spring
write in the journal of crop: dates of the transactions, distributed seeds and fertilizers, days after emergence from planting, crop rotation jobs: bringing out the deep processing.
Arranging identification plates of species and cultivars grown, to be placed in the top of each bed or row
Eliminate weeds that developed during the winter
Buy seed of the species to grow increasingly choosing a variety. Prepare cold
tunnels in order to anticipate the sowing of pumpkin and squash, melon, watermelon, cucumber, eggplant, tomato, bell pepper, basil, celery
Complete all processes, from the heavier ones finishing (digging, manure, addition of soil) to allow the sowing in the open or under the shelter of cold tunnel
Delimit the beds and do the work of aging.
Prepare land for planting. In
heated tunnels: to anticipate the sowing of pumpkin and squash, melon, watermelon, cucumber, eggplant, tomato, bell pepper, basil, celery
ventilate the tunnel every day and the greenhouses during the hottest hours to avoid condensation, easier hand hand that the daytime temperatures increase and also increases the thermal day / night
Sow outdoors, all the vegetables Leafy, green peas, potatoes and carrots, beets and spinach, parsley, arugula, radishes. Use non-woven fabric to protect and promote germination, sowing
Transplant outdoors, lettuce and radicchio, garlic, shallots and onions
Transplant later this month in the shelter of the tunnel with bread ground planting of tomatoes, eggplants and peppers purchased Collect
radishes, potatoes and carrots, turnips and beets, the cabbage before it rises to seed and become bitter, rocket, lettuce
detail of the work in the Po Valley where the climate is mild and you can start work even in the open field, in the gardens of the mountains and hills, however, is still time for rest, but attempts to anticipate the crops in tunnels in cold or warm greenhouse always lead to good results.
PROGRAMMING
rotation
general rule is that no cultivation should take herself and repeated on the same parcel of land. This is because each vegetable absorbs nutrients from the soil in some way which completely and selectively allowing the accumulation of others. In addition, each vegetable is attacked by viruses and parasites specific that can arise in the ground if you repeat the conditions that made possible the first attack.
Then there is the division of vegetables into families with similar characteristics, both for nutritional requirements, and for health problems. So a vegetable in the rotation will not have to follow himself, but not one of the same family.
rotation on a four-year
The classic scheme: year one
*: * legumes
two years: demanding that vegetables take advantage of nitrogen fixed by legumes and a rich fertilizer (tomato, zucchini, cucumber, eggplant , cabbage, leek, celery) *
three years: on average, demanding vegetables (onion, garlic, leafy vegetables, radish) *
four years: demanding little vegetable (parsley and other herbs, carrots, spinach) .
Family
Species
Leguminosae
Beans, beans, peas, chickpeas, lentils
Improve soil fertility through nitrogen-fixing properties of their root tubercles. At the end of the cycle the roots should not be eradicated from the soil.
Solanaceae Tomato, eggplant, bell pepper, red pepper, potato
require large amounts of nutrients.
Cucurbits
Zucchini, squash, cucumber, melon, watermelon
require large amounts of nutrients. They take advantage of abundant manure.
Cruciferae sprouts, cabbage, radishes, rocket
long-term crops (cabbage and cabbage) or intercalary (radish and arugula).
Liliaceae Onion, garlic, shallot, leek
not like a manure close.
Umbelliferae Carrots, celery, fennel, parsley
should not be grown following the Chenopodioideae.
Chenopodioideae
Spinach, chard
Not before the Solanaceae and Umbelliferae.
Composite
leafy vegetables to eat raw
It 's a common mistake to repeat the same plot.
Strawberries should not be grown on the same land before the expiration of three years.
A simple idea to make the garden more beautiful
To create two sides of the garden spots of Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus). Quest'ortaggio of slow growth during spring, summer can create a zone of partial shading on crops to take advantage of the fresh love. Autumn cheer in the garden with a cascade of yellow flowers. To contain the development in October we will collect the tubers to be used for food.
For rapid development, dig two holes 40 centimeters deep and replace the soil, where clay, with fertile soil, fresh and free of stones and rich in organic matter. Place the tubers to a depth of 10 cm.
Soil Preparation Seed Bed
To minimize the failed areas should pay particular attention to the seed beds. The
digging carried out in late fall or winter months, has turned the topsoil (about 30 cm) normally explored by the roots of vegetables and allowed the burial of fertilizers and soil to improve fertility and structure. The action of frost will crumble the clods, but especially for heavy soils (rich in clay) soils and worked for a short time, this is not enough.
After clearing the weeds grown in the cold season, trying to eradicate all the roots, breaking the clods with a hoe into smaller units operating when the soil is damp but not soaked with water.
defines the limits of the ditches and laid flower beds, one works with the rake, which is necessary to refine the soil, remove stones and plant debris, aerating the surface layer. The use of the rake does not replace the hoe and should not act in depth, but only in the first few inches of soil.
