In the fall, gardeners and gardeners have an incredible amount of work to do. It is necessary to complete the harvest, and prepare the garden and vegetable garden for the winter cold, and lay the foundation for a successful start to the next spring season. Each fall month has a specific schedule and a long to-do list that needs to be redone. However, it is worth considering in which climatic zone you live. Indeed, in some regions, all garden work end in October, when in zones with a milder and warmer climate during this period the last harvest is still harvested, and the final cleaning of the beds and preparation of the garden for the cold is carried out in November.
With the onset of autumn, summer residents continue the hot season - it is necessary to collect the remaining harvest, prepare the site for winter. In order to carry out all garden work correctly, novice gardeners should first consult with experienced colleagues, read thematic literature, watch a video with advice from experts. This is a very important time, because the harvest of the next year depends on the correct preparation of trees, shrubs and land for the cold season.
In generous and warm September, there is especially a lot of work in the garden, because harvesting and processing is in full swing. And besides stocking up stocks, you need to start some preparatory work for winter. In addition to twists and blanks for the winter, this month you should:
The onset of golden autumn adds to the collection of fallen leaves. In October, it is worth taking care of a transplant fruit bushes, rejuvenation of the orchard, pruning dry and diseased branches. At the end of the month, all bulbous plants need mulching with humus or peat. This is also a huge layer of work.
To facilitate wintering garden plants, the land around perennials should be loosened and fertilized. It is also necessary to take care of lawns: it is worth removing weeds, loosen and level the soil. In the garden, the tops should be collected and destroyed, and after harvesting, they should be dug up.
The last autumn month closes the gardening season. There is also a lot of work during this period. All diseased branches should be cut, the trunks should be cleaned and whitewashed. Remove fallen leaves. Collect and destroy pest nests from bare branches.
In November, the harvest is completed, and areas of the garden that have not yet been dug are dug up. The period of collection and preparation for the next season of fruit seeds is coming to an end. The last work is underway to prepare the flower garden for winter.
In October, the summer cottage pleases with bright colors and the last harvest, while work continues in the garden in preparation for wintering. Many different jobs need to be redone during this month.
In the garden:
Attention! In addition to these gardening works do not forget about preparation country house to your long absence. It is necessary to clean the drains and pipes, collect and store the country furniture in the shelter.
In order to finally prepare the site for wintering and ensure a successful start of the new spring season, the following work must be carried out:
In the whirlwind of preparatory work in the garden for winter, one should not forget about preparing an artificial reservoir for the cold season, if there is one. To do this, you need to carry out the following work:
Attention! If in artificial pond fish lives, it is absolutely impossible to drain it. With the onset of cold weather, the fish hibernate.
October is one of the autumn months, which is very important for residents of the Moscow region and the rest of Russia, to prepare the dacha for wintering. In order to work fruitfully and profitably at this time, you need to know in advance what to do and make a special list of things to do at your favorite summer cottage. Of course, few people want to work with the ground in cold and sometimes rainy weather - many prefer warmth and home comfort.
But on the other hand, the most hardworking and hardy will be rewarded in the spring, when the leaves begin to break through, and vegetables can be planted. By the way, some crops can and should even be planted in October! What to do in the country in October and what to plant in October, we will consider in this material useful for any summer resident.
From September 20 and (in good weather) until October 20 - the most suitable period for planting seedlings fruit trees and shrubs. This is a great time to transplant raspberry and currant bushes (for renewal).
October is a great time to plant vegetables before winter. During the winter, they will sleep well under the snow cover and will rise together in the spring.
In addition to garlic, you can plant a bed of early carrots so that you can enjoy them with a crunch in the summer. In a greenhouse or under glass, you can plant early radishes, radishes, head lettuce and lettuce. Glass will protect plantings from sudden spring frosts and will save the necessary moisture in the soil.
You can sow onions in winter. For this, special varieties are chosen. have a short day that form bulbs on a short sunny spring day. Currently, there are such hybrids as "Radar F1" and "Ibis F1".
Rosemary on the street must be covered or brought in a warm room for the winter.
Cover perennials and biennials with lutrasil if necessary.
Check the dahlia tubers wintering in the house regularly; discard wilted, rotten and diseased plants immediately.
It is worth planning the breakdown of the ridges and flower beds, choosing the matching and suitable flowers.
After the first frost, dahlias must be dug up, due to the fact that the stems and leaves of them will immediately turn black.
To do this, you need to dig in the bushes in a circle, trying not to damage the tubers. Shake it gently and clean the soil from the tubers. Then we trim the stems at a height of ten centimeters from the base. We make a cut just above the lignified area.
Dahlia tubers are washed out with a stream of water and dried in the sun for several hours or a couple of days indoors.
