RE-CHARGE your soil this Fall.
Get a head start on a great Spring harvest!
You charge your phone (for sure).
You charge your electric car (we hope).
NOW it’s time to charge your soil with 2” of microbe-rich compost!
The perfect time to get a head start on next year’s growing season is in FALL! By combining the right soil techniques, inputs and Deep Roots products, you can make a difference between an okay garden and a spectacular harvest next spring. Microbial growth does slow down in the winter but it never stops. Anticipating snowfall and repeated freezing and thawing, the new layer of compost delivers a blanket of winter protection to your bed. We also recommend a layer of fallen leaves covering the 2” compost layer.
Our compost is your SOIL
Our 2 top innovations are replacing conventional soil with the highest quality microbe-dense and nutrient-dense compost and using microbe-dense worm castings (worm compost also known as vermicompost) as the primary soil amendment. Learn more about our innovative method and how beneficial micro-organisms are essential for soil and plant health in these 2 blog posts.
Nourish soil micro-organisms
Nurturing soil micro-organisms is key to successful organic gardening. Soil micro-organisms include all the tiny beneficial critters – bacteria, fungi, nematodes, earthworms and others.
Learn more on our updated posts
Why DRP compost is better than store bought
Don’t use conventional top soil or bagged soil from garden centers for growing food. We sell carefully selected certified compost made by a local dairy farm that combines manure and plant waste and then applies a “thermophilic” (heat-loving) process. This produces huge numbers of beneficial microflora (microbes and fungi) and dense nutrients that contribute to your plants’ overall health as well as their resistance to diseases and pests. The compost is tested for organic food growing by the U.S. Compost Council (USCC) and certified by Organic Materials Research Institute (OMRI).
Fundamental steps to prepare raised beds for winter
Never pull a plant out by its roots when harvesting. The decaying roots feed the soil microbes. Plus, the dead roots create channels for water and air to penetrate the soil. Harvest by cutting the stem at the soil level. Of course, pull out root crops like carrots, beets, turnips, onions, garlic, radishes, etc.
Restore organic matter to boost microbe populations. Add a 2-inch layer of our microbe rich compost to your bed(s) after the fall harvest AND again in spring! This nourishes the soil micro-organisms over winter, delivers billions of additional microbes and will feed the new crops in the spring. This applies to BOTH beds filled with our compost and beds filled with conventional soil.
If your conventional soil beds don’t have enough space at the top for 2 inches of new compost, dig out a few inches to make room. For an extra boost to conventional soil beds, dig out 4 inches or more and replace with our compost.
Okay to add compost BEFORE all annuals are harvested. Cover the entire bed with 1 inch of compost. When all your plants are harvested add another 1 inch layer of compost.
No bare soil! Cover your new layer of compost with fallen leaves. Some gardeners also cover the leaves with landscape fabric. The protective covering slows down the water as it penetrates the soil. This helps combat wind erosion and damage from strong rains over winter. The covering also protects the micro-organisms in the top level of the soil from the sun’s radiation.
Spinach makes a great edible early spring cover crop
Plant spinach seeds in your new compost layer in mid-November before you cover the bed with leaves. Get 2 huge benefits for your extra effort:
Benefit #1: For very little time and effort get a huge harvest of super healthy spinach in spring. Plant the spinach seeds in rows after the compost layer has been spread over the bed. Make a furrow filled with worm casting before planting the seeds. Planting spinach seeds in spring will get a much smaller yield and require lots more time, care and watering. Spinach is a strong survivor of the winter and comes up fighting - it is a robust and prolific plant. And delicious and nutritious too! Start harvesting individual larger leaves as soon as they are ready.
Benefit #2: Spinach seedlings in spring will protect the bare soil at a time when it’s too cold for other veggies to grow. Spinach sprouts thrive in colder temperatures and don’t mind late snows. Remember to remove the fallen leaves and landscape fabric in late February. Gradually harvest entire adult spinach plants to make room for planting seeds and seedlings of your other spring crops. Plant spinach in all beds since it will be harvested very early.
Our online store
See our online store for details about prices, ordering and delivery of raised beds, compost, worm castings and more. Please contact our customer support team before placing an order online so we can assist you with the details and answer your gardening questions.
QUESTIONS? COMMENTS?
Contact us at (708) 655-5299 or support[at]deep-roots-project.org.
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