At the end, we outline the profile of the flower in that section will be slightly convex curvature with a smooth and uniform to encourage the drainage and prevent ponding.
Not to spoil the work is necessary to protect the ground and swing from the constipating rainfall, using a sheet of plastic and arelle cane or wooden boxes upside down.
Common Mistakes
At this stage it is quite easy to make mistakes, just visible at the moment, are likely to affect the production of the year: run too deep soil tillage surface (15-20 cm), or run digging only a few days before sowing, without exposing the ground that the action of the frost breaks up the particles, and helps ventilate the humification of organic matter failure to eliminate stones that impede root development and are particularly damaging way for plants that produce edible underground organs (such as potatoes or radishes) Failure to remove the lens of tolerance (gray clay soil that is impenetrable to the roots of the plants failure to generous fertilizing with organic matter to improve soil is too heavy or too loose (the results are satisfactory obtained only after the fourth year) failure to use the hoe in medium-textured soils tend to be clay or too hasty use of the rake, which is useful for moving the entire mass of the first centimeters of soil already prepared the ground left uncovered for too long, especially if dry
;
Choice Sow seeds
The seeds can be chosen from a catalog, the garden, or a large retailer, but the purchases should not be improvised on the contrary they have to refer to a previously established garden project, which was also provided for the demarcation of space.
should check that the seed bags are sound, not showing spots of mold or moisture, a suspicion that nothing bad preservation, and that the year of production is the one just passed. Finally, if you search for a particular variety not only should there be a similar, but look elsewhere.
Semine March
In warm seedlings can be planted any type of vegetable. In the cold tunnel or under a sheet of tissue tissue can not sow arugula, lettuce, leaf lettuce and radishes, beets (in the range from the coast and leaf), spinach. In more temperate climates, you can also groped the sowing of peas, parsley, carrots, chicory and kale summer lettuces, turnips, red garden beet, parsley, green beans, scorzanera.
splitting sowing to 10 days apart from each other helps to get a crop and scale to prevent the total loss of harvest caused by an eventual return of frost. At the end of the month are initiated
sowing in style: leafy vegetables, peas, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins and radishes, parsley, arugula, spinach, all in full field. Valerianella: fast, safe, out of any rotation. Lamb's lettuce (Valerianella milling) belongs to the family of Valerianacee. E 'vegetable undemanding in terms of temperature and rapid growth. It is sown a broadcaster on a soft, well aged, to be kept moist but not soaked. With the help of non-woven fabric tunnel or cold if they can anticipate the sowing. The sowing must be carried out on small portions of land and should be repeated two weeks later to pick up after about 40 days, a product is always fresh. Teme only stagnant water and the dry climate of summer. The thinning is done with the natural scalar product collection. Not is a vegetable to be considered in rotations follow or precede all others.
Ravanelli, not only round, not just red radish
The wins for her grow more vigorously when the garden is empty and it is hard to see the fruits of his labor. E 'season because with a vegetable without the necessary precautions can be grown anywhere from sea to the mountains, even in pots all year. In the shelter of the tunnel or greenhouse in winter, cooler and shaded areas in the warmer months. Only intense and prolonged cold, the sun to peak in August, or rocky terrain stop the little radish.
little demanding, requires no fertilizer and it arises in specific crops in succession manure as zucchini and tomato, radish produces 1 kilogram per square meter, and if well followed, with a collection climb even more. That each production cycle, and cycles in a year if they can do even four, using varieties with different characteristics. Sowing
broadcaster or files on well-honed plot, cover with about half inch of soil is soft and wet on a regular basis so as to keep the soil cool and moist. The collection also serves as a scale thinning.
When we speak of the radish is expected globular shape and the bright red color, but that of the radish is a group very varied in form and color. The radishes
spring are typical: red, pink and white, globular, oval or cylindrical, large or small, always fast growing tree.
The winter radishes have a longer growing period (60-70 days), have a pronounced flavor, and can be divided into four groups of cultivars: German Beer ", not very common in Italy, similar to turnips
Daikon" many considered unbeatable, similar to carrots, white radish root in China, always a white root, very long
English radishes, a black skin and white flesh
The winter radishes are also suitable for cultivation spring gardens in the hills and mountains.
The leaves of radishes, fresh and tender, can be used as a condiment in salads strong flavor.
Force
The month of March is for many a month of waiting. The areas most myths have already vacated the grip of winter, but others are still at significant risk of late frosts. To anticipate the sowing to be safe from drops in temperature using the cold tunnel.
