How and when to sow white mustard on green manure. Growing Mustard - Planting Tips

Greetings, dear readers! What are green manure and why you need them, you already know, but you also know that each green manure has its own specifics. Mustard, as a fertilizer, is also a special plant. It has many advantages over other green manure crops, but there are also disadvantages. Mustard, like green manure, will be discussed today.

So, mustard is a plant from the cruciferous (cabbage) family. Its close cultural relatives are cabbages of all kinds, radishes, watercress, rutabagas, radishes, turnips and leafy mustard. She has "relatives" among siderates: oil radish, colza, winter and spring rapeseed. This is important to consider when crop rotation. Oilseed flax, sunflower, beet and millet are also bad predecessors for mustard.

Mustard, as a fertilizer, cannot be used before and after other cruciferous crops. Otherwise, you are more likely to develop clubbing disease (Plasmodiophora brassicae).

As green fertilizers () they use white mustard (it is also English mustard) and Sarepta (it is also Russian or gray mustard).

The main differences between white and Sarepta mustard

The benefits of mustard as a fertilizer , is that it:

• clears the area of ​​weeds. This effect is especially pronounced on cultivated soils;
• has chic phytosanitary properties: it allows you to get rid of, pea codling moth and slugs; contributes to the suppression of plant diseases: late blight and potato scab. It turns out that for the development of late blight, the presence of iron in the soil is necessary, and mustard binds this iron, which contributes to the improvement of the soil;
• rapidly increasing biomass. Due to the large biomass, the soil is replenished with useful organic substances that are easily recycled " underground inhabitants» for humus;
• improves soil structure. Long roots (can penetrate from 1.5 to 3 meters) perfectly loosen, drain and structure the soil. This also contributes to the moisture and air capacity of the soil;
• promotes the retention of nitrogen in the soil, that is, prevents its leaching. Note: if legumes fix nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form suitable for other plants, then mustard only retains nitrogen (prevents it from being washed out). Also this green manure absorbs others nutrients from the soil, converts them into an organic form and thus does not allow them to go into deeper layers;
• given the not strong winter hardiness, after frost and under the influence of snow, mustard plants lie on the soil and from green manure they gradually turn into mulch. This property is used in autumn and winter to protect the soil from freezing.

In addition, mustard is a honey plant and its flowers attract many pollinating insects.

And mustard is a good companion for many crops. For example, it stimulates the growth of beans, fruit trees, grapes. Only as a companion you need significantly less seeds than when grown as green manure.

Mustard is good in crop rotation with cereals. It is an ideal precursor plant for potatoes (as it fights wireworm, late blight, scab), for tomatoes and other nightshades.

To the disadvantages of mustard may include the following:

• its plants suffer from the same pests and diseases as other cruciferous plants. That is why it is worth considering the rules of crop rotation when sowing this green fertilizer;
• sometimes birds enjoy eating seeds and even mustard greens. On the other hand, what kind of seeds do birds not like? And the benefits of birds are usually higher than the harm. In extreme cases, you can cover the mustard seeds after sowing with mulch.

Growing mustard as green manure

Growing mustard as green manure is not the same as growing mustard for seeds. So, for example, we don't have to wait for seeds to ripen. That is why its sowing is possible from March-April to August-September. When sowing mustard around the middle of August, we will only get phytosanitary tillage, that is, from the same wireworm, scab, phytophthora. Since mid-August, not much green mass will grow, respectively, soil fertilization will be less.

Seeding rate of mustard on green manure

From spring to mid-August, about 200-300 g per hundred square meters are sown. From the second half of August - the number of seeds is increased to 300-400 g per hundred square meters. Please note that this seed density is for the use of mustard as a fertilizer. If you want to grow it for honey collection, then the number of seeds decreases and the plants themselves do not need to be sown so densely.

Sowing seeds is recommended to a depth of 2-3 cm, after which the soil should be compacted (it is better that the seeds are in contact with the ground). If you simply scatter the seeds over a compacted surface, then you should cover them with a small layer of mulch. In any case, seeds need at least some moisture and contact with the ground to germinate.

