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WHAT SIDERATS ARE PLANTED IN SPRING?

Sowing green manure is one of the simple and affordable ways to improve soil fertility. However, in recent years, the cost of seeds has become increasingly higher. And you need a lot of them. What to do? Buy seeds now, out of season. And thus save money. But which plants to choose? Tell our readers and experts.

Every spring, before planting tomato seedlings, I grow fodder peas in a greenhouse. I buy it in the market (usually this is sold by small farmers). At the end of March-beginning of April, in the greenhouse, I scatter any complex mineral fertilizer over the beds (according to the instructions). I dig up the earth on the bayonet of a shovel, pour it abundantly with a solution of Trichodermin. I randomly sow peas and bury them in the soil with a rake. By the time the tomato seedlings are planted, the peas reach a height of 15-20 cm. I mow it, do not dig up the beds and plant the tomatoes. I mulch them with cut peas. The roots of peas do not interfere, they quickly overheat in the ground and make it looser.

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WORD TO THE SPECIALIST

Legumes, indeed, enrich the soil with nitrogen in an easily accessible form. After them, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, potatoes, cabbage, cucumbers, and radishes grow well. Seeds of fodder peas germinate at a soil temperature of +1+2 degrees. At temperatures above +15 degrees, peas are able to grow up to 10 cm of stem per week. Therefore, it is excellent for spring sowing before the main crop. The question, however, is whether it is worth buying the so-called feed peas. It may not sprout if the manufacturer dried it at a high temperature or stored it incorrectly.

I advise you to pay attention to 5 other excellent siderates, the seeds of which are cheaper to buy in winter.

1. Buckwheat reduces the acidity of the soil and supplies the soil with potassium and phosphorus. After it, you can grow almost everything, with the exception of spinach and sorrel.

2. Cereals (oats, rye) saturate the earth with potassium and nitrogen, make the soil more water and breathable, rid it of nematodes. After cereals, it is best to grow bell peppers, tomatoes, potatoes, eggplants, zucchini, pumpkins and cucumbers. Zrapeseed enriches the soil with potassium and phosphorus, reduces the number of nematodes, wireworms and slugs, and suppresses pathogenic microflora. After it, tomatoes, bell peppers, eggplants, potatoes, zucchini, cucumbers, carrots, dill, parsley grow well.

4. White sweet clover accumulates nitrogen available to plants in the ground, it is ideal for alkaline soil and improves soil structure. After it, potatoes, peppers, tomatoes grow well.

5. Oilseed radish gives a lot of green mass, inhibits the growth of weeds. You can plow radish greens already 1-5 months after sowing the seeds. But after it, it is undesirable to plant crops from the cruciferous family (radish, radish, cabbage).

DO YOU NEED A BOARD FROM MUSTARD?

A few years ago, acquaintances told me that they grow all the vegetables in the garden in wide beds. And along the perimeter of the ridges, mustard is grown in strips about 10 cm wide. Allegedly, this protects vegetables from wind, drying out, and improves air exchange. I tried to do the same and realized from my own experience that the method really works, but not for all cultures. For example, such a side is not very suitable for root crops. But for cabbage, peas, tomatoes, peppers and eggplants, additional protection came in handy. Butterflies of whitefish rarely landed on cabbage, there were almost no caterpillars. The street tomatoes didn't get sick, and the eggplants and peppers were harvested earlier than usual. Now I resort to the method every year. And I buy seeds in winter (2-3 kg per season). When I notice that flowers begin to form on the mustard, I cut them off so that the green manure does not turn into a weed.

Experts comments

We are talking about rocker crops, which are widely used in agriculture. The curtains reduce wind speed, protect vegetables from the midday heat and keep the soil from drying out and overheating. Between the wings, a special microclimate is created with high humidity and smooth temperature fluctuations. All this has a good effect on the growth and development of vegetables and increases their yield. But it is undesirable to use mustard as a backstage for cruciferous crops, including cabbage. These plants belong to the same family, so they have common diseases and pests. In a damp cold summer, you should also not use backstage: they can create favorable conditions for the development of diseases. After harvesting, you need to mow the rocker plants, leaving stumps 15-20 cm high (in this case, in winter they will trap snow). Green mass can be sent to compost.

Reference by topic: Sowing green manure for the winter - what, when and after what - advice from a candidate of agricultural sciences