Tunnel cold
The creation of a tunnel is simple cold. The structure would be large in order to have a sufficient volume of air: minimum 80 cm wide, 60 cm to 60 cm in height and at least 250 cm in length) having the proper slope for draining water and walls such that they can be opened in the hours and days better. The frame is made with iron rods bent "U" and driven into the ground. On it you place the plastic cover that must be robust and transparent. Before cutting the plastic sheets should be carefully inspected the measures and try to keep as far as possible, the integrity of the roof. The openings should be placed on the two ends of the tunnel, or if the structure is long, with side openings on which they could act quickly.
planting distance
the tunnel are sown crops which will then be replanted, or left in place discovering the tunnel. If you opt for the grafting, the number of plants per square meter will be higher, while if the plants remain in place, the distance between the plants will be greater and thus will be less than the number of plants from seed. The tunnel will also serve to bring cold air and begin the second phase of growing plants in hothouse born.
seeding in the tunnel
Sow in cold tunnel and then transplant outdoors: pumpkins and squash, melon and watermelon, cucumber, in planting a file with the sixth 15 x 15 cm (That is to file a distance of 15 cm and the same distance of 15 cm between a seed and the Grim), beans and green beans in rows 10 cm x 10 sixth, while broadcaster sow tomatoes and peppers, eggplant, basil, celery.
Ventilation
On sunny days of March the cold tunnel amplifies the sun's radiation and its internal temperature can rise too, creating problems for the growth of vegetables. In these long days and warm on the openings there is a need to ensure optimal internal conditions. Opening prevents the high humidity, combined with higher temperature, the assistant to a real plant and its boiling. It should then aerate at least once a day during the hottest hours of the day and close before the sun drops. This ensures a sufficient air exchange, and removes excess moisture that at sunset, when the sun no longer heats the plastic cover, condense on the walls. The drip would cause rot to the young plants.
dripping water
baulatura We take care of the land so that the inner profile is slightly convex and allow excess water to drain to the sides. We will always dosed sparingly because wetting the soil should be fresh and moist but not soaked. Higher temperatures and the fastest growing of vegetables often lead to the mistake of too wet.
reset to be two sides of the tunnel where the protective cover to drain rainwater. If the ground is sloping in order to ensure good drainage upstream of the pit depth must be greater, as much as the altitude of the area affected by the tunnel.
Periodically check the tightness of the anchors in the ground, the integrity of the plastic cover and the resilience of the closures.
Transplant
At the end of March can be planted potatoes, onions, garlic and scallions. The land must have been working well for some time and no skeleton. The depth at which you will put tubers, bulbs and cloves influence not just the end result, if too deep, there will be a delay in vegetative and stunted growth, if too shallow the plants that will grow will be more vulnerable to drought and may attract (ie lie on the ground), especially the risk of discovering new potatoes green. The tubers exposed to light produce a toxic alkaloid solanine and therefore must be discarded.
10-15 cm depth of planting potato, garlic and shallot onion 3 cm 2 cm
Transplantation of the month in March
are transplanted outdoors onions, garlic, lettuce and endive. While
are transplanted in protected cultivation and planting tomatoes and related land purchased with bread.
Periodic work
Remove plant debris at the end of the cycle that must always be removed, burned, buried or placed in compost in a special pit.
weed weed
While we provide the deep soil tillage and subsequent refinements to adequately prepare the seed beds, weeds awaken. Selezionatesi in thousands of years to go before the other plants in the race for light, nutrients and space, they tend to cover the ground with incredible speed. Annual or perennial, arising from seed or from roots overwintering weeds sonogià ready to raise their heads and invade the garden. We begin to act now, when they are small, with poorly developed root system and easy to eradicate. The plant mass to be removed will be much lower.
plants with tap-root, are difficult to remove by simply pulling, or break, leaving a part in the ground, must be combated in a particular way. Should use the shovel to extract all the roots, so you eliminate the problem permanently. With a view to consumption of the product, which must therefore meet high quality features, a battle manual method, though laborious, is better use of a herbicide.
Fertilization
During this time you must make a good fertilizer that can be achieved with an organic fertilizer that can make even the organic matter in the soil and the use of chemical fertilizers that replenish the nutrients removed in previous crop cycles.
organic fertilizers
If we did not fall with the digging underground manure, we can use for cover now, doing one hoeing soil, having strewn the surface with a compost manure or compost made with very ripe. Organic fertilizers are necessary to support an abundant production and quality, in fact, keep the plants well fed, healthy, improve soil structure, provide a level of high fertility and prevent a buildup of nitrates due to the slow release of nutrients.
In this phase, the slow release fertilizer, resistant to leaching by rainfall and irrigation, can be used with particular success for crops with deep root system, such as cabbage, carrots, artichokes and aspargi.
The contribution of fertilizer should be proportional to the excise, and then operated also use more or less intensive land.
If you require more rounds of sowing of crops in succession in the same bed should provide an optimal supply of mature 5 kilograms of manure per square meter. For
beds used only once during the year, except for very demanding as vegetables zucchini, tomatoes and such, just 3 kilograms per square meter. Who does not have manure can be used to replace peat, compost or soil fertilized at a rate of 5 liters per unit of surface
Collection
In March you can pick up roots and left to winter in the ground like potatoes, carrots , turnips, and still radishes and beets. Do not miss the cold weather cabbage, chicory and where it was possible to sow in time using a tunnel or cold towels, the ubiquitous parsley and sedation
