted and becomes unsuitable for growing cultivated plants. And although adherents of organic farming often cite forest ecosystems as an example, where everything grows on its own without digging and fertilizers, one should not forget that varietal and hybrid vegetables are unable to survive in such conditions. In other words, to obtain a crop, certain conditions are needed, which are created on household plots. Therefore, first of all, observe the condition of the soil and plants.

When is the best time to dig a garden - timing

We hope you are convinced that tillage in the fall is still necessary. But not every summer resident knows how and when to dig a garden to get a positive effect. This should be done after harvesting, when late-ripening crops and all plant debris have been removed. It is desirable to carry out the work before the end of October - beginning of November, depending on weather conditions. It is not worth it to delay the work too much so that the soil does not seize with the first frosts. Ideally, if you can finish digging before heavy rains.

How to properly dig the soil in the fall in the garden

Depending on the crop that will be planted next year, they also choose the appropriate depth of digging the soil:

25-30 cm (per shovel bayonet) - for potatoes, beets, carrots, pumpkins, melons and parsley;
5-10 cm - for tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, radishes and legumes.

It is advisable not to turn the soil layers over, but to shift them among themselves in order to preserve as much useful microflora as possible. Weed roots are best removed, not buried. It is much easier to carry out such a digging. But if the soil is very hard and rocky, you will have to do a two-tier digging for two bayonets of a shovel. And here it is no longer possible to do without turning over the layers of soil. But resorting to such digging is only a last resort.

A shovel, fork or cultivator are suitable tools for digging.

Shovel. Used in small areas up to 10 acres. A budget option, which is great for different types soil, but quite laborious.

Pitchfork. Allows for finer soil structure, which young plants like but not always achieved with a shovel. It also takes effort.

Cultivator. The soil quickly becomes loose, the roots of plants feel great in it. It will save time and effort when working on a large area, but it will not cope with very heavy soils, and it is not cheap.

If the garden requires digging, but there is no way to do it, sow green manure. They loosen the soil to a depth of 2 m, saturate it with useful elements and reduce the activity of pathogenic microflora. And in winter they will hold the snow well and will not let the beds freeze.

Whether to dig a garden in the fall, each summer resident decides for himself. If you have heavy clay soil on your site, then it is better to dig, and if it is loose and light, you can only do the spring procedure, replacing autumn digging with deep loosening. To reduce the load on the soil microflora, dig every few years as needed.

Quick digging of the garden with your own hands with handy tools

In our country, owning a piece of land is a hobby, income, and sometimes a means of survival. You can actually grow organic food on it, and this is very important these days. But as a rule, the harvest begins with the correct digging of the site for planting. Not everyone and not everywhere has the opportunity to hire equipment for this, and often a shovel or a pitchfork is the only tool that will help you with this. And if you have virgin land on your site? Is it possible to dig it up yourself and not tear your health at the same time? Here are the options for shovels for various soils and now we will talk.

The right choice of tool

If you want to know how to quickly dig a garden, then thanks to this article you can find a lot of interesting things. Fortunately, our land on the Kulibins has not yet become impoverished, they are constantly inventing simple improvements for shovels or pitchforks, with the help of which digging the earth becomes not such a labor-intensive task for health.

Pitchfork.

For digging purposes, as a rule, forks are intended - diggers, they have shorter teeth and are forged. In addition, after the pitchfork there are no large clods of earth that still need to be broken. And part of the soil passes through their teeth and it will not be necessary to lift the excess mass of soil. On the basis of the pitchfork, many new models have been invented, with which digging will be possible even for pensioners or people with disabilities.

For clay or damp soils, a pitchfork is just what you need. Excess earth will not stick to them, and simply sticking them into such soils will be much easier. With a heavily overgrown area, it is also better to choose a pitchfork for digging. They will enter the ground much easier, and the weeds will be pulled out along with the root, and not cut through it like shovels. From the remnants of these roots will certainly grow new weed. And the pitchfork will remove it, as they say, "with the root."