Mustard usually starts flowering 4-6 weeks after sowing. You can cut it either with a cultivator (swift or other) during the budding or flowering period (it is advisable to prevent the formation of seeds). Before cutting, it is recommended to water the plants with a solution with effective microorganisms, as this contributes to better processing green fertilizers. Also note that in dry weather, green manure will be processed by worms and microorganisms for a long time, so in this case, you need to water the area with mowed green manure from time to time.

If you wish to collect your seeds, then keep in mind that white mustard pods hardly crack, so they can be harvested at any time of the day. But the pods of Sarepta mustard are more prone to cracking. That is why the seeds of this species must be collected early in the morning, in the evening or even at night. In addition, such a dense sowing is not needed to obtain seeds, and it is necessary to sow in the spring, in this case. Summer sowing is unlikely to provide you with seeds.

That's all for today. I hope you enjoy the mustard plant as a fertilizer. It is far from universal, but it can still help in many ways.

Have a healthy garden and vegetable garden!

I advise, dear readers, not to miss the publication of new materials on this blog.

First, let's figure out why we need mustard? The end result will depend on the type of plant. For example, if you plant gray or salad mustard, then you can eat green leaves. It is appropriate to add them to fresh salads. Such a vitamin supplement is suitable only if the leaves are collected with young plant. If you were recommended to buy white mustard seeds, then most likely the consultant in the store meant that you would use the plant as green manure, that is, a natural fertilizer.

If you sow black mustard, you can stock up on spices for the winter, adding crushed mustard powder to food to give the dish a spicy and spicy flavor.

If we are talking about growing a cultivated plant, then you can get valuable oil from mustard, use seed powder in medicinal purposes(like mustard plasters) and for collecting honey. Then you can purchase 1 variety of plant to choose from: white, gray (Sarepta variety) or black mustard.

About the plant

Mustard is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to the cabbage family. The plant has a straight long stem; during the flowering period, mustard is covered with yellow flowers on a flower brush. As the flowers fade, they develop into small fruits, resembling the shape of a pod. It contains small round fruits. White mustard seeds are small, yellowish in color, while black mustard seeds are dark brown or brownish red.

Asia and Egypt are considered the birthplace of the plant, but people have long learned to cultivate this crop, adapting it to the local climate. So, mustard is widespread in France, Holland and China. This culture is also grown in Russia.

The composition of mustard seeds is unique and therefore widely used not only as feed for livestock, but also for Food Industry as well as for medicinal purposes. So, the seeds contain a lot of essential oils (allylic and fatty), as well as protein, zinc, iron, potassium, sodium and magnesium. Present in the composition of the plant (seeds and leaves) a large number of vitamins useful for human health: C, A, E and PP, as well as B vitamins.

The benefits of mustard have been known to mankind for a long time. First of all, mustard seeds increase appetite and have a slight laxative effect. They help to get rid of inflammatory processes in the body and remove toxins. Mustard is used to treat rheumatism, indigestion, liver diseases and hypertension.

Volatile vapors of mustard seeds have a slight antibacterial effect, and also disinfect the air. In ancient times, healers relieved the condition of a patient with mumps by applying a mustard compress to the tumor.

Photo of mustard:

To use the plant for medicinal purposes, it is necessary to collect mustard seeds from the lower and middle ripened pods. The collected raw materials must be dried in a ventilated place, devoid of direct sunlight.

How mustard grows

The plant is picky, so you can sow mustard seeds on land free from growing crops. Surely you paid attention to the beautiful yellow fields appeared in late September-October. When the crop is harvested from the fields, it is time to apply it to the soil useful dressings. It will help to keep a maximum of nutrients, as well as moisture in the soil - mustard plant. It is enough to add this natural fertilizer to the ground and after 3-4 days you can see how the first shoots appear.

Mustard grows very quickly, if you sow a crop in early spring, then at the end of August you can harvest fragrant seeds. If the crop is used as a soil enrichment, then mustard can be sown at the end of September, it will saturate the soil with nutrients and oxygen.