For the purpose of winter storage of tubers, a room with good ventilation, an air temperature of + 3-8 ° C and a humidity of about 60-70% is required. In apartment conditions, dahlias can be stored warm glazed balcony... The nest of root tubers should be put in a bucket and covered with a mixture of sawdust, sand and peat.
We recommend removing wild growths that have formed over the summer near mature fruit trees with pruning shears and an ax. If you do not, then in the spring it will quickly rise and absorb many useful substances that would be required for adult specimens to start a new crop.
Protect tree trunks by whitewashing to prevent frost cracks from damaging their bark in winter.
In October, leaves fall and therefore you need to remove the fallen leaves in time and burn them so that pests of apple trees and other trees cannot overwinter in it.
In October, the first frosts begin and therefore those vegetables that you left to ripen in the garden require additional protection... We recommend covering these beds with foil or lutrasil to protect the roots in case of sudden frost.
Cucumbers and tomatoes are finishing fruit. Beets and carrots have grown. It's time to harvest vegetables. But which vegetables should be removed first?
We harvest, first of all, those vegetables that are afraid of frost. These include cucumbers, tomatoes and beets.
Frost-resistant crops such as horseradish, carrots, pumpkin and cabbage are the last to be harvested from fields and summer cottages.
After the onset of frost, you should dig up the horseradish. At this time, it contains the maximum amount of nutrients.
Since the soil was depleted after the next harvest, it should be fed with potash fertilizers. They need to be brought in immediately before digging. Loose soil in the fall will collect much more moisture and help nourish plant seeds in early spring.
Apply fertilizer and loosen the soil. It is best not to break up clods of earth to improve air flow.
The grapes are harvested, and therefore it is possible to process the bushes with drugs against pests and diseases without any problems. The bushes must be cut, bent to the ground and covered with fresh spruce branches or peat. The clippings of the grape bush must be taken out of the cottage or burned.
In October, after harvesting vegetables, in the greenhouse you can dig up the soil, and treat the glasses and frames of this design with phytosporin or copper sulfate. After the end of cleaning, you can light the FAS sulfuric block and tightly close all the cracks and doors with vents. Such a procedure will save from the spread of dangerous fungal diseases, for example, late blight.
After the summer cottage season, it is likely that some of the garden tools were scattered around the site and broken. Therefore, it is worth conducting an autumn audit of your instrument. Make a list of missing tools so that you can get the necessary things during the winter or spring.
The rest of the tools should be cleaned of dirt and stored.
In the literal sense, it is worth digging up the earth in buckets. To have something to grow seedlings. Many even experienced summer residents forget about such a trifle and then rack their brains about where to get land for seedlings.
Collect the tops and stems of the plants in a compost heap. Treat them with a urea solution. Cover the top with roofing felt or a thick film.
The zealous owner knows - even with the onset of mid-autumn, the work at the summer cottage does not stop, there is still a lot to be done in order to properly deal with the remnants of the crop, to ensure a comfortable wintering for the plants, and to prepare the garden and vegetable garden for the next season.
Your attention is the 13 most important things that you need to have time to "crank" on the site before the onset of real cold weather.
1. Keep harvesting in the garden and vegetable garden
Although the bulk of garden plants have already borne fruit and are going to rest, some crops continue to delight in harvest in October.
In dry weather in open ground Finish harvesting tomatoes, cabbage and Brussels sprouts, broccoli, greens planted in August, root celery and leeks. In mid and late October, the turn of pumpkin comes (the fruits must be dried in the beds for at least a week before the bark hardens), late-ripening root crops (beets, carrots, parsley, daikon, sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichoke, horseradish). Late apples and pears are still bearing fruit - don't forget about them.
Some of the root crops, by the way, can be left in the ground before frost, and even for the winter. So, horseradish will feel great in the garden until the very frost - it will even accumulate more nutrients, it will become fragrant, sweetish and not so vigorous. The same goes for carrots. And part of the leek, Jerusalem artichoke and parsnip can be left in the ground until spring - they will winter well and will be fresh.
The same applies to some other plants. For example, cauliflower, which did not have time to form heads before frost, should be dug up with a clod of earth and transplanted into a heated greenhouse for growing. But the heads of Brussels sprouts after exposure to cold will only become tastier, so they can be left in the beds until the first snow.
2. Take stock for the winter 
This point of the autumn program flows smoothly from the previous one. Since the crop is still being harvested, you need to process it on time and competently so that not a single vitamin is lost.
You can ferment cabbage, pickle or pickle tomatoes, make useful blanks from beets, make delicious sauces and lecho.
Some vegetables and fruits - pumpkin, carrots, bell pepper, corn, cauliflower, broccoli, small tomatoes, apples, pears - can also be frozen.
