A novice gardener who has just received a brand new plot of land that has not been cultivated for many years or has never been cultivated is usually horrified. How to turn this uneven field overgrown with weeds into a well-groomed fruit-bearing vegetable garden or garden? Where to start? What to grab onto? And first of all, of course, he grabs his head...
However, virgin soil should be perceived by gardeners not as an impending nightmare, but as a gift. Together with undeveloped virgin land, we are given the opportunity to create on our own piece of land from the very beginning fertile soil. Don't suck out of her everything that has accumulated over the past long years staying “fallow”, but truly creating. Developing virgin soil without digging is the first step towards gardening in close collaboration with nature.
The first thing I would like to advise regarding the development of virgin lands on the principles natural farming- be patient. Did you manage to plant only three beds during the season? That's nice, in next year they will already work for you, and you will continue the gradual development of your site.
If we have firmly decided that we do not intend to dig soil in our garden, this does not mean that we will not have to work at all, and nature will do everything for us. There will be a lot of work, but it will be completely different. And the first thing that is recommended to be done on a virgin plot is to mow down all the weeds. It is advisable to mow early, before flowering.
All the cut grass can be left lying directly on the ground as food for worms and other soil inhabitants, or you can rake it into a large pile with a pitchfork and then use it as mulch when making beds.
Development of virgin soil without digging: planning and marking
The next stage of development involves not so much physical as brainwork. It is necessary to think about, plan, draw, draw, and subsequently mark out future beds and row spacing in place.
You can go the classic route and mark out meter-wide beds with 60-70 centimeters of free space between them.
Many natural farmers are now leaning in favor of . As they say, what is easier - to plant 50 plants and collect 50 kilograms of crops or to plant 10 plants and collect the same 50 kilograms from them? Narrow beds are aimed specifically at getting a larger yield from a smaller area. In addition, wide aisles will be easier to mow in the future, and more grass will grow in them (it is the grass mowed in the aisles that will become the main mulch for our future beds).
Or you can even be original: make the beds round, triangular, asymmetrical - in this matter, everything is your will.
What else is important to pay attention to when planning beds? On the climate! If hot, dry summers are the norm for your region, don't get carried away with raised beds in boxes; organic trenches and sunken beds are better suited for you. In cool and rainy climates, the opposite is true. If with weather conditions complete uncertainty, if there are often sudden changes in temperature, flat beds directly on the ground are preferable.
Development of virgin soil without digging: arrangement of beds
So, the pegs are driven in, the beds are marked. It's time to get serious about them. The most a big problem Virgin lands are perennial weeds. Their roots have long gone deep into the soil, and the seeds are everywhere. Therefore, the main task of the gardener is to choke out the weeds and prevent them from germinating. And this problem is solved with the help of darkening. In this regard, no matter what type of beds you choose - boxes, trenches or flat ridges on the ground - the bed must be isolated from light so that the roots and seeds weeds there was no way to germinate. Usually, for this purpose, the space under the garden bed is lined with several layers (3-5 layers) of cardboard or newspapers, or covered with black opaque film.
Option 1. If we are not in a hurry, we leave the bed like this for the whole season. Under the cardboard or film, soil microorganisms and worms will begin to work; in the absence of light, most of the roots of perennial weeds will begin to die, rot and eventually become fertilizer. Some particularly persistent weeds, of course, will begin to look for light and crawl into the aisles between the beds, and here we must be ready with a scythe at the ready. Just regularly mow the grass in the aisles before the weeds bloom. In the fall, you can sow in such a bed, and next spring Use a pitchfork to pull out a few “unkilled” weeds and plant vegetables.
By the way, many gardeners prefer rye as a green manure for virgin soil - it is famous for its ability to suppress weeds, and it also perfectly structures the soil. Just don’t need to bury it later, just mow it and use the green mass for mulch, and leave the roots to rot in the soil.
Option 2. If you don’t want to waste time, but want to grow something right away in the first year, then top the cardboard or newspapers with a thick layer of mulching materials: rotted manure, humus, compost, algae, turf soil.