For deep, two-tier digging with loosening of the lower layers of the earth, the forks are also indispensable. And yet, simple pitchforks are good in small areas or in hard-to-reach corners, but for large open spaces, many devices based on them were invented, which we will discuss below.

Shovels.

Now we will learn how to quickly dig a garden with a shovel. For better entry into the soil, especially virgin soil, regular sharpening is required. And, in addition to digging, a shovel will serve you when digging holes or ditches. But still, as a rule, after a shovel, it will be necessary to additionally process the area with a pitchfork. And the most reliable shovel option is titanium, especially on clay, virgin or stony soils.

For a properly selected shovel, for minimal effort on your part, the handle should reach the elbow with the blade immersed in the ground by 20-25 cm. There are shovels with a special grip, it will be convenient especially for those people who have weak fingers. With a rounded blade, it is easier to dig, it goes into the ground better than a straight one.

"Mole" - a miracle - a shovel.

It was the desire to facilitate hard work when digging the earth that led to the emergence of a large number of various devices based on ordinary shovels or pitchforks, there are even hybrid models. Mole is one of such new phenomena in the processing of sites.

It consists of two opposite forks with a width of 43-55 cm and a number of teeth 6-9. The working (moving) teeth are attached to the frame, on which the second teeth are made motionless (according to the principle of the jaws). And a foot rest is also attached to the bed for ease of operation.

So, you tilt the handle first towards you, and then down.

During the second movement, the movable forks are driven through the second layer of earth, while it is loosened and freed from weeds. With proper digging, the layers of the earth do not mix with each other. This is exactly what happens when working with Mole - the top layer of soil does not move anywhere, but at the same time it is perfectly loosened.

The Mole itself weighs about 4.5 kg, but in the work of this weight you will not feel, as well as a significant load on your back. This miracle - a shovel can be simply dragged around the site without lifting it. But it is precisely with its weight that it simplifies the introduction of a working tool into the soil.

By saving energy, you can increase the area of the dug up area. With such a shovel, it is quite possible to process 1-2 acres of land in 1 hour, and at the same time practically not get tired. For women or elderly summer residents, such a shovel is just a godsend.

But this option is good for digging up already cultivated flower beds or beds; it is not quite suitable for virgin soil. In the greenhouse, it will also not be very comfortable, its handle is still a bit high.

Ripper Digger.

The principle of double pitchforks is also preserved in the Excavator. But he also has differences from the Mole:

2 cuttings are connected into one on the handle.
the emphasis under the foot is increased, which also increased the cultivated area.
the opposite forks are hinged and both are movable, there is simply no fixed frame.

In general, the principle of the work of the Excavator is almost identical to the work of the Mole. But due to the wider working part, it is great for large plots, for example, under a potato plantation, but for narrow beds it will not be very convenient.

Shovel Tornado.

Another type of Mole with a similar principle of action. In addition to the shovel, this trademark produces quite a few garden tools.

For example, the Tornado ripper, he is already quite famous among gardeners. This is a long pin, it has rounded handles at one end, and sharp teeth at the other, which are twisted clockwise.

Perfectly loosens the ground to a depth of 20 cm. And the handle can also be adjusted to any height of the person working with it.

It is quite compact, which gives it advantages in small or not very convenient areas, under trees or bushes, while on large spaces it is better not to use it.

Miracle - swivel forks.

We can say that this is a more advanced version of the Tornado. The handle is the same T-shaped, which is also adjustable for any height. But at the bottom, a pitchfork is attached to the handle, they are stuck into the ground and turned with the handle, like a lever. When working with him, the back and legs practically do not get tired, but on a heavy or rocky soil working with him will be quite uncomfortable.

Fokin flat cutter.

If you do not know how to dig a garden overgrown with grass, then the tips in this publication will be useful. The following instrument has been known since the end of the last century. He gained popularity and love due to his lightness and versatility.

They can do the following types of work:

hilling.
ditching various sizes for different needs.
soil loosening.
ridge formation.
crushing large clods of soil.
removal cutting weeds.

