This is the time of year when those crisper mornings come
bringing damp air and silver clouds. When all the trees
have dropped their golden leaves and the wind has blown
them all over the garden.
I always thought it was a good idea to gather them
altogether and make compost, however, the latest thought is
to rake them onto your borders to keep the soil covered for
the winter allowing the thinner layers of leaves to be
broken down and worked into the soil by nature, mind you
it's the blackbirds rummaging through it looking for bugs
that I love to see. If only they wouldn't throw it back all
over the garden in the process.
Anyhow we need to prepare our soil for the next tomato
crops, so when we have the lovely sunshine it is good
opportunity to get out to the plot and start turning over
the soil. It is the best time to do it now as otherwise the
soil becomes sodden with the winter rain and will become
compact.
Turning the soil over helps to expose bugs, which if you
have a robin as an assistant can be a very tasty treat for
them. It can be rewarding hard work, digging all of that
lovely compost in that you have been working on all year.
By doing this now it will give the worms the opportunity to
really get to work on the natural fertilizers replenishing
the nutrients in the soil and improving the structure.
This type of preparation exposes pests that over winter in
the soil so they have less of a foothold by the following
spring, a crisp frost can play havoc with eggs laid in the
soil. I am all for saving myself work and so I cover my
newly turned weeded and composted beds with a weed
suppressant material to save myself some weeding time in
the spring, I know some people think that it is a bit lazy
but it works for me.
My green house has seen the last of the late toms, I think
I was fortunate with the weather into October but now the
last of the plants need to be disposed of, either into the
compost heap if not diseased or burned if blighted. These
diseased plants can be put out for commercial recycling if
you have that facility operating in your area, or if you
are keen about recycling you can take your garden waste
along to your local recycling centre. The heat generated by
the industrial composters destroys any viruses and diseases
which most garden composters are not always able to do. I
lost a whole six months composting to this when I started
out, my friend George told me about how contaminated soil
affects the next year's crops, as you can imagine I was
quite miffed.
Good luck with the winter tasks.
----------------------------------------------------
Leslie Pirrie is an expert in growing and cooking
tomatoes. Do you want learn more about how to grow great
tomatoes? COMING SOON! - GREAT TOMATO RECIPES ebook.
Download Leslie's popular Free 10 Top Tips for Growing
Great tomatoes available at: =>
http://www.growyourowntoms.com
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