How to grow mustard

Learn how to grow white mustard- a popular plant variety that is grown in Russia and other countries of the world. Most often, white mustard is planted in order to improve the quality of the soil. What can be obtained after growing mustard? As soon as the plant gets stronger and grows, a good root system. Mustard roots take phosphorus from the soil and, processing, give it back. As a result, the land is enriched and becomes fertile. All pathogens (scab, fusarium or late blight) die, which has a positive effect on the future harvest. In addition, mustard will help in the fight against wireworm, and this pest is very difficult to get rid of.

White mustard grows quickly, if you sow a crop in early spring, then you don’t have to worry about the plant dying from frost. Mustard endures night temperature drops, down to -5 o C. Therefore, this crop is so highly valued because of the possibility of growing mustard both too early (before planting potatoes) and late, when the crop is already harvested.

From the moment of sowing into the soil and until the green mass of the plant is obtained, only a couple of months pass. Seeds retain the ability to germinate even at negative soil temperatures (frosts from 0 to -3 o C). Mow mustard, if it was sown to enrich the nutritional properties of the soil, before flowering.

Planting mustard

Sowing mustard is not a difficult task, the main thing is to decide for what and in what period it is necessary to start planting a plant.

Rules for planting mustard as green manure:

1. First, using a flat cutter, it is necessary to loosen the soil (depth up to 5 cm).
2. We take ready-made mustard seeds (sold in specialized stores in large packages).
3. We make furrows in the ground at a distance of 15 cm from each other. According to the information indicated on the packaging, the sowing rate is from 120 to 150 g per 1 hectare of land.
4. You can go the other way and sow mustard seeds in bulk, without adhering to the above rules. But then we increase the seed consumption by 2 times.
5. We loosen the earth and deepen the mustard seeds by 3 cm.

Everything, with the planting of mustard is completed. Now you can observe the process of plant development and rejoice that the soil will be freed from pests, weeds and saturated with nutrients.

Sowing white mustard can be done in spring time before planting vegetables and potatoes. Approximately 3-4 weeks before the expected date of disembarkation vegetable crops you can start sowing. According to the norm, you need to sow up to 4 g of seeds per 1 m 2 of land. If it is necessary to declare a fight against the wireworm, then the seed rate is increased to 5 g and sowing begins before planting the main vegetable crops in the summer cottage or after harvesting.

How to sow seeds correctly:

• we prepare the soil - it is advisable to dig up a bed or at least loosen the ground;
• sowing is carried out to a depth of 2 cm;
• seeds can be sown in full or in rows;
• after sowing, the land should be well watered.

We do nothing else, just observe the germination. Already 3-4 days after sowing mustard, you can see the first shoots. After 3-4 weeks, before planting vegetables or root crops, the mustard must be cut and simply laid out on the beds. If you have prepared the soil for planting seedlings, then simply plant the seedlings in the prepared holes, and let the mustard remain between the rows. It will protect seedlings from frost, drought and pests. When the young seedlings take root and grow, the mustard can be mowed and left in the aisles as mulch.

Growing mustard in the summer between rows - sowing is carried out immediately after planting vegetables. In the process of growing mustard, it is necessary to constantly ensure that the plant does not grow much and does not interfere with the development of vegetable crops. During the season, you can sow mustard 2 or even 3 times. It is only important to have time to cut the greens before the plant begins to bloom in order to prevent the mustard from spreading throughout the site.

Mustard, like green manure, will bring enormous benefits to the soil, especially if this crop is sown before mid-August. More late sowing will protect the soil and save the site from pests and weeds, but as a growing green mass and collecting seeds, planted mustard so late is not good.

How to grow leafy mustard

If you have another goal - to grow a spice for seasoning and enriching the nutritional value of salads, then you need to sow blue mustard or leaf. This culture has other popular names: "Russian", "Salad", "Indian" or "Sarept". Mustard has large leaves and a pleasant, slightly spicy aftertaste. matures garden culture early, so you can just start restocking after winter with fresh vitamins.

