Proper selection of crops and correct sowing of seeds in the fall allows you not only to harvest a couple of weeks earlier, but also to relieve the pressure on hot spring days at the dacha. What are the subtleties of winter sowing of vegetables?
In late autumn, when all the work in the garden has already been completed, and you don’t want to leave for the city yet, you can sow seeds that will successfully sprout in the spring and become the first vitamins on your table. There are many crops that sprout well when sown in autumn, enduring all the difficulties of the cold period and starting to grow together under the first rays of the spring sun.
Pros and cons of winter sowing of vegetables
To begin with, it’s worth noting all the bonuses that a gardener who decides not to delay sowing some vegetables and herbs will receive until spring:
- hardened plants will be stronger than their traditionally planted counterparts;
- the harvest can be harvested 2-3 weeks earlier than usual;
- you won’t have to waste time preparing beds and sowing in the spring;
- vegetables grown in this way will be larger and juicier;
- if there are no shoots, you will still have time to duplicate the crops.
Of course, not everything is so rosy; there are also disadvantages to this technique. There are actually two of them, but they are quite significant. Firstly, changeable winters with thaws and frosts can lead to freezing of seeds. And secondly, autumn weather is not conducive to farming.
As you can see, this method has more advantages than disadvantages, but only if the sowing technology is followed and the seeds are selected correctly.
What vegetables can be sown in autumn?
It is important to remember that not all vegetables can grow in this way - for capricious and heat-loving plants, sowing before winter will be a real death sentence. And among the winter-hardy ones, you need to choose certain varieties. Which? Let's take a closer look!
Onions - small onion sets (up to 1 cm in diameter) are best planted before winter, otherwise they will dry out and will not survive until spring.
Carrots - when sown in winter, carrots ripen before the carrot fly flies out, and the fruits turn out juicier and larger.
Parsnip - parsnip seeds are stored very little, and when sown in winter they remain viable.
Parsley is an early green.
Radishes - the crop ripens very early, the root crops are juicy and large.
Head lettuce - early greens.
Beetroot - the crop ripens very early, the root crops are juicy and large.
Dill is an early green.
Garlic is an early green.
Spinach - Not afraid of the cold, tolerates even prolonged negative temperatures, the crop can be harvested literally from under the snow.
In addition to these crops, in the fall you can sow fennel, cumin, sage, katran, salad mustard, rhubarb, sorrel, watercress, Chinese cabbage, corn, borage, sunflower, and plant horseradish roots.
When to sow vegetables before winter
The most dangerous thing in winter sowing is excessive haste. If the seeds manage to germinate before the onset of stable cold, they will die and you can’t count on a harvest next year.
The soil temperature for winter sowing at a depth of 5 cm should be no higher than 3°C.
In some parts of the country, these conditions typically occur between mid-October and mid-November. But it can also be from mid-November to early December. However, the weather in autumn can vary within one region, so it is better not to rush.
How to prepare beds for autumn sowing seeds
First of all, you need to choose the right place. Snow should not accumulate on it in abundance, water should not stagnate in the spring, but the sun's rays, on the contrary, should illuminate this corner of your site first.
Then we move on to choosing soil - only loose and nutritious soil is suitable for winter sowing. If you have a plot of heavy, airtight soil, loosen the bed in advance using peat, rotted sawdust and coarse sand. In September, form high (30-40 cm) ridges, abundantly filled with organic fertilizer (1 bucket of rotted manure or compost and 1 glass of ash per 1 sq.m.), and then start preparing scrap materials.
Since the ground may be frozen at the time of sowing, stock up on loose soil mixture in advance for filling the furrows, as well as mulching material. Spruce branches, pine litter or branches with leaves work well. Remember that the mulch layer must be at least 15 cm and it is removed only in the spring after the snow has melted.
How to sow seeds in autumn
The method of sowing vegetables in winter is quite simple. Once you have formed the ridges and prepared the covering material in the warm, dry weather of early autumn, it will only take you a few hours to complete the process.
- Place furrows 1.5-3 cm deep on the ridges.
- Sow dry seeds (wet ones will germinate faster and may die) in the same quantity as for spring sowing.
- Sprinkle the grooves with the seeds with soil, peat or sand.
- Mulch the plantings with a 15-centimeter layer of spruce branches, leaves, straw or other natural material.
- If the mulch is light and can fly away from the wind, cover it with film, spunbond or cardboard and press it down with boards.
- As soon as the snow melts, remove the mulch and monitor the crops.
- If there are no shoots by mid-May, re-sow the ridge. If they are too rare, sow the same or a different crop into the bald spots.
Pre-winter sowing is an excellent way to get an earlier harvest of vegetables and green crops, but this procedure should not be carried out thoughtlessly, but according to certain rules that we have mentioned.
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