There are several options for flat cutter blade sizes. If you have several different ones, you can process both large arrays and small secluded or uncomfortable corners of your garden.

Manual cultivator.

In general, cultivators are designed for digging, loosening and creating beds on the plots. There are 3 types of them:

root removers.
stellate or rotary.
rippers.

Several star-shaped rippers are put on the axis of the star-shaped version at once. One has only to push and start the movement of the unit, as these rippers will begin to rotate and loosen the soil and at the same time remove weeds.

But here on heavy clay soils such a cultivator is unlikely to please you with its efficiency. Here you will need a cultivator - a ripper. Several short-toothed curved shapes are mounted on it. So they will save your strength when developing clay area. And root removers are ideal for spot loosening the soil, for removing weeds that have a deep and powerful root, and for preparing holes for planting.

Ideal depth when digging a plot

Now you know how to dig a garden. Now it is important to talk about other points. It has long been believed that optimum depth- this is on the bayonet of a shovel, that is, 20-25 cm. More modern farmers believe that 4-5 cm will be quite enough and natural. This is enough for sowing seeds, and the roots themselves will further deepen to the depth they need. But with this approach, it will be necessary to mulch plantings 10-15 cm thick

But when cultivating virgin lands, anyone will have to dig the site properly for the first time, at least to remove deep rhizomes of weeds that will noticeably deprive those cultivated plants that you plant.

Quick and easy digging of the site

To cope with this task with minimal effort on your part, the algorithm of actions should be as follows:

With pegs and threads, mark the desired area of \u200b\u200bthe site.
On one side of the perimeter, a trench is made wide and deep on the bayonet of a shovel.
The earth from the ditch must be immediately cleared of stones, debris and weeds.
This soil is placed in separate place with further use.
Now, parallel to the first groove, we dig the second. We put the earth from it in the first groove.
So we continue to the end of the marked area.
In the last groove we load the deposited earth from the first groove.

Rapid cultivation of virgin land

This is land that has not been cultivated for ten or more years. The turf has been growing over the years, be healthy and makes it much more difficult to process such a neglected area. Sowing and caring for plantings without prior tillage will be a fruitless effort. But console yourself with the thought that the land, which has rested over the years, has accumulated nutrients and will gladly put them into your harvest, after his cultivation, of course.

Of the fastest options for cultivating virgin lands, we can advise you on bulk beds. We lay cardboard on the right place of virgin soil, and pour herbicides between the rows. Now we pour fertile soil on the cardboard, and sow seeds or plant seedlings.

The method is fast, but costly in terms of the budget, because it will be necessary to buy fertile land, perhaps more than one car. If time still suffers, try another option. Cover the desired area with cardboard, press them down with a load and leave it for the whole summer. Under the cardboard, all the green mass will pereperet and rot, and in the fall, any of the shovels or pitchforks described above can be cultivated. Or you can cut out layers of sod and immediately turn them upside down with grass. Potatoes can be planted in the gap between the pastas, and after germination, they are abundantly mulched with organic matter. In the fall, you will also collect potatoes, and next year the site will already be prepared for normal processing.

We make the right beds

It is not necessary to overstrain on the site, trying to bring it into a “working” state in one day. Some up-to-date advice on this topic will reduce your labor costs:

Do not walk on a freshly dug area, especially if seeds have already been sown there. And also protect it from trampling by children or pets.
And it’s better to dig it up in several steps, especially if you haven’t been physically tense all winter.
Stick a shovel into the ground perpendicular to it, then it will easily enter to the desired depth, that is, to the entire bayonet.
And do not try to take out the maximum amount of earth on a shovel, your back will not last so long. It is better then to take less land, but more often.
Immediately after the snow melts, it is better not to start digging, because the earth, if it has thawed, is still very wet, which means it is heavy. Wait a few days for it to dry out a bit.

Digging a heavily overgrown area.

Do not be afraid, virgin soil can not be raised. It is enough to shed the area with herbicides, and then, after a few weeks, dig it up. And after a week, apply mineral fertilizers to it and loosen it. Now you can do landings on it.