Some vegetable products should not be frozen - they will either lose their taste and all their beneficial substances in the process, or after defrosting they will turn into an unappetizing porridge. Among these "whims" are garlic, watermelon, radish, onion.
3. Finish winter sowing and planting 
October is the time to plant winter onions and garlic and sow beets, parsley, dill, carrots, sorrel, parsnips.
Winter sowing of vegetables and greens - perfect solution for those who want to save time during the hot spring harvest and get the first harvest 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. In addition, it has been proven that with podzimny sowing seeds become more resistant to adverse weather events, and in spring they give amicable shoots that are not afraid of temperature fluctuations and many diseases.
4. Remove plant debris from the garden and vegetable garden 
Falling fruit trees, fallen leaves, mowed grass and weeds, vegetable tops, cut branches, pieces of old tree bark - all this must be removed from the site in a timely manner. Despite the fact that many summer residents prefer to leave all plant residues for the winter to rot "for fertilization", the harm from them is much greater than the anticipated future benefits.
Judge for yourself - they can be infected with fungus, bacteria, larvae and eggs of insect pests; can become a cozy winter haven for the insects themselves, slugs and caterpillars; may contain seeds and seedlings of future weeds, which will start growing together in spring; can become a delicacy for rodents who will gladly master your site with "yummy" and will annoy for many months ...
So there is no doubt - all plant residues away from the site! Some will have to be taken outside and burned, others can still be used as mulch or to create warm beds, while others will serve as an excellent raw material for compost.
5. Treat the area from pests and diseases 
With the onset of cold weather and after the fall of leaves, autumn processing of the garden and vegetable garden from pests and diseases should be carried out.
So, from most fungi, trees and shrubs can be treated with 3% Bordeaux liquid. For the prevention of scab and spotting, spraying plants and soil with a 5-7% solution of urea (carbamide) is suitable. Insect control will help with insecticide treatment.
Whitewashing tree trunks is another method that is effective in the fight against harmful insects, and also protects the tree bark from the scorching rays of the sun. At the end of October, clean the tree trunks from dead bark, and then treat the stems and main branches with a solution: for 10 liters of water, you will need 2-3 kg of fresh lime and 1-2 kg of clay.
Autumn processing from pests and diseases will not harm the garden either. If you are not a supporter of "chemistry", the beds for disinfection can be treated with biological preparations - Baikal, Baktofit, Trichodermin, Planzir, Alirin-B, Fitosporin, etc.
If you think biologicals are not effective enough, use chemicals - for example, the already mentioned Bordeaux liquid.
By the way, all these procedures for introducing the above preparations into the soil are usually carried out together with the next item - the autumn digging of soil at the site.
6. Dig up the soil 
At the end of October, it is worth digging up the soil in the garden in the near-trunk circles, in the beds and between the rows - this will greatly deepen the weed seeds, and also prevent the pests from overwintering calmly. Larvae and adult insects will be exposed on the surface of the earth, become easy prey for birds and be exposed to frost.
The earth is dug up with a sharp shovel to a depth of 15-20 cm between rows and 10-15 cm along the projection of the crown of shrubs and trees. It is enough to loosen not too dense soil with a rake or a Fokin flat cutter. For any digging method, try not to break up the earth clods so that the soil does not freeze. By spring, it will be saturated with moisture and become crumbly.
Simultaneously with digging, you can improve the structure of the soil: add ash, sand, compost or leaf humus, if the soil is heavy (thanks to such additives, the soil will become loose and permeable), add rotted compost, leaf humus or sawdust - if the soil is too light and does not hold moisture ... Acidic soils can be further neutralized with chalk, dolomite flour or lime.
7. Apply fertilizer 
During the same digging, apply organic or mineral fertilizers to the soil to a depth of 25-30 cm. For plants that remain overwintering on the site, this will be a good help to endure the cold without loss. For empty beds, autumn top dressing is the groundwork for next spring, when fertilizers will have time to evenly "disperse" in the soil over the winter and will be ready "to work" as soon as the ground thaws.
Before the onset of winter, almost any fertilizer can be applied to the soil - complex mineral, potash, manure and dung, compost, peat, green manure, ash ... You just need to know when and how to do it correctly - and we will show you.
8. Prepare an unheated greenhouse for wintering.
If the greenhouse on your site this season has finished its full-fledged functioning, you need to competently prepare it for wintering, until serious frosts burst out.
Disconnect electricity and remove temperature sensors. Change the top layer of the soil or at least disinfect it (with potassium permanganate, copper sulfate, formalin solution, special biological products, etc.). Rinse and dry the drip irrigation system so that the remaining water, when frozen, does not damage it in the future. Rinse and dry the frame and walls if necessary. Disinfect the room itself, for example, using sulfuric smoke bombs - do not forget to thoroughly ventilate the greenhouse after that.