For cultivation salad mustard you need to properly prepare the soil. The acidity should be neutral, and a slightly acidic composition of the soil is also suitable. It does not matter what the land will be, fertile or not very fertile - mustard will adapt to any soil and bring a good harvest of green mass. The only place where this culture will not grow is in wetlands.

Sowing seeds can be started as early as April, when the snow has not yet melted in the summer cottage, and best of all - even in March. Some summer residents, experimenting, came to the conclusion that if you sow mustard in the winter, then with the onset of spring, when the first spring sun barely warms up, the first shoots will appear.

To grow this crop, you can select a separate bed. If you have room in the greenhouse, you can sow mustard between the rows of vegetable crops.

Planting is easy: you need to loosen the ground and sow the seeds in rows with a distance of 25 cm. planting material- 1-1.5 cm. After planting, the seeds should be covered with a layer of earth and watered.

The first shoots can be expected in 4-5 days. For the normal growth of mustard, it is necessary to regularly water the beds, but just do not pour heavily with water. Moderate watering is just what is needed for good growth leafy mustard.

After half a month, when the mustard grows up, you can harvest the first crop of young leaves.

The best time to grow mustard is spring or late summer. When it's too hot outside, the plant gives less green masses and "leaves" in the arrows, the leaves become rough and tasteless. So optimum temperature for growing this crop - no more than +20 o C.

How to grow French mustard

Grow unusual plant and show off the results - pride for the summer resident. Therefore, people try to purchase seeds of rare varieties and grow them in their summer cottage. This is exactly what can be said about the cultivation of black mustard. Its taste is more intense and spicy; for bees, this plant is an excellent honey plant.

Black mustard is a heat-loving plant and is more demanding on the soil. You can grow it in exactly the same way as any type of mustard, with the same sowing and crop care standards, you just need to water the plant and fertilize the soil with nitrogen fertilizers.

How to grow mustard on a windowsill

It's amazing how unpretentious mustard is. The plant will feel great in the cold season on the windowsill. The main thing is that the room should not be too hot.

For planting, we use purchased seeds, which must be soaked in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Do not forget to process the container in which you are going to grow mustard. By the way, good results can be obtained if the seeds are wrapped in a damp cloth and left for several days. When the first shoots appear, you can decide what to do next - continue growing in this way or transplant into pots.

As a soil suitable earth with suburban area enriched with coconut fiber and biohumus. If possible, you can plant seeds in peat tablets. And if this is too expensive for you, then just use any suitable container, for example, disposable cups or food plastic container from under sour cream and yoghurts. The main thing - do not forget to make holes for draining water and put drainage on the bottom.

We pour the prepared soil on the expanded clay layer, deepen the seeds by 1.2 cm, not forgetting to moisten the ground and you can cover the cups with polyethylene. Simplify your task - put the containers in a wide bowl and cover with a film on top.

Now you need to put the planted mustard in a cool and humid place and wait for the first shoots. A cold-resistant mustard variety is capable of germination already at +1 ° C, it is not suitable for growing in an apartment, so we choose more heat-loving varieties, for example, French or black mustard. For cultivation, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the room up to +23 ° C and air humidity - up to 60%. If it is hot in the room, then the mustard will start to shoot arrows, and we need young leaves.

As soon as 2-3 leaves appear on the seedlings, you can transplant the seedlings into a spacious container. After 3 weeks, when the first seeds appear, you can begin to cut off the young lower leaves and add to salads. Abundant watering every day will protect the plant from premature shooting. So do not forget every day not only to water, but also to spray mustard from a spray bottle.

When growing tomatoes in one area, a huge amount of nutrients necessary for the growth and fruiting of plants is removed from the soil every year. The amount of these elements is directly dependent on the yield of vegetable crops. To restore soil fertility, gardeners most often use mineral and organic fertilizers. Often, the monetary costs of feeding remain unjustified due to their high cost. Therefore, in recent times the sideration method is gaining popularity - the preliminary planting of white mustard before planting tomatoes. useful plant can be successfully sown in the spring.