The mulch layer should be at least 10 centimeters. You can plant seedlings in such a bed in the same season. heat-loving crops: zucchini, pumpkin, tomatoes, peppers. The procedure is as follows: we rake up the mulch layer and stick something sharp in order to punch a hole in all layers of cardboard; through this hole the roots will stretch deeper. Above the hole we place the seedlings directly in paper or peat glass, surround this cup with a small amount of earth, and then fill it with mulch. We water the plantings. In a couple of weeks we will mulch our bed lightweight materials: mown grass, straw, leaves, sawdust, seed husks. The recommended layer of mulch is half the size of a shovel. A bed mulched in this way practically does not need any additional watering (unless it’s hot, of course) or fertilizing.
In the fall, this bed can be sown with green manure or more mulch can be added on top. The main thing is not to disturb the soil, there are still weed seeds in it, so let them remain there, in the depths, and from year to year we will simply sprinkle organic matter on top, forming a new fertile layer of soil.
Don’t be afraid of virgin soil, develop it correctly, make the most of its rich resources, and then the garden will feed you and your family for many years to come.
We wish you success and great harvests!
Every farmer knows how valuable time is when cultivating the land, sowing or harvesting, therefore, whether plowing virgin soil with a walk-behind tractor is possible is of interest to many. Using a walk-behind tractor in most cases does not raise any questions or difficulties. A lot of information can be found in the instructions, which are in mandatory goes to every model of equipment. And yet, beginners sometimes have questions. They are often associated with the processing of virgin soil. In order to quickly figure this out, you should find out what the device for plowing the land might be.
Experienced farmers are well aware of the importance of high-quality processing land before planting, as well as in the fall. Productivity largely depends on this. If earlier you had to spend whole days on such work, now you can use a walk-behind tractor that will cope with the task in an hour. When choosing a high-quality and productive device, you can process in two hours the area that would take a whole day with manual plowing.
When choosing an assistant to work on the farm, many people wonder whether it is possible to cultivate the land with a Neva walk-behind tractor or another model, or whether a walk-behind cultivator is better. In fact, there are no significant differences between these types of technology. Many farmers use both one and the second name to refer to conventional walk-behind tractors.
What is the difference between a walk-behind tractor and a cultivator?
If you look closely, you can identify some differences. It is believed that a motor cultivator is suitable exclusively for plowing, mixing soil and applying fertilizers. The walk-behind tractor is more functional. You can quickly connect additional attachments to it, so the equipment can perform cleaning work, function as a lawn mower, etc. Walk-behind tractors and motor-cultivators can also be used for planting seeds, which speeds up this process and makes it simpler.
Most walk-behind tractors are more powerful than conventional cultivators. This is very important parameter, which allows the technique to be used in different situations. For example, if we are talking about plowing virgin soil, you should opt for a walk-behind tractor. It is advisable to choose devices with a powerful engine. This will avoid breakdowns and make the process of plowing virgin soil as simple and fast as possible.
It is much easier to select additional attachments for a walk-behind tractor. Therefore, arable work on the site can be as varied as possible.
The difference between the two units may be the price. The more powerful the engine, the higher the cost of the equipment. Moreover, walk-behind tractors are often equipped with a set attachments. This also contributes to the rise in price. For this reason, if the owner of a plot needs to cultivate a small area, a motor cultivator is most often preferred. With its help it is easy to do arable work on small areas. But it must be taken into account that the power of such equipment for plowing virgin soil may not be enough. In this case, a weak motor cultivator will simply burn out.
Pros and cons of plowing with a walk-behind tractor
Previously, farmers had no alternative, so all work was done manually. Now many people can buy a motor-cultivator or even a walk-behind tractor. However, some still doubt that the land plowed with such equipment is of high quality.
The main advantage of using this type of equipment is that mechanical plowing takes little time. The farmer saves time and effort, productivity increases, and this affects the level of profit. Having a walk-behind tractor, you can refuse the help of hired workers. As a result, the farmer saves on several salaries.
