Siderata For Tomatoes

2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38

Someone refuses siderates, because they do not want to bother with planting in the ground, someone is confused by the timing of sowing crops. But culture, culture, strife, and each species has its own characteristics. Maybe you just haven't found your assistant yet. So what kind of seeds can be sown to help green manure grow an enviable crop?

About the benefits of siderates

Siderat work in greenhouses, vegetable gardens and orchards real wonders. This is a great way to enrich and loosen the soil, as many varieties have roots that penetrate deep into the soil. It is also a great method for rapidly changing crops. And they are also irreplaceable on poor soils with a lack of fertilizers, when you need to enrich the land with nutrients for future planting.

In addition, when green manures are planted before winter, they become a building component of humus. And even this is not all - siderates are a kind of site attendants, helping to fight root rot, driving away the ubiquitous weeds.

Oats for tomatoes

Grain siderates such as oats, rye, wheat, barley do not need to be dug up with the soil. You can grow them at different times. For example, oats, which gain green mass very quickly, can be sown from late summer to early autumn. When the grass grows at a height of about 15 cm, the oats are mowed, and the roots are left to rot in the ground.

In the spring, oats are sown about two weeks before planting of seedlings is planned on the beds in the open field or in the greenhouse. To carry out this procedure, the soil is loosened with a Fokin flat cutter, then seeds are scattered in random order, surface loosening is carried out again and the bed is moistened. For prevention, it would be wise to water the crops with a solution of fungicides.

Siderata can be used in garden beds in a variety of ways. If the grass has risen high and gained strength, it is mowed and the aboveground part is used as mulch. And when the oats are still very low, you can plant seedlings of the same tomatoes directly on it. Very handy tools for this are a landing cone and a sharp scoop. With their help, the hole is just the size of the earthen ball of seedlings. Thus, the siderates growing nearby are not injured, as it would inevitably happen if wielding a hoe or a shovel.

Why is this neighborhood useful? First of all, green manure continues to gain strength and release nutrients into the soil. The deep root system draws moisture to the surface. And the green mass contributes to the creation of a favorable microclimate around the planted seedlings and protects against temperature extremes.

Amazing phacelia

Like other plants, various green manures can be cold-hardy and heat-loving crops. If the sowing of these useful helpers is planned to be carried out not in a greenhouse, but in the open field in early spring, you should pay attention to the phacelia. She is not afraid of frost, and before the planting of the main culture, in addition to the main benefits, she also paints the site with her carved curly foliage.

As with oats, seedlings of tomatoes and other crops can be planted directly over the phacelia. You just need to carefully monitor when the green manure begins the budding period. In this form, you cannot leave it in the beds. Phacelia is also convenient because it is easy to pick it from the beds with your bare hands. Its stems break off easily at the level of the soil surface, while the roots remain in the ground and continue their beneficial effect on the soil.

What to look for

When choosing green manures, it is important to pay attention to the family of plants that will be planted in this area later. For example, phacelia gets along well with nightshade - tomatoes, and cruciferous - radishes. But mustard is also a wonderful siderat, which belongs to the cabbage family, has in common with the enemy radish - the cruciferous flea. Therefore, by sowing it in the beds, you can attract the pest of the main crop in advance.