If you need to dig a frozen area.

It is better, of course, not to perform such feats, but there are such life circumstances, which is simply nothing else. Then we will give you some detailed advice on this topic:

Light a fire in the right place. The earth will warm up, thaw and then it will be possible to dig it up.
With a jackhammer or pickaxe, remove the still frozen surface of the soil, then the no longer frozen ground will go, it can already be dug up normally.
Autumn digging of the site. Is it necessary

Some gardeners do not know the answer to the question of whether it is necessary to dig up the ground in the fall. Now, if you only acquired your site in the fall, and it is in a state of virgin lands, then autumn digging is simply necessary for him. AND The best way- dig it up in larger layers and you can leave it for the winter. The frosty cold will perfectly penetrate into the cracks between the clods of earth and destroy the roots or seeds of weeds. And when digging, it is better to immediately add phosphorus preparations for the soil, in the spring your plantings will really need them.

Another plus of autumn digging is that after it the earth will be perfectly saturated with oxygen, it will also be very useful for the roots of your plants.

If you are lucky and you got an already treated area, then you can not dig it up in the fall, but it is desirable to cover it with a layer of mulch, in the spring it will serve as an excellent fertilizer.

Finally.

So, you have familiarized yourself with the options for improved shovels and pitchforks for every taste, now you will not have to break your back in the garden, as before, during the spring preparation of the site for planting.

Stop digging garden beds! 5 reasons to make life easier in the country

Garden for the lazy: why digging is bad

Galina Kizima is an enthusiastic gardener with 50 years of experience, the author of original methods

Spring this year turned out to be early, and very soon the first crop will be harvested - greens, onions, young beets and potatoes. You have already decided what to sow in the vacated beds, only the earth needs to be dug up. Stop! We are not on a collective farm, but in a country house. Let's try to enjoy working in the garden - to make our work easier and at the same time increase soil fertility. Let's try. don't dig. There are at least five reasons for this.

Reason one: digging deprives the soil of living organisms

We are accustomed to consider the earth as inorganic matter, that is, inanimate, and treat it accordingly. And the soil is a very complex living organism with its own hierarchical structure, its own laws of community, densely populated by microorganisms and lower animal organisms, such as, for example, earthworms.

When digging to the depth of a shovel bayonet, turning the layer over, we swap the soil layers, and each type of microorganism finds itself in an unfavorable environment. Most of them die at the same time, and the soil, devoid of microorganisms, loses its fertility. And at the same time, it is completely useless to apply any fertilizer until its population is restored.

Losing its inhabitants, the soil along with them loses its structure. Such soil is washed away by rains and carried away by winds. You probably have your own experience on this subject. Remember: you are pouring a large pile of earth, for example, taken from the place where you are going to build a house, and then you want to use it for beds. And suddenly you discover that for some reason the soil has become barren, although you put mostly turf in this pile.

Thanks to the use of agricultural machinery, today we have almost completely ruined the most fertile lands on the entire planet and an inexorable decline in soil fertility. You and I cannot reason with all of humanity, but on our own plots we are quite capable of suspending disastrous agriculture and restoring the lost natural fertility of the soil.

Reason two: digging breaks the soil structure

When digging the soil, we break all the microchannels through which moisture and air penetrate into the arable layer. As a result, moisture and air do not enter the zone of sucking roots, and the normal nutrition of plants is disrupted. The roots literally suffocate, the plant weakens. What a harvest.

How are these microchannels formed in the soil? The fact is that the root system of plants is huge. It not only can go as deep as 2–5 m (in beets, for example, the central root can penetrate as deep as 3–4 m, and in cucumber up to 1 m), but it also branches in all directions, and each of these roots is covered hundreds of thousands of sucking hairs, total length which can reach 5–10 km! As a result, every inch of the earth is literally riddled with these hairs.

When the above-ground part of the plant dies, soil microorganisms begin to eat the remnants of the roots. As a result, microscopic channels are formed, through which moisture penetrates, and after it is absorbed by the soil, air rushes into the soil through the channels. In addition, worms make passages in the soil, which also serve as channels for water and air, only larger. Through all these passages, the roots of the next generation of plants easily penetrate deep into the soil.

