End of summer: maintain your land for the fall

At the end of the summer, when we harvest the last fruits of the work done throughout the year in the vegetable garden, we always have a little trouble starting to project ourselves on the following year... However, the beginning of autumn usually arrives much faster than expected, and we must already prepare to welcome autumn! Here is the instructions for use to properly maintain your land.

Why prepare for the following year at the end of autumn?

Already, know that the fact ofanticipating early enough can make it possible to garden throughout the coming year in the best conditions. Of course: you are not without having that the maintenance of a garden and especially a vegetable garden never stops... This means that even when you feel like you're entering an off-peak period – which may be the case in terms of sowing/harvesting,for example – it doesn't necessarily mean that there's no work left to be done to pamper your garden.

Maintain the quality of the soil, our instructions for use

When autumn arrives, it is important to prepare the soil for the winter: indeed, it must be rich enough when spring comes to plant what you want. Be careful though: if you use a spade, we advise you not to go too deep. Digging the earth too deep can damage microorganisms, which increase biological life and are essential for obtaining a soil rich in nutrients.

Spad on the surface: this will maintain your land and strengthenit, to allow it to spend the winter serenely and to be in optimal conditions when welcoming the first seedlings / plants, in spring. When sparing, do not hesitate to get rid of weeds: thus, they will proliferate less the following year.

For the followers of the grelinette, a tool widely used in permaculture to loosen the earth without turning it over – in other words, by disturbing less the biological activity of the soil than with the spade – the same fight: at the end of summer, when the soil is a little packed, use it to aerate the soil a little and decompress it.

The best tricks to enrich the soil

You know it well if you are not in your first vegetable garden: the richness of the soil ... that's the key! Therefore, do not hesitate to lay a layer of compost where you have spared, so as to fertilize the earth well. Leave it on the ground for several days, in order to maximize its chances of enjoying – at one time or another – the rain. The important thing is that the soil sooner or later ends up gorged with water.

If you have evenly distributed your manure/compost, the microorganisms useful for the development of your land can proliferate, and you will discover a soil rich in nutrients when you return from sunny days.

Caring for the lawn: how to do it?

Even if the lawn is not as high as when mowing becomes necessary, it is advisable to carry out one last mowing before winter. Indeed, the turf will continue to grow – even if the process is slower and less visible – until the first frosts arrive. So pulling out your lawnmower at the end of October is a good initiative.

In addition, the more your garden is maintained during the winter period, the less work you will have to do in the spring. In order to save yourself work at this time, remember to rid your lawn of the first fallen leaves. By repeating the operation throughout the winter, you will allow it to ventilate and develop properly, especially after the drought phases encountered during the summer.

Pruning, an essential step in the preparation of the ground

Last step in preparing your garden for autumn: pruning. Do not hesitate to prune some of your plants, if you find them sufficiently developed – if you have hydrangeas for example, it will do them the greatest good. On the other hand, you are probably arriving at the moment when your bushes deserve maintenance pruning. In this article (+ link, it is not yet online), you will find out how to upgrade your hedges before winter, so as not to end up with a virgin forest in spring.

If you have plants and shrubs that are afraid of frost, remember to protect them, especially if you thewinter promises to be harsh. You can install mulching based on fir needles, fallen leaves, or other vegetation cover that could do the trick.

Finally, know that some diseases that spread in our gardens and vegetable gardens can be transmitted by the tools used to loosen or prune. After soliciting your equipment during the summer season, do not hesitate to clean it by rubbing hard with soap. Come on, a little elbow grease and voila!

Find all the tools and products necessary to maintain your garden on our website multitanks.com!