The garden survived a summer drought that left its mark. The beginning of autumn was particularly mild and sunny, which favored the budding of certain plants and trees. Franck Jacopin, master composter at the solidarity gardens of the Vent d’Ouest association, notes that nature is disturbed and that it must be observed.
It is still possible to mow the lawns. Mowing is a precious resource in the garden. It is best to use it as mulch, well spread over the ground, rather than putting it in the compost.
Preparing the ground for winter
The ground is still quite warm, but it is time to prepare it for the first cold weather. The earth is sensitive to the cold, the water will infiltrate. The mulch will protect the soil by maintaining the heat. Some plants that fear the ground absolutely need to be mulched. In the vegetable garden, rhubarb and artichokes are sensitive to frost.
Franck Jacopin makes a lasagna mulch, by superimposing layers of lawn mowing, dead leaves, branches. Mowing adds nitrogenous matter to the soil and gives the soil a boost.
The vegetable garden in autumn
There is still time to plant seedlings: broad beans, peas, garlic shallots, lamb’s lettuce and endives, without forgetting to mulch the soil. The hedgehog is the gardener’s friend. Outside of its hibernation period, it feeds on slugs, snails and larvae and thus naturally regulates pests in the garden. To welcome it in your garden, we can reserve spaces for it: piles of wood and dead leaves or even specific shelters, far from the cold and the wind.
Should the soil be worked? This question does not have a unanimous answer among gardeners. Working the soil too much will harm the action of micro-organisms. Better to save effort and let the auxiliaries work themselves like earthworms.
The earthworm is a soil engineer.
Franck Jacopin is a fan of minimum tillage and encourages feeding it with good compost instead.
At Saint Catherine…
The continuation of the diction is known: “… all wood takes root“Autumn is the best season for planting trees, especially fruit trees. Franck Jacopin recommends brushing the roots with clay soil to fight against diseases and parasites thanks to its bactericidal, antiseptic and fungicidal properties. It does not He is not a fan of pruning too early. Whatever happens, it is better to wait until the end of the sap flow and the leaves have fallen so that the tree does not wear itself out prematurely.