We are strongly advised to do autumn digging of the soil in order to destroy the pests that have settled down to winter in the surface layer of the soil, and also so that moisture penetrates between the clods, freezes and expands the passages for spring water and air, which will rush through these cracks into the soil layer.

Yes, of course, some of the pests will die, but we will completely disrupt the system of water and air exchange, replacing it with several large gaps. In the spring, when we dig again, we will finally destroy the channels created by the roots and bacteria. With such a double digging, all this a complex system is destroyed, and the soil cakes in dry times so much that it has to be literally hammered.

Reason Three: Weed Seeds

During autumn digging, we bring all the seeds of weeds from the surface into the soil, where they remain until spring. And when we re-dig in the spring, we bring the overwintered weed seeds back to the surface, which immediately begin to germinate.

Reason Four: Exposing the soil

After digging, we leave the surface of the soil “bare”, and this leads to drying and destruction of its uppermost layer. In addition, “a holy place is never empty”, and a place under the sun immediately begins to take weeds. The soil should not be dug up, but covered from above with any mulching material.

The easiest way to do this is the way nature does, that is, it covers the earth with organic residues. In autumn - fallen leaves and above-ground part dead annuals. In spring - young green shoots.

Why is she doing this? In autumn - to return the organic matter consumed by plants to the soil and cover the surface root system from frost (where there is frost). In spring - to cover the surface from direct sunlight, to protect the top layer from drying out and destruction.

Fifth reason: preservation of humus

When digging, the upper, most fertile part of the soil, containing humus, is scattered throughout the thickness of the dug layer. Humus, as it were, is washed away or smeared, and since there is so little of it in poor soils, the fertility of the upper layer falls. Humus always "floats" into the top layer. But when will that happen! Humus should be protected and highly valued, and not destroyed by digging.

What to do?

Of course, to grow, groom, cherish the inhabitants of the soil, and for this they need to be well fed, throwing green organic matter at them, and loosen, just loosen the soil so as not to harm them!

But how to make the earth loose in order to sow seeds, plant seedlings? Instead of a shovel, I suggest using a Fokine flat cutter. It has a pointed end - that's what you will make furrows first along, and then across, deepening it into the soil by about 5 cm. If necessary, then disassemble with a rake. By the way, a rake can also be used to loosen the topsoil.

You can do this work with a sharpened chopper, a weeder "Swift" and other devices. The only requirement for such tools is that they must be very well sharpened. These tools should not be buried below 5 cm into the soil, and they should not mix the formations.

This is how we get rid of the most time-consuming work on earth - digging the earth. Next time we'll talk about whether it is possible to do without weeding and watering.

At present, the production of agricultural machinery is so developed that it is not necessary to bend your back to cultivate your plot.

For this, they invented an excellent tool, like a miracle shovel ripper Mole. It is twice as wide as a bayonet shovel. It consists of two pitchforks, which, when digging, loosen the earth. You don't need to use force when digging. No big load on the back. Greater productivity than when working with a conventional shovel or fork.

Cons miracle shovel ripper "Mole"

An ordinary shovel is used both for digging up the earth and for planting. The miracle shovel is used only for digging, it will not work to make depressions with it and dig in trees.

Using a super digger allows you to quickly and easily dig up the ground without harming your health. The main advantage of both the miracle of the shovel and the super digger is the affordable price.

To quickly and easily dig up a site, many use agricultural machinery. Recently, many people have been purchasing a motor cultivator, which can plow a large plot of land in just a few hours. But here you need to decide which one is better to choose.

If a small plot of land, you can purchase an electric cultivator that even a woman can control. For a large area, it is better to purchase a motor cultivator on gasoline. For the speed of processing the site, walk-behind tractors are also used. But a walk-behind tractor has many more functions than a cultivator.

Create conditions for yourself, thanks to which you will be happy to work in your garden.