When is the Right Time to Prepare the Soil in the Garden in September and October?

Vegetable garden

For optimal soil preparation before autumn sowing and planting, it is crucial to take advantage of the right moment. In this article, we reveal the best methods and techniques that will help you get your garden ready effortlessly. Remember, the soil is your fundamental tool, and you should work when it is ready and allows for loosening.

Your Key to Success: Optimal Soil Moisture

Autumn soil preparation requires careful monitoring of moisture levels. Heavy, loamy soils that dry slowly are ideal for loosening when they are just moist enough to crumble nicely. In September, we work on the beds after rain, and they also crumble well if we water the entire bed and loosen it the next day.

As the soil slowly dries after rain at the end of September, it’s important to prepare it earlier. Properly moist soil is best for working, so avoid working on overly wet soil. Late summer loosening of the soil to a depth of 15 cm improves its structure and facilitates easier work during sowing and planting. In October, we loosen the soil to a depth of 25 cm.

Loamy soil that is suitably moist can be easily loosened with the Quick Fork.

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When is the Soil Warm Enough to Loosen the Garden Beds?

Optimal soil temperature is essential for successful preparation. In September, the soil is warm enough for loosening to a depth of 10 or 15 cm for sowing and planting, especially since the lower layers remain uncompacted if protected by mulch. Therefore, in September, we focus only on loosening the surface without disturbing the soil life.

In October, microorganisms remain active until the threshold temperature for soil preparation, which is 5°C. If the soil isn’t warm enough, postpone your work, as this can adversely affect both microorganisms and soil structure.

Beds for garlic are best prepared before autumn cooling.

How and When to Loosen Loamy, Clay or Sandy Soils?

In October, it is essential to loosen empty beds, particularly on heavy soils. Deep loosening to 25 cm is recommended when the soil is suitably dry and not overly moist. This proactive approach will reduce your workload in spring when the soil will already be optimally prepared for quicker sowing and planting. Ensure that empty beds are prepared for winter by mid-October.

Light or sandy soils are easier to prepare for September and October sowing and planting since they dry out faster and are less demanding to work with. You can loosen them with the Quick Fork even before winter arrives. After working on all garden beds, cover them with mulch.

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A Tool for Easier Work That Has Won Gardeners’ Hearts

Using the Quick Fork is ideal for those who want to work with less effort. This tool allows for loosening without excessive strain due to its lever mechanism, which eases physical labor while preserving microorganisms, earthworms, and other small organisms essential for healthy soil. It also simplifies weed removal; we carefully pull out bindweed with its entire root system instead of cutting it.

The Quick Fork is particularly favored by older gardeners and women because it doesn’t require lifting. Simply bring it to the garden bed, pull the tines backward through the soil, and work effortlessly while standing upright—thanks to its lever design that enables loosening with minimal force.

Loosening with the Quick Fork makes it easier to remove bindweed and other weeds.

How Do We Incorporate Phacelia and Other Green Manure Plants into the Soil?

You sowed phacelia and other green manure plants in your garden beds during late summer. You’ll notice they serve as excellent autumn and winter mulch while their roots also help loosen the soil. Leave them on the garden bed throughout winter and mow them down with a lawn mower in March.

Leave phacelia on the bed and incorporate it into the soil in March.

In March, crumble the organic mass into the soil using the Quick Fork when conditions are suitable for work and when it crumbles nicely.

Proper Fertilization of Soil with Manure, Pellets, and Compost in Autumn

Beds that were poorly fertilized during the year should be treated with compost and pellets. In this case, spread fertilizer over the surface of the soil and incorporate it using the Quick Fork, which optimally distributes organic fertilizers to a depth of 20 cm. All beds can be fertilized with potassium sulfate—permitted in organic farming—and incorporated into the soil.

In early October, we typically fertilize only with farmyard manure so that nutrients become quickly available to plants in spring.

When using farmyard manure for fertilization, remove the top crushing tines from your Quick Fork before turning over the soil and covering it with manure. This method allows clods to break down over winter through frost action while microorganisms convert fertilizer into a plant-available form.