9. Prune perennials berry bushes and fruit trees 
Autumn is the time for sanitary pruning of trees and shrubs. Plants should be inspected and removed from them all weak and crossing shoots, broken and dried branches, as well as tops (fattening shoots with large leaves and underdeveloped buds).
With the help of such pruning, you can not only thin out and lighten the crown of the tree, but also form new young shoots, direct them along the desired trajectory so that they do not thicken the crown.
Remember that every crop requires a different pruning technique - you can find tips for each by using the "Search" function on our website.
10. Carry out pre-winter water-charging irrigation 
After flying from the trees most of foliage, you should do water-charging watering of the garden - during the period of active growth and fruiting, the plants actively used water, before wintering, they need to replenish their lack of liquid. In addition, well-moistened soil conducts heat better and thus protects tree roots from frostbite.
Moisture-charging pre-winter watering is carried out from a bucket (hose) or by sprinkling at the rate of 40-70 liters of water per 1 square meter of the trunk circle (the soil under the plants should get wet by 1-1.5 m).
Moisture-charging irrigation is not carried out in wet autumn with regular abundant prolonged rains.
11. Plant new seedlings 
From mid-October, you can safely plant new seedlings of trees and shrubs.
Before planting, carefully inspect the root system of young plants, prune and shorten it if necessary, dip it in a clay mash before planting.
Plant the seedling in a properly prepared planting pit - round with sheer walls, the appropriate depth for each individual crop. After planting, water and mulch the tree trunk circle.
12. Prepare cuttings for spring grafting
In the middle of autumn, after the fall of leaves, it's time to start harvesting cuttings for grafting. You will receive a "sleeping" stalk that "wakes up" in the spring, just in time for grafting. This time of the year is especially suitable for cuttings of stone fruits (cherries, plums, apricots, etc.), because in winter, annual shoots of these trees often freeze slightly.
Cuttings about 30 cm long are cut from healthy adult mother plants, choosing strong shoots no less than a pencil thick with well-developed buds. It is important to save the harvested cuttings until spring so that they do not dry out, freeze up, do not get pushed up and do not germinate ahead of time. There are several ways to store them (in the cellar, in the refrigerator, even in frozen sawdust and snow), choose the one that is more convenient for you.
13. Stock up on soil for seedlings
Until the ground is frozen, determine the number of spring plantings in advance and prepare the soil mixture for future seedlings. Collect fertile soil from an uninfected area and add superphosphate to it (at the rate of 1 tablespoon fertilizer per bucket of soil). Add peat, ash, lime or sawdust to the substrate if necessary. The soil harvested in the fall can be stored in wooden containers in the basement or cellar
Gardening in October for most owners suburban areas complete the summer cottage season. Trees begin to shed their foliage, there is almost nothing left in the garden, most of the harvest has already been laid in storage. "October is a month of full pantries" - says popular wisdom, but this does not mean in the least that the work in the garden and in the garden has already been completed. It's too early to rest, because the summer cottage must be carefully prepared for the winter. Well, when she comes, then you can relax, drink hot tea with homemade jam, and look at summer photos. So, what kind of work are responsible summer residents doing this month?
On October days, it is already necessary to prepare the entire infrastructure for winter with might and main: remove and clean the time relay from the drip irrigation, turn over the barrels, remove the pump, “park” the water supply - blow it through and leave the taps open.
In the first half of October, you should collect the remains of cabbage from the garden: cauliflower, white cabbage, late Brussels sprouts. If the heads of cabbage have already had time to freeze, they need to be dried a little, after having torn off the upper damaged leaves, and only after that they should be put into storage.
According to the observations of many gardeners, cabbage is better stored in a suspended state (on a crossbar, roots up) in a basement with a constant temperature of 1-2 degrees. 
If you store cut cabbage, then when the heads of cabbage are determined for the winter, it's time to deal with the stumps remaining after them. It is advisable to dig up absolutely everything, without leaving a single root in the ground. This is done not for the sake of cleanliness and order on the site, but for another, more important reason. The fact is that the remaining cabbage roots are a haven for the cabbage fly larvae, so to speak, their winter quarters. If the stalks are not removed, the larvae will safely survive until spring, warm up with the arrival of heat and turn into flies, which in June will literally devour cabbage seedlings.
Planting must be completed in the first half of October, since plants planted closer to resistant frosts automatically fall into the risk zone. Before frost, the planted seedlings will have time to grow absorbent roots and with the arrival spring warmth will instantly start to grow (about a couple of weeks earlier than those that will be planted in the spring). Weather surprises, which nature often throws up at the beginning of the summer season, they will meet already sufficiently developed and strengthened.