At the same time, using a walk-behind tractor, you can not only plow the land, including virgin soil, but also plant seeds, harvest crops, mow grass and harvest hay, and also do a lot of other things. useful work without spending a lot of time on it. It is also convenient that with the help of one device you can do several jobs at the same time. Thus, already during plowing, the farmer has the opportunity to apply fertilizers to the ground.
Both the walk-behind tractor and the walk-behind cultivator allow you to dig deep into the soil. You cannot achieve such results manually. This is especially true for working in virgin lands. Thanks to the deep plowing provided by the walk-behind tractor, the cultivated land becomes better in terms of structure. This way the soil can be saturated with oxygen and properly moistened. This will definitely affect the harvest in the future.
Processing virgin soil with a walk-behind tractor brings a lot of benefits. With the help of this technique, soil cultivation occurs.
As a result, the planted plants grow well on the site, but weeds are eliminated.
Statistics show that after treating the soil with a walk-behind tractor or a walk-behind cultivator, the yield increases at least twice.
Among the shortcomings, one can highlight only high cost equipment. A good powerful walk-behind tractor for plowing virgin soil can cost about 100 thousand rubles. Plus, you will need additional attachments to perform various tasks. You can make them yourself, but some types will still have to be purchased.
You need to use walk-behind tractors very carefully on virgin soil. If there are many weeds with deep root systems in the soil, mechanical restoration will only be harmful, as it will contribute to the proliferation of harmful plants.
Some farmers believe that the constant use of a walk-behind tractor or a walk-behind cultivator can lead to the depletion of the fertile layer or its disruption, which negatively affects the yield. But this problem can be solved very easily. To do this, it is enough to apply fertilizer simultaneously with digging the soil.
Many gardeners and farmers believe that cultivating the land with a tractor will be much more convenient, and the quality of the plowed land is much higher. The first parameter can be considered correct, but regarding convenience, this is not so. Plowing work with a tractor will only be possible on large and completely open areas. If there are buildings or trees nearby, then using this technique will not work. Walk-behind tractors are much more maneuverable, and they are several times cheaper than the simplest tractor.
Rules for arable work
In order for the land to be fertile and the harvest to be good, you should adhere to some recommendations that exist both for virgin lands and for lands that have already been previously cultivated. One of key points is setting up the equipment. Before you start plowing the soil, you need to carefully adjust the width and depth of digging. Next, you should make sure that the walk-behind tractor is ready for work, that is, it is completely filled with fuel and lubricants.
As for how to plow the land using a walk-behind tractor, for different types soil has its own recommendations. But still, most often, experts advise making a furrow of about 50 cm with a depth of no more than 15 cm. If the soil is very rough, you can go deeper to 25 cm.
The area that is planned to be processed using a walk-behind tractor or cultivator must be completely cleared of large stones and debris. It is advisable to immediately remove all available weeds. Next, an orientation cord is laid along the area. This allows you to create the most even arable row.
Plowing virgin soil is somewhat different from regular work of such a type. Here you can move in a circle or in a zigzag. It all depends on the personal preferences of the farmer. In this case, the shape of the treated area must be taken into account. Experts recommend performing circular plowing on rectangular fields, and zigzag plowing on square fields.
Working in virgin lands is often associated with numerous difficulties. Therefore, for such cases, it is recommended to choose powerful equipment. Sometimes the ground turns out to be so hard that it is impossible to properly plow the virgin soil with a walk-behind tractor, even the most powerful one. For such cases, phased plowing is recommended, that is, the work will have to be done 2 or 3 times. It is recommended to choose the time after heavy rains, since wet soil is easier to process.
After finishing plowing, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the equipment from the soil. In this case, the equipment will last a long time without the need for repairs.
It is not always the case that the owners get the plots in excellent condition with the beds dug up and trimmed. Basically, the new owner simply gets a plot overgrown with weeds and weeds with fruit trees and bushes that had gone wild and began to bear completely different large and juicy fruits than they had previously produced in a well-groomed state. However, sometimes a plot of land is inherited from grandparents, or it is simply forgotten about for a while, during which time it becomes overgrown with weeds and thickets of grass as tall as a man. Of course, it is impossible to plant anything in such an area without first clearing it. The first task facing the owner of the site is to clear the territory and prepare it for the next season.