What is spring planting for?

Sideration - ecological and effective method soil fertilizers only with natural organic compounds. The essence of the agricultural technique is to build up the green mass of mustard, after which it is beveled and embedded in the ground. The use of this method helps to saturate the soil with minerals and improve its structure. A sufficient amount of phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium accumulates in the soil for optimal growth and fruiting of tomatoes.

You can sow mustard in areas adjacent to tomatoes. After mowing, the green nutrient mass is transferred to the tomato beds and carefully dug up with the ground. The roots remaining in the soil quickly rot and additionally fertilize the site.

Annual white mustard is ideal as a green manure due to its ability to quickly grow green mass. It is extremely frost-resistant, which allows it to be planted immediately after the soil has thawed. Thanks to rapid growth mustard gardeners manage to fertilize the soil in the spring just before planting tomatoes.

You can sow the plant at different time intervals.

• Spring. The most successful way to enrich even deep layers of soil. All nutrients remain in the ground and are completely absorbed by tomato seedlings and adult plants.
• In autumn. Mustard is planted after harvest on tomato growing plots. After the snow cover melts, many useful trace elements are washed out of the soil.

In early spring, mustard quickly starts to grow and gains green mass under the first rays of the sun. Approximately 10-14 days before planting tomatoes, it is mowed and embedded in the ground. It is not necessary to dig the soil deep - some gardeners leave mustard right on the surface. Such a mulch will favorably affect further cultivation tomatoes.

Features of spring planting

Tomatoes are thermophilic crops. Gardeners plant them quite late, when a stable temperature is established and the threat of frost has completely passed. So that the beds are not empty before planting tomatoes, you can sow on them in early spring white mustard seeds. The plant belongs to the cold-resistant siderates that can withstand short-term frosts. Mustard builds up the green mass necessary for fertilizing the soil within a month, so you can roughly calculate the time for planting seeds, focusing on the time for planting tomatoes.

Using green mass as mulch, you can solve two problems at once. Firstly, the volume of water required for irrigation is significantly reduced, and secondly, the number of weeds in tomato beds is reduced.

Experienced gardeners recommend planting tomatoes directly into growing mustard. Siderates will reliably protect fragile young plants. After the seedlings begin to grow, the mustard is mowed and laid out on the surface of the beds. The roots remaining in the ground decompose into nutrients, while loosening the soil, providing easy access to fresh air.

The features of sideration with mustard include the ability of mowed plants to start growing again. This allows the gardener not to worry about fresh mulch during the growing season. The beds with tomatoes are constantly covered with green mass, and the roots of vegetable crops receive the necessary mineral elements all summer. After harvesting the last tomato crop in the fall, the mulch must be mixed into the ground.

How spring sowing of mustard helps tomatoes

White mustard is used in the spring as a fertilizer for many vegetable crops, except for those belonging to the cruciferous family (cabbage), since it itself is included in this group. The plant contains a significant amount of phytoncides - biologically active substances that protect tomatoes from contagious fungal diseases (late blight, rhizoctoniosis). And spicy essential oils have the ability to repel garden pests. After sideration in the beds with tomatoes, you rarely see:

• slugs
• wireworms;
• beetle larvae.

Unlike other plants used as green manure, mustard germinates a few days after sowing in the spring when low temperatures. Green mass contains a lot organic compounds and trace elements: phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen. Importance has a balanced composition of mustard - after it is introduced into the soil, there is no excess of any element, which can adversely affect the growth of tomato seedlings. Fragrant essential oils attract not only bees, but also others beneficial insects capable of destroying pests and pollinating plants.

Gardeners living in an area where it constantly blows strong winds, with the help of mustard crops protect their plantings. After mowing the first green mass in the spring, the seeds of the plant are planted again. This method of growing allows not only to protect tomatoes from the winds, but also throughout the summer.