It is advisable to prepare the landing pits for "immigrants" no later than a week before disembarkation. After planting, it is necessary to ensure that the soil under the young trees and bushes does not dry out before the onset of frost. Gardeners pay special attention to the insulation of seedlings. If a severe winter is predicted, the plants can be insulated as follows: drive four pegs around the trunk at a distance of up to 40 cm, cover the resulting frame with burlap, fill the space between the tree and the burlap walls with dry leaves or sawdust. If there is no burlap at hand, you can build a tube from corrugated paper and fill with insulation. This protection will help your plants survive any winter. 
If winter insulation can be damaged by rodents, look in the area (or ask neighbors) for foliage and elderberry shoots, and add to the insulation layer - mice "do not like" this smell.
It is better not to allow garden crops to overwinter with a thickened or injured crown, this is dangerous for them. That is why thinning and sanitary pruning is carried out in the fall. It begins during the fall of leaves or immediately after the trees and bushes have dropped their foliage, and it is necessary to finish removing unnecessary branches before frost. In order not to weaken the plants, but, on the contrary, to strengthen their immunity, pruning must be carried out in a "sparing mode", not too zealous.
Sanitary pruning involves the removal of broken, dried, pest-infested branches that have stopped bearing fruit (called unloading). After the trees and bushes shed their leaves, these damaged areas are clearly visible. In order to thin out the crown, all overlapping branches are cut out, resting on the trunk, growing almost vertically from the trunk, or simply obstructing the access of light. The main thing is to carry out this procedure in a timely manner so that the wounds have time to heal before winter.
Another October work in the garden is pruning gooseberries and currants. Both crops wake up and bloom too early, so it's best not to delay thinning until spring. In addition, all kidneys are checked on currants - deformed and swollen kidneys with signs of a kidney mite must be carefully pinched off and burned. 
In addition to pruning in the fall, we also regularly spray against diseases and pests - in October with live microbial preparations, and only in November we connect iodine treatments.
October works the garden is not limited to pruning old trees and planting new ones. In addition, it is better to clean the garden sod from leaf litter - to distribute the foliage to the flower beds and beds. Also, the plant residues accumulated during the season are removed into the compost heap, and the preparation of fruit trees and berry trees for winter begins. Dead bark is removed from the trunks, and then whitewash is carried out with a mixture of lime and clay with the addition of water (3 kg of the mixture / 10 l of water) and ash (1 glass). If there is a mullein, then it is added - it improves adhesion.
Later, when the ground begins to freeze, the trunks can be mulched with compost mixed with sawdust, and also better peat.
In flower beds on October days, they cut off and cover non-resistant crops (heat-loving hydrangeas, climbing roses, rhododendrons) and plant the favorite bulbous - tulips, daffodils, chionodox, crocuses, etc. 
All leaf litter of fruit trees, not distributed over the beds, as already mentioned, is best scattered in flower beds - this is food for the soil and insulation for the winter. By the end of June next year there will be no trace of leaves, everything will be eaten by soil microorganisms and earthworms... This nutrition is enough not only for flowers, but also for fruit trees - their nutritious roots will reach here, if the flower beds are organized near the orchard.
For summer residents, October is a very busy month. If in the summer you can sit out the midday heat somewhere in the shade, wait for the evening coolness and continue working, then in the middle of autumn such pauses are inadmissible. People say: "October day flies fast - you can't tie it by the fence." And indeed, as soon as I prepared the instrument and got ready to work, it was getting dark. But winter is very close, and you need to have time to carry out all the planned work in the garden and vegetable garden in October without putting them off until spring.
The summer season has come to an end, but, my dear summer residents, this does not mean at all that we can now relax and sit back. You will drink tea with jam and look at summer photographs in winter, but for now you need to prepare for it.
In the garden and vegetable garden in October still a lot of work. We are slowly preparing the beds so that we can only sow them in the spring, if you have been going to plant trees or bushes all summer long, and have just acquired them - plant them, do not pull them.
But in the regime of chronic time pressure it is possible (and it is more correct!) To dig in the seedlings. So they will perfectly survive the winter, and in the spring, plant them in the pits prepared in advance.
This is better than doing all the "tyap-blooper" and condemning the plant to a difficult winter. And in general, do not do everything in a hurry, think over the planting and work in advance, because then remodeling is more expensive for yourself. In general, more than one fine day is still needed to work in the garden and in the garden.
In early October, warm days of golden autumn can still please us with their bright bliss. This is the time when foliage falls from the trees and covers the cooling earth with a lush warm carpet.
And at the end of the month, "manna" from heaven is already pouring into the beds. And then even the most staunch summer residents will want home comfort.