In general, smart and zealous gardeners have long come up with many ways that allow them to quickly and efficiently develop virgin soil in order to use the land for their needs. After all, land that has rested for several years and is overgrown with weeds is excellent for any planting, since it has accumulated all the necessary nutrients. All that remains is to bring it into proper condition and begin to implement your plan. But this sounds simple only in words. In fact, this is a huge amount of work that requires a lot of effort and time. But the result is worth it.
In general, all methods of developing virgin soil can be divided into those that allow you to plant some plants in the first season after processing and those that do not allow you to do this.
Radical changes
This method is considered quite simple in concept and labor-intensive in execution. In the process of clearing the area from thickets, it is necessary to remove upper layer earth, called turf, in which numerous roots are intertwined. The cut layers are placed in a designated area with the roots facing up and covered with material that does not transmit light. Periodically, this pile should be treated with urea so that after a few years it turns into excellent compost.
As for the soil itself, a new layer of soil is poured on top of the cleared soil, which is ordered on several machines. The main thing is to know the origin of the soil and its quality. Otherwise, you risk wasting money and getting a new layer of soil rich in weeds and pathogens and even pests.
The simpler the better
The first method is relatively easier, since it involves digging up the area manually without removing the weed roots. Another thing is that with this method you will not be able to sow a lot of things on the site for a long time. Cabbage and potatoes will come to the rescue. Cabbage is planted as seedlings, but as it grows it will bring powerful shade from its leaves, just like cabbage. This shade will cover the ground and begin to suppress weed growth. In addition, you will need to periodically hill up the beds, which will also help destroy weeds.
For greater effect, you can mulch between rows with grass clippings, manure or compost. 
Useful waste paper
This one is very original way It will work if you follow the instructions carefully. To make it a reality, you will need rotted manure (you can chicken droppings, compost or humus). This composition must be evenly distributed over the entire area of the developed area and covered on top with black and white newspaper 5-7 layers thick. If you find this difficult, you can replace the newspaper with thick cardboard. Compost mixed with manure is poured onto the paper layer on top.
The advantage of this method is that you can make holes in newspapers in which you can plant any crops grown through seedlings. This is perfect for those who don’t want to wait a long time, being content with only potatoes and cabbage. At the end of the season, in addition to an excellent harvest of the crops you grow, you will also receive a clean area with soil enriched with vitamins and microelements. 
Black bedspread
Black film is a fairly well-known way to get rid of weeds. You can cover the entire area with it, so that under the hot summer sun underneath it a real hell was created for all living plants. No weed can survive the absence sun rays and this steam room, so by the end of the season you can remove the film, dig up the ground and feel like a winner. Alas, with this method there is no talk of any plantings this season.
Green manure comes to the rescue (video - site planning)
Many nice words have been said about green manure plants, which have a lot of benefits. Including during the development of the site. Among all the crops in this series, there are three that will cope with the task better than others.
Winter rye is the first of these three helper crops that will rid the area of weeds. Rye itself perfectly suppresses the growth of other plants, and winter rye is used for a reason. Rye seeds are planted in spring instead of autumn. Thus, the gardener deceives the plant, which will not be able to bloom during the season and will not form an ear.
You can enhance the effect if you cut wheat several times a season without damaging the growing part of the plant. In the spring of the next season, the rye will go into the ground, and in its place you can plant potatoes or other crops, depending on how overgrown your area is.
Sunflower - much more easy job for a summer resident, but at the same time no less ruthless in relation to weeds. In early May, its seeds are planted in the ground after digging as thick as possible. When the seedlings emerge from the ground, other plants simply have no chance to survive under such pressure.
At the beginning of autumn, sunflowers can be mowed and chopped into pieces of twenty centimeters, and then thrown into the soil. During the fall, these parts will decompose and well fertilize the ground, preparing it for planting new crops next season.
