Let's Use Garbage To The Advantage

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

How often natural material, which can bring invaluable benefits to the gardener, is thrown into the trash instead of increasing our yields. Let's see what plant residues and other seemingly trash can still serve for smart organic farming

When the weeds are good

Most of all, broken and sawn branches, uprooted weeds, cut off tops of garden crops are taken out from personal plots. All this wealth can be used to improve and fertilize the land.

First of all, the cut grass can be used for mulching in the beds, in the tree trunk circles. During the summer, it is laid several times in layers. And by decomposing, organic matter qualitatively increases the structure of the earth. An important nuance - if weeds are used, they should not be blooming or already with seeds, otherwise, instead of cleansing and healing, we, on the contrary, will get a site clogged with parasites. Another subtlety is that the tops collected from the beds should not be affected by diseases.

Whip up compost

Weeds and tops can be used to make quick compost. To do this, as the area is cleared of this "garbage", it is immediately put into strong black garbage plastic bags, and then all this stuff is moistened with a solution of chicken droppings. After that, the bags are tied and left in a warm place. Once a week, the contents should be shaken and allowed to breathe. The fertilizer will be ready for use in about 6-8 weeks.

In addition to such weed compost, liquid top dressing can also be prepared. For this, the raw materials are put into a barrel and filled with water. The container is left in a sunny place. If the weather is dry and hot, after a week this infusion can already be used for watering the beds. This will be indicated by the condition of the grass in the barrels. It should become slimy, soft. But if the weather outside is cool, the fermentation process can take up to two weeks.

Such fertilization helps to increase yields as well as poultry droppings or manure. Strain and dilute with water before use. The grass that remains after using the liquid will also go into business - it is laid out on the beds with cucumbers.

Time for ash

The herbal infusion is rich in nitrogen, so it is used at the initial stage of plant development, until they begin to set fruit. When grown garden crops decorate the set fruits, they need more potassium and phosphorus. And these elements of the bed will be provided by ash, which is also obtained from plant residues.

An interesting feature of ash obtained from burnt grass is that it is several times higher than wood ash in terms of the content of useful elements. Therefore, the dosage for feeding will be lower.

When receiving ash, you need to be careful so as not to harm the soil. And for this reason, it is not advised to burn grass residues right on the ground. To do this, you need to use some suitable container - a basin or barrel.

You also need to remember that ash is not mixed with organic matter and other nitrogen fertilizers. Manure, ammonium nitrate, urea, ammonium sulfate are used only a month after the introduction of ash.

Arrange a warm bed

Prepare your cart in winter and a warm bed for next season in summer! They grow peppers and eggplants, cucumbers and zucchini, melons and watermelons. And so that the yield is much higher, the same green mass is added to the bottom for heating - weeds before flowering and healthy unnecessary chopped tops of garden crops.

To build such a bed, a trench approximately 45 cm deep is dug in the areas vacated after the harvest of early crops. During the season, plant residues and food waste are laid here. With the arrival of autumn, wooden boards are made for the garden bed and covered with another 40 cm of earth. In the spring, you can plant heat-loving crops here.