The summer was generous, the warmth was enough for us, for the flowers, and for the harvest. And now we need to have time to prepare the plots for winter so that the frost does not spoil the bushes and trees, and does not destroy perennials.
So what do we need to do so that the new season will please with an excellent harvest and how not to miss something.
In the garden there is a dance of falling leaves. How wisely nature is arranged! So that the roots do not chill in the ground, the trees themselves make sure that they are at least a little warmer.
From this observation, we, dear summer residents, can draw a very useful conclusion: before winter comes, it is good to cover perennial plants a feather bed of fallen leaves. Birch foliage is best suited for this.
If you haven't finished yet, hurry up to make them in the first half of October, because the frosts are not far off.
To keep them longer, we collect the fruits dry, immediately after the dew recession and always with a stalk. Let's take a close look harvested crop and all fruits that do not have mechanical and other damage are laid out in boxes lined with paper, sprinkled with sawdust, or you can wrap each fruit in parchment paper or paper napkins, which will significantly improve the storage regime, since if some fruit decays, then it will not infect others.
I advise you to first put the boxes with fruits in the barn, and only then, with the onset of cold weather, transfer them to the basement, where they will be further stored at low positive temperatures.
If we immediately put the apples and pears removed from the tree in storage, then due to the temperature difference, the fruits can sweat and the likelihood of their spoilage increases. It is best to put boxes in the basement when the temperatures in the basement and outside are equal.
Early October we are completing the harvesting of chokeberry... Its berries make excellent jam, as well as jams and juices.
We also finish cleaning remontant varieties raspberries.
We harvest quince as the last fruit crop, since it ripens rather late - only in mid-October. It is not edible fresh, because the pulp is very tough, but still there are lovers who really like it, especially for its unique aroma.
But quince can be used to prepare delicious processed products: preserves, jams, jam, juice with pulp.
Saplings of fruit trees in the nursery
We continue planting fruit trees and bushes, but we are trying to complete it by mid-October, since the plants planted later fall into the risk zone.
Autumn is the best time to buy planting material. At this time, in all nurseries, there is a massive digging of seedlings, so in the fall there is the most diverse and large assortment of planting material and, accordingly, the best opportunities for selection.
In the spring, only that planting material remains that could not be sold in the fall.
If you are planning to rejuvenate or expand the garden, then purchase the seedlings right now, in the fall. Winter-hardy varieties of apple, raspberry, currant, gooseberry are best planted immediately in a permanent place. And the seedlings of the rest of the less winter-hardy fruit crops will be better to dig for spring planting.
Many amateur gardeners still prefer to buy seedlings in the spring, because they do not know how to properly preserve them until spring. And this is not so difficult.
So that the seedlings are well preserved until spring, dig them in on your site, choosing for this a well-warmed high place that will not be flooded with melt water either in spring or in winter during thaws.
Then, in the selected area, we dig a ditch in the direction from east to west, with a depth of about 50 cm and a width of 100-120 cm (the dimensions depend on the size of the seedlings).
We make the southern wall of the ditch inclined, and we fold the excavated earth to the north side. We lay the planting material obliquely in one row, so that the entire root system and a third of the trunk are in the groove.
The crown must be oriented to the south. This arrangement greatly reduces the risk of burns to the stems of seedlings from the bright sun in February-March. Carefully spread the roots along the southern sloped wall of the groove.
Do not forget to just write down the order of the varieties and the amount of each variety in the direction from east to west. Then in the spring you can easily determine the variety of each seedling. For safety net, you can also hang a thick foil label on each seedling with the name of the variety squeezed out on it.
Now you can cover the seedlings with earth, trampling it tightly to the roots. If the weather is dry at this time, then the ground must be well watered.
In winter, the most difficult thing is for the lawn, in this regard, we will try to prepare it well for the cold weather.
If, after the last haircut, the grass has grown a lot, then it is necessary to cut it, but not too short, leaving a height of 5-8 cm.
Sprinkle the seeds on the formed "bald patches". The ants will not have time to take them apart, and in the spring the seeds will have time to ascend before the first haircut.
Be sure to feed the lawn with potash fertilizers, thanks to which our lawn will be able to safely survive even severe frosts.
There is no place for fallen leaves, grass felt and debris on the lawn, so we take a frequent rake and thoroughly "comb" our lawn.
If the fall is too rainy, then it is necessary to pierce the sod with a pitchfork to the maximum possible depth. This is done in order to drain excess water into the lower layers of the soil.
Otherwise, as soon as frost hits, the wet lawn will be covered with an ice crust, and by the spring ugly bald spots will form on it.
There are plants that do not tolerate spring pruning well. These are many berries, including actinidia, in which sap flow begins early in the spring.
Therefore, it is better to cut them off at the beginning of October, since by this time the plants have finished all vital processes and they are ready for winter. But there is still time for the healing of wounds (before the onset of stable frosts).
