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Improving Your Soil in the Fall
Melinda Myers
Start by putting your fallen leaves to work in the garden. Use your mower with bag attached to shred and collect fall leaves. Work them into the top 8 inches of soil. They break down over winter adding organic matter and nutrients to the soil before you begin planting in the spring. Fall leaves are also a great resource for those of you minimizing soil disruption with no till, also known as no dig, soil care. Spread several inches of the leaves over the soil surface. The leaf mulch protects the soil in new and vacant gardens from erosion and compaction over the winter. They do keep the soil a bit cooler in the spring so you may need to adjust your planting times.
Cover bare soil in perennial gardens and mixed borders. Leaves make a great mulch suppressing weeds, conserving moisture and improve the soil as they decompose. They also insulate the soil helping insects and other wildlife overwintering underground. Plus, they are free.
Incorporating 2-to-4 inches of compost or other organic matter into the top 8 to 12 inches of soil is another option. Organic matter adds nutrients but also improves drainage and aeration in heavy soil and increases water- and nutrient-holding capacity in fast draining soils. Adding organic matter also builds the soil eco-system. It increases the number and activity of beneficial soil organisms such as good bacteria, fungi, microorganisms and insects. Healthy soil grows healthier plants more resistant to pests and environmental stresses.
"No till" gardeners can place a layer of compost over bare soil. Many add a layer of cardboard between the soil and compost to double the weed suppression. As the cardboard breaks down, it and the compost help improve the soil. You can also use landscape trimmings, fall leaves and compost to create your own planting mix. Lasagna gardening employs composting methodology to build soil in free-standing or contained raised beds.
Start your lasagna garden by measuring and marking the layout of your garden bed. Cut any grass and weeds in this area very short and cover with moist newspaper or cardboard. This smothers any existing grass and weeds. Next, add a 2-to-3-inch layer of peat moss or compost. Top this with 4 to 8 inches of plant debris such as leaves, plant-based kitchen scraps, herbicide-free grass clippings, straw or similar materials. Sprinkle a bit of low nitrogen fertilizer over this layer. Cover with an inch of compost. Repeat the layers, just like making lasagna, until your garden is 18 to 24 inches high.
Hugelkultur, or mound gardens take this one step further. The bottom layer is made of logs, branches and fall leaves. Do not include black walnut that is toxic to many plants or cedar and black locust that are very slow to decompose. The rotting logs and branches absorb water making it available to the plants in the garden. As the tree trimmings decompose, they add nutrients to the soil. Then top this layer with a lasagna garden.
The lasagna and Hugelkultur beds gradually settle but the benefits remain. Continue to build additional lasagna layers every few years on top of established beds as needed.
Select a method that best fits your gardening style. Investing time in building healthy soil reaps years of benefits.
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