It is a good idea to reward the beds that have generously gifted you and prepare them for spring. November is not made for sowing, but it is for planting – now is the best time for garlic.
Do the beds need to be dug up in autumn?
Digging aerates the soil, removes compacted layers below the surface. However, weed seeds sleeping in the depths reach the surface and can finally germinate. And the roots of perennial weeds will not be destroyed by digging alone, you still have to remove them by hand.
The structure of the soil and its capillarity are also disturbed – if it was of good quality, it can now hold water more poorly. It will also break the sophisticated bonds of soil organisms, including symbiotic fungi, which can greatly benefit crops. Microorganisms that need oxygen live in the top layer of healthy, living soil. On the other hand, anaerobic helpers work deeper, which are harmed by oxygen or light. When you turn the soil over, you kill billions of them. However, they are very beneficial for the future harvest.
However, in heavy, clayey soil, it is hardly possible to grow without digging. Thorough excavation will help it, but permanently only on the condition that you add sand or charcoal to lighten it at the same time. Then you spread it with compost, gradually turning it into a more permeable, bouncy and welcoming soil. Burying compost or manure into the ground itself is less beneficial.
You can just weed good soil with digging forks without turning it over. Then spread it with at least a 5 cm thick layer of compost, which doesn’t even have to be perfectly decomposed, and mulch with leaves – you can easily sweep away its remains in the spring. The soil will then be like under a duvet, still plump and moist.
You can also sprinkle the surface with the last grass and green parts of weeds without seeds. Earthworms pull them into the soil, thereby reliably and at the same time respectfully aerating it and fertilizing it at the same time. As long as it doesn’t freeze, they work diligently even at the surface – and you will delay the freezing of the soil with a mulch of leaves.
If there are persistent weeds in the soil, you can cover the bed with cardboard or unprinted paper and layer on it at least a 10 cm layer of compost or manure. You can plant straight away in the spring. The same can be done on grass, without the need to remove the sod.
Lightening heavy soil
On heavy clay soil, either build raised beds or lighten the soil thoroughly. Put the soil from the first engraved line aside. Pour fine gravel, sand, or wood chips or charcoal into the row, and then spread the soil from the neighboring row into it. Double digging, beneficial in very heavy soil and before growing root vegetables, has even more pronounced effects.
Engrave a line twice as wide, create another, narrower one at its bottom. Insert relief materials and return the soil. Do the same for the second half. In this way, you will lighten and fertilize the soil even in the layer that is below the level of normal digging and may be dry. However, do not mix the soil from the lower layer, which is less fertile, with the soil from the upper layer.
Careful engraving
The soil can be lightened without turning it upside down for the soil dwellers. If you scrape off the top layer and place it aside without turning it over, you can fluff up and lighten the substrate. Then you stack the top layer from the neighboring strip of the bed on top of it, and you can continue like this. True, this method is even more laborious than classical engraving. But it is very gentle on the soil. In order to be gentle on the back as well, it is necessary not to work in a forward bend, but rather to bend the knees.
Cultivation with digging forks
High-quality soil is sufficient for extra aeration if you stick a digging fork into it and shake it slightly. You can gradually stick them in rows 10 cm apart.
Garlic for next year
It’s the perfect time to plant garlic. It is during November that the temperature of the soil drops enough that the dreaded fusarium rot does not attack the cloves immediately after planting.
Garlic benefits from a warm, sunny location and nutritious, humus, but at the same time permeable soil. Don’t skimp on compost, lighten clay soils (see above). A raised bed will do for very heavy ones. Garlic is a shallow seasoning, so a height of up to 20 cm is sufficient. For the health of garlic, it is good to rotate the beds, even the place after the related onion and leek is not ideal. On the other hand, legumes, potatoes or green manure are very suitable pre-crops. You can also plant garlic between strawberries – they make good use of each other’s space and have similar requirements.
Why not use a stake?
Break the sticks into cloves just before planting. You can stain them against attacks by fungal diseases and nematodes, but natural remedies based on humic acids or sulfur will also increase resistance. The variety also depends on how well they will resist diseases. Maintain spacing of at least 10 cm between cones, 20 cm between rows. Plant the cloves so deep that the tip is 5 cm below the soil surface, even deeper in colder areas. It is better to create holes or rows by hand, with a hoe or a shovel, do not use a planting stake – the walls of the hole will press down too much and a gap would remain directly under the bud. However, it is there that the clove will send out roots that need a tight embrace by the soil.
Clove garlic is not stubborn
Garlic will grow from every healthy clove you plant in the ground. However, with certified planting, you should be sure that you will not introduce pests and garlic diseases into the garden. On the other hand, in the wealth of old and regional varieties, you can find very interesting and resistant garlics, although it is not a controlled planting.
And what about the pungency of garlic? Paličák has a more pronounced flavor and fewer larger cloves than non-paličák. It offers more cold-resistant varieties. However, it may have less durability and resistance in storage compared to non-stick. When growing, it is advisable to break off its canes, strong stems bearing inflorescences and bulbs.
Tip: Czech varieties of garlic are resistant to frost, but a bedding made of leaves or straw will benefit them and the soil around them.
Source: Receptář magazine