Bush beans are not only effective, but also delicious. You just need to sow it thicker than is usually prescribed for it. A distance of 5-10 cm is maintained between plants, and 20-30 cm between rows. During the first month, you will still have to weed between the plants, and then the beans will cover the entire bed with their leaves, and in this shade it is unlikely that anything will be able to grow. When the season comes to an end, the tops of the beans will go into compost, and you should go through the area with a hoe to remove the most tenacious weeds.
As you can see, the methods are very different in nature. You can choose any of them, depending on whether you are in a hurry to plant something on your site or are ready to wait for time and the sun to do their job. In any case, if you take up this task and bring it to the end, you can then enjoy the pleasures of working on your weed-free plot.
Tillage in autumn is one of the essential elements technologies for cultivating agricultural crops. In arid areas, this contributes to the accumulation and preservation of moisture in the soil; in excessively moist areas, it helps to eliminate it.
Besides, this technique improves the air and nutrient regimes of the soil, creates favorable conditions for the vital activity of soil microorganisms, ensures the incorporation of fertilizers, plays important role in the fight against weeds, diseases and pests of agricultural crops.
Very often, novice summer residents are given land for a vegetable garden with a predominance of low-value rhizome and root weeds (wheatgrass, sow thistle, dandelion, thistle) in the grass stand. It is important to properly treat such areas and dig up the turf.
Disking
Exists classic scheme formation cutting perennial herbs and it is advisable to strictly adhere to it. The field is disked in two directions (first along, then across). This agricultural technique shreds the turf and partially turns it over. Very often, on heavy, waterlogged soils, disking completely replaces autumn plowing, especially for vegetable crops.
Disking is carried out disc harrows , hullers and plows (without formation rotation). The discs are good at cutting horizontally located rhizomes and root suckers into small pieces and provoking them to germinate. It is best to repeat disking before frost sets in.
The second treatment is usually carried out after 2-3 weeks. after the first, or more precisely, after the crumbled weed seeds germinate. If the turf has been well cut since the fall, spring plowing will ensure good wrapping of the layer.
Perennial grasses are a good predecessor for many crops. It is best to place cabbage or potatoes in such an area. To avoid large labor costs in developing such a site, your actions must be rational.
It is advisable to divide the area in half, then mark the middle and dig the first furrow exactly in the center. Before this, remove a layer of turf 5 cm thick and lay it with the grass up at the edge of the second half of the plot.
Then, digging deep into the bayonet of the shovel, take out the layer and put it next to it with previously removed turf. The soil at the bottom of the furrow is loosened with a pitchfork to a depth of 20-25 cm. If necessary, fertilizers are applied at the same time.
Next, remove the turf at the site of the second furrow. and lay it on the bottom of the first, the furrow itself is covered with soil from the second furrow. This is repeated until the area is dug up. The turf removed from the first furrow is transferred to the last.
This way processing of a layer of perennial grasses significantly improves water and physical properties soil. And most importantly, it destroys the compacted layer of soil, called the sole.
Such a sole is usually formed as a result of tilling the soil to the same depth (at the bayonet of a shovel). As a rule, such a soil base negatively affects the growth of many agricultural crops, especially root crops.
How to dig up soil
A simple digging of an area is not much different from the above, the only difference is in removing the turf. For the winter, it is recommended to dig up the garden without breaking up the clods.
This will help retain snow and accumulate moisture in the soil. In addition, during late autumn digging, pests that have gone into the soil for the winter end up close to the surface and most often die.
Minimum tillage
In agriculture, minimal tillage is widely used, the essence of which is reducing the number and depth of cultivation in well-cultivated areas.
For example, in areas of sufficient moisture, fall plowing (digging) for row crops is replaced by shallow or surface tillage.
This leads to a reduction in labor and energy costs, and a reduction in excessive soil compaction. Experts say that minimal tillage slows down the process of humus decomposition and thereby helps preserve its fertility.
The practice of growing vegetables without pre-cultivation of the soil has also developed. Her followers sow seeds or plant seedlings on a layer of compost scattered over the surface of the plot.
The basis of this practice is natural recovery theory soil fertility . According to proponents of minimal tillage, digging leads not only to the destruction of growing weeds, but also to the germination of numerous seeds in the soil.
Of course, the minimum tillage method has its own advantages: the level of its fertility that develops under such a farming system contributes to successful cultivation vegetables, but it has been experimentally established that in dug up areas the yield and quality vegetable crops doubles.
In conclusion, I suggest you watch the video that tells experience in putting fallow lands into circulation:
Green squares
Life now is such that you have to plant a lot, otherwise you won’t survive. Only having time to conquer new heights! Next to my site there is land abandoned many years ago, overgrown with wheatgrass and other weeds.
Sod - you can't get a shovel in! There are two more complicating points.
The first one is when When developing virgin lands, I decided not to use herbicides. The second one is everywhere in our areas different thickness of the arable horizon, where there is more, where there is less, and under it there is chalk in the form of large (and not so large) pebbles. So we had to approach the matter creatively, as people say: just in case, have your own custom.
I finally found a way.
It is very effective and moderately labor intensive. But wheatgrass does not have the slightest loophole. However, I want to warn you in advance: do not immediately take on big piece land - first assess your strengths and capabilities, try it, see how it goes.
So, I mark a strip according to the size of the future bed, 1.5 m wide and 10 m long (see figure). Using the bayonet of a shovel, I cut out a square of turf (B1) and take it to the end of the proposed ridge. I cut out another similar square nearby and take it there. Then I go deeper as far as the arable horizon allows (A1 and A2). I remove the earth at the very end.
I perform this operation across the entire width of the bed, and I end up with a small ditch. Now I cut out a square of turf (A3) and lay it on the bottom of the ditch (in place of A1). Then I go deeper on the bayonet of the shovel (VZ), but I place the excavated soil on top of the previously laid turf - and so on across the entire width of the bed.
And it turns out that I am burying the sod. Having reached the end of the bed, in the same way I lay down the soil that I brought there at the beginning of work - sod on the bottom (with the layer turned over), and the pound on top. And at the end of the event, I carefully level the resulting bed with a rake. This is the big picture. And now the nuances.
How to remove wheatgrass...
Buried turf is alive. And it contains a lot of pupae, eggs, and larvae of pests. Therefore, if there is an opportunity and desire, a week or two before digging it would be nice to treat it with a strong solution of urea or ammonium nitrate(which will speed up the decomposition of the buried turf and reduce the number of pests). When the fertilizer takes effect and the grass turns yellow, you can start digging.
Now specifically about the solution. I take 500 g of fertilizer and dissolve it in a bucket of water. I spray it with a spray bottle in sunny, windless weather, after the morning dew has disappeared.
Therefore, before treating with urea, you need to check the weather forecast. Don't spray before it rains!
And then one day, after a rainstorm, my dried grass began to grow again. I had to use another solution, since there was no more urea (as well as the opportunity to buy it): I took 150 g of vinegar (9%) per 2 liters of water and added 5 tbsp. l. salt. I note that treatment with vinegar is considered an environmental means of control, since it quickly decomposes into carbon dioxide and water. Of course, it is also necessary to cultivate the soil with such a solution only in dry weather.
And one more nuance. When digging, especially if it’s in the fall, you need to put old newspapers between the layers of soil (A and B). They will rot over the winter, and this is an additional obstacle for pests and weeds.
Cover for garden beds
Now about how I resolved the issue with different thicknesses arable horizon. In June, when the grass was still lush and the weeds were just gaining strength, I treated the intended digging site for the first time with a strong urea solution. After that, I dug up with a shovel with a bayonet and turned the formation around. You can't go any deeper - it's chalk. It is this moment that is captured in the photo; the dried wheatgrass is visible from behind. I leveled the bed with a rake and covered it with what I could - pieces of cardboard, slate, linoleum and black polyethylene, pressing it all down broken bricks and boards.
And in August, I removed the cover, used a hoe to make wide, 15-20 cm furrows along the entire length (for a bed width of 1.5 m, there were 5 furrows), watered them generously and sowed rye thickly. It itself perfectly suppresses all hostile vegetation, but by autumn it grew wildly and became bushy. In this form it went into the winter. In the spring it grew even more, and in the tenth day of May I weeded it down to the very roots with a hoe. Then I dried it (it turned out to be wonderful straw!) and raked it to the side.
He dug up the bed finely, breaking up large clods with a shovel, and carefully leveled the ground with a rake. When the threat of frost passed (after May 26), I planted tomatoes and mulched all the free space in the bed with straw.
Then, during the season, new mulch was placed on top of it - weeded weeds. So the wheatgrass had no chance, but the tomatoes were a great success!
If there is no opportunity (or desire) to cultivate rye, then this advice: do not remove the cover from the garden bed in the fall, but sow corn or sorghum in the spring.
And if this is not suitable, plant it in this bed white cabbage, it will cover the entire surface with its burdock leaves, suppressing weeds. By the way, in the photo in the background you can see tomatoes and cabbage planted in this way (corn simply did not fit into the frame).
The main thing in this struggle is not to lose heart and strictly follow what was drawn up in advance. detailed plan operations codenamed "Liquidation". And methodically, systematically, systematically, step by step, move towards the intended goal.
You can also (this has been verified!) plant peppers, but then the mulch layer should be at least 10 cm. In general, more enthusiasm and creative approaches! As one of the classics of agriculture said, there are no bad lands - there are bad owners.
TWO HUNDREDS OF VIRGIN ELINE AND BAD SUMMER
Agree, it’s impressive when, in the very first year, on empty, abandoned land, and even in a disgustingly rainy summer, good harvest. What is this - an accident or a well-deserved success of a summer resident who thought through all the nuances in advance?
I had two acres of undeveloped virgin land: a thick carpet of turf on loamy soil. Polycarbonate sheets lay along the edges of the area Brown- from the old fence. The grass did not grow under them, but the mice did their work - they loosened the ground. Following the advice from the magazine, I planted potatoes in this place, planted them without digging, in furrows, followed by a small hilling. And I trimmed the edges with a shovel and laid turf on turf - it rotted, and the result was loose soil.
In August 2016, after I dug up the potatoes, I planted strawberries in two rows in the vacant space, mulching the roots with everything I had at hand - grass, black plastic bags. Before the frost, it developed well and partially even bloomed, although the variety is not remontant. Overwintered well and gave excellent harvest. I have never had so many strawberries before, although the variety is not very successful: the berries are very wrinkled. But again, thanks to the advice, I grew from seeds such varieties of strawberries as Baron Solemacher, Ruyana, Koketka, etc. But that’s another story.
And last spring I decided to plant the second, not yet developed part of the plot with pumpkins and zucchini. I usually do them well, but spring and early summer that year in the Moscow region turned out to be simply terrible: it rained endlessly, it was cold and there was very little sun. I sowed these crops several times, planted them with seedlings, covered them with cut bottles, and... And I succeeded! Moreover, taking into account the fact that I cleared the ground from the turf in small squares, and covered the remaining turf with black film or cardboard.
No matter how terrible an abandoned site may look, virgin soil can be reclaimed without digging. It is enough to mow all the weeds and then start creating raised beds(V southern regions) or trenches (in the northern ones). Weeds should be isolated by covering the soil with several layers of cardboard, newspaper or black, opaque film.
When the pumpkins and zucchini grew (and in August it suddenly became warm, 25-28°), they closed the entire territory right up to the fence and did not
allowed weeds to develop. The harvest turned out to be very good for that extremely unfavorable year: I harvested 65 kg of pumpkin and almost the same amount of zucchini.
And as an experiment, last spring I planted two rows of potatoes along the strawberries on both sides, and mustard and oats between the rows of green manure. Mustard, followed by embedding in the ground, very well ennobled my virgin soil, and until late autumn the oats threw out spikelets with seeds, which I tore up and dried. But I liked it less as a green manure: it grows too much.
In general, last year I got a good harvest of pumpkins, zucchini, potatoes, strawberries and wild strawberries from two acres of virgin land, winter garlic and leek variety Kara-tansky (planted with seedlings for the first time).