We talked about pruning currants, gooseberries, raspberries in previous articles, so now we will learn how to do the annual pruning of actinidia. The procedure for pruning actinidia:
first we cut out all thin and broken shoots, and then weak and thickening the crown;
remove 1-2 vines that have been bearing fruit for 3 years, cutting them out to a powerful branch of a young vine located lower to the ground;
we shorten the vegetative shoots to the required length when they occupy the free space intended for them on the support;
we cut the generative-vegetative shoots that are formed on last year's growths, up to 30 cm long;
evenly distribute all the shoots remaining on the vine on the trellis, so that they can grow freely in the future and diffused light passes through them in a leafy state.
Gardeners are trying to complete everything by mid-October seasonal work, because not everyone had enough time in September to cope with harvesting and preparing the garden for winter.
At the beginning of the month, we dig out the remains of the colored one, and then, after the Intercession, and later white cabbage... We cut down the heads of cabbage and carry them away from the garden.
If frozen water with ice is found at the top of the leaves, then remove the covering leaves, dry the heads of cabbage and put them in storage.
And if there are foci of rot, we fill them with a mixture of sand, slaked lime and chalk. After the white cabbage, we start harvesting the late Brussels sprouts. In order to preserve Brussels sprouts better and longer, it is recommended to dig it up by the roots and bury it in a large deep box in wet sand in the basement, or hang it upside down on a crossbar. The temperature in the basement must be maintained at a level of +1 ... + 2 degrees.
Having determined the cabbage for storage, we return to the site and dig out all the stumps with roots remaining in the ground. Don't leave a single root in the ground!
And the point here is not only the cleanliness of the site (although this is also very important), but also the fact that cabbage fly larvae winter on the roots of cabbage. And if we do not remove the stumps, then in the spring, as soon as the earth thaws, these larvae will warm up and on the same roots will begin a feast, invisible to us summer residents.
And in June, as soon as we plant fresh cabbage seedlings, young cabbage flies that have just come out will attack it.
We dig out radishes, parsnips and celery, and small roots of parsley and celery can be left before winter, so that in early spring you can already have fresh herbs on your table.
At the end of the month, we collect Jerusalem artichoke tubers. Be sure to leave some of the tubers in the ground for the winter - in the spring they will grow new plants. Jerusalem artichoke grows well in one place for no more than 5 years, then it is better to transplant it to a new place. It is better to store the tubers in the basement, layering them with earth so that they do not dry out.
After the onset of frost, you can dig up horseradish, because it was by this time that the plant had accumulated the largest amount of nutrients and it turns out fragrant, sweetish and not so vigorous. We select the roots cleanly, otherwise horseradish will grow throughout the entire area, dry them and put them in the refrigerator in a plastic bag.
Digging the earth is another mandatory autumn procedure. Although more and more recently, doubts about its expediency have been spoken about. Many supporters of natural farming believe that digging the soil leads to the death of beneficial soil microorganisms and promotes the growth of weed seeds. And our attempt to give the roots air, sometimes these very roots and ruins.
To understand whether to dig or not to dig the ground, of course, it is best to experiment yourself. But you should still take into account the type of soil. So, for example, heavy clayey and uncultivated soils need digging in autumn. While light and loose soils, it is enough to deep loosening with a flat cutter.
To cultivate the soil in the garden, you should start immediately after harvesting, while carefully removing the weeds and applying the necessary fertilizers.
And if, nevertheless, we decide to experiment, then let's take several beds for our experiment and, without digging, process them with a flat cutter, and then cover them with a thick, even layer of mulch (hay and straw), level them well and tamp them.
The layer should be at least 10 cm. This is not so much, since in the spring, when the snow melts, this layer will not be so large.
From autumn to spring, under this layer will really persist ideal conditions for the active growth of soil microflora, which will inhibit the development of pathogenic microbes.
In addition, earthworms will "fatten", which in the process of their vital activity provide food to the soil and loosen it.
Supporters of natural farming believe that seedlings and seeds should be planted in the spring without removing the mulch layer, but only slightly raking the mulch and digging holes for the seedlings.
And we sow the seeds in this way: we rake the mulch, make furrows, put the seeds in them, lightly sprinkle them with earth, and then return the mulch layer to its place.
Moisture is well retained under such a layer of mulch, so the seeds and seedlings can be watered less often, and in the early spring period it is not worth watering at all, since mulch retains snow moisture well in the soil.
Also, a favorable microclimate is created under the mulch, which contributes to the rapid germination of seeds and the rooting of seedlings.
Finally, the decomposition of the mulch provides excellent root feeding. And all this with minimal costs for fertilization and watering. Moreover, we will save our strength, and this is very important for any summer resident.
In the first half of October, we plant winter garlic on prepared beds.
In areas with unstable, frequently changing weather, it is very difficult to predict the timing of planting, but the plants must have time to root well, but at the same time not give green shoots, otherwise they may freeze. And later plantings can also suffer from frost, since they do not have time to form a root system.
It is best to plant garlic at a time when the average daily air temperature no longer rises above 10 degrees.
For planting, we use chives, bulbs and one-tooth. We plant the cloves to a depth equal to three diameters of a clove or bulb.
After a slight freezing of the soil on the plantings of garlic, it is advisable to mulch them with peat compost or cover them with a small layer of fallen leaves.
From mid-October to early November, we begin sowing vegetables before winter: carrots, parsley, dill, lettuce, spinach, radishes, turnips, rutabagas, celery, onion seeds for a turnip.
It is best to start sowing in the pre-winter season, when the soil temperature drops to 2-3 degrees, and experienced vegetable growers are already sowing when the soil begins to freeze 2-5 cm in depth and only thaws a little during the day. Of course, we will prepare the beds in advance in September and cover them with a covering material so that the grooves are not washed out by rains.
It is very important that seedlings do not appear in the fall, as in this case they will freeze.
But if the seeds leave unsprouted before winter, then neither winter frosts nor spring cold snaps will adversely affect the sowing. And in early spring, more amicable and even shoots will appear, and the harvest can be obtained 2-3 weeks earlier than with spring sowing.
Another plus winter sowing is that in the spring we will have free time for other work and sowing other crops in more favorable terms.
It is important to pay attention to the following rules for winter sowing:
We choose high areas with loose fertile soil, which dry out quickly in spring, warm up, and most importantly, do not flood.
Seeds are sown dry.
The seeding rate should be higher than in spring, since most likely not all seeds can sprout.
Sprinkle the seeds not with earth, but with a mixture of good humus and sand, which must be prepared in advance. On top of the planting, you can still cover with dry leaves.
Let's pick a fine day in early October and start collecting roots medicinal plants that grow in or near the garden. This is best time for collecting the roots of dandelion, burdock, wheatgrass, chicory, angelica and calamus.
We wash the dug roots in running water, blot with a napkin. Then we cut them into pieces and dry them in a well-ventilated area. We store dry roots in a kitchen cabinet in a tightly closed glass jar no more than three years.
We remove and burn vegetable waste
We dig (in the second decade of October) old, no longer fruitful trees, while trying not to leave roots in the soil. Then you can saw them up and burn them. Next, you need to treat the soil with a solution of copper sulfate (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water) in those places where they grew and dig it up. In place of dug old trees, fruit crops are not planted for 3 years, but it is better to sow legumes (peas, beans, lupine). Seedlings can be grown nearby.
We will feed those plants that did not have time to feed at the end of September, then, if the autumn is dry, we will carry out the autumn water-charging watering of berry and fruit crops, ornamental perennials.
We weed rhubarb, sorrel, asparagus, onion and other perennial crops, cut off old leaves, loosen and feed. To do this, it is best to mulch them with compost with a layer of 2-3 cm. It is possible to introduce a complex mineral fertilizer and immediately embedded in the soil.
If your garden is located on a slope, then in order to prevent soil washout, we dig deep intermittent furrows across the slope or we make earthen rollers.
We prepare holes for planting seedlings in spring and fill them with fertilizers.
We will prepare the soil in the beds for spring crops - we add potassium and phosphorus, manure, ash. It is good to cover the finished beds with black film to protect the soil and better warm up in the spring.
You can not weed the beds heavily overgrown with weeds, but simply cover them with a dark film and by the next season the weeds themselves will die.
We drain the water from the vessels, barrels, drain the water from the pipes, fold the hoses and bring everything into the utility room.
We remove all plant debris, dry fallen leaves and tops and put everything in compost heaps.
We clean the ditches, gutters, drainage system from pollution. If necessary, we repair the drainage system, water supply, paths, buildings.
On a dry sunny day, we will collect all the sticks and supports that we put under tomatoes, beans and other crops. They will still be useful to us in the future. summer season... Before folding them under the canopy, we will process them with a solution of copper sulfate and dry them thoroughly.
Regularly, starting in October, we inspect stored cabbage, root vegetables and potatoes and remove spoiled fruits.
We hang bird feeders in the garden.
We tie tightly the trunks of young trees with spruce branches, roofing felt, synthetic bags, deepening the lower end of the harness into the ground. Just do not use straw or reeds for tying, as they are an excellent refuge for overwintering many harmful insects.
These are, perhaps, all the main works. Work at the dacha this season is almost completed and now you can relax a little.
See you soon, dear friends!