Mustard is characterized by deep penetration of the roots into the soil, which contributes to its structuring, oxygen saturation and protection from wind erosion. The undoubted advantage of this culture is the possibility of growing on extremely poor soils. A strong root system extracts the nutrients necessary for growth even from such soil. In the process of decomposition, the green mass of plants forms mineral compounds that are easily absorbed in the spring by more delicate tomato roots.

Spring growing technology

Planting and using white mustard as a green manure differs significantly from growing it as a crop for making spices. As soon as the snow cover melts, you can start gardening. Soil preparation consists in leveling the frozen blocks of earth with a rake and digging it.

Sowing seeds of white mustard can be done in two ways.

1. Solid sieving. Seeds are scattered on the surface of the earth very densely and covered with a rake. In order for the mustard to quickly start growing, the plants are fed with nitroammophos during planting.
2. Ordinary sieving. For this planting method, well-loosened soil is required. After cutting the furrows with the angle of the chopper, the seeds are sown and buried. Spruce branches or other mulch are laid on top of the site.

If necessary, the plants need to be watered, but usually in the spring the soil is quite moist. Mustard can be mowed for embedding in the ground under tomatoes after growing up to 20-25 cm.

You can not grow mustard as a green manure for more than a month. It will bloom and set seeds. After they enter the soil, along with the green mass, they will start to grow and will draw nutrients from the roots of the tomatoes. Mulch cut late is coarser and more fibrous.

Mustard grows quickly, does not require special care, her planting does not take much time and effort from the gardener. But its benefits are difficult to overestimate. Tomatoes all summer will receive useful trace elements and delight the owner of the site large fruits. In addition, tomato beds will receive reliable protection from insidious pests.

If you want the soil in your garden to be loose and oily, sow mustard after harvesting from the beds. In autumn, before frost, the mustard will have time to sprout and, after the sprouts reach 20-40 cm, they dig it up. But they do it shallowly, since the organic part of the plant, its greenery, serves as fertilizer.

They then mow it before digging it up or simply dig it up so that upper layer soil mixed with green manure, which is green mustard. It is important not to bring the maturity of the plant to the formation of seeds. To fertilize the soil on the site, only the green part of the plant is needed.

You can not dig up in the fall, but do it in the spring, when forming beds, flower beds and places for berries. It is more convenient and many gardeners do just that. Sown in August-early September, it will give abundant inputs and will remain green until frost. It will freeze only when the frost is below 5 degrees. This is the most valuable mineral fertilizer for your garden, for which everything was started.

You can sow mustard both in the dug up earth, and simply by scattering the seeds on the surface. Birds from the ground do not peck mustard seeds, so you can not bury it for germination. White mustard is used for sowing. It sprouts faster and more greenery. And that means more fertilizer.

Mustard is considered an earth improver, a weed suppressor. In addition, it also destroys pathogenic fungi in the soil. What is also important for getting a future good harvest vegetables and other cultivated plants.

If you want to spend less time weeding, sow mustard. It suppresses the growth of weeds of all kinds, which means you will have to pore over the beds less.

In addition, the earth will not dry out and retain life-giving moisture. Many earthworms will appear, which will break through their passages in the earth and make it soft and loose like fluff. You will see that there will be much more earthworms in your garden.

In addition, the mustard roots themselves are about half a meter. It is to this depth that the soil in your gardens will be loosened. In the spring, it remains to form beds and plant vegetables, berries or flowers.

• It is worth considering that it is best to sow mustard where you intend to plant tubers and seedlings in the spring, as vegetable and flower seeds will need denser soil.
• In addition, you should not plant mustard where you will plant radishes, cabbages and other cruciferous plants, as they have the same diseases and instead of a rich harvest, for example, cabbages, you can get additional problems.

There are few cons, so sow mustard in your garden after harvest autumn harvest. An excellent natural fertilizer that will only be useful to the earth, enrich it and help your future harvest become generous.

More about green manure in the video from agricultural specialists.

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Mustard as green manure is very popular among gardeners due to its complex healing effect on the soil and unpretentious care. And about how to achieve maximum effect from growing it on your site, this little note will tell you.

Mustard is a herbaceous annual with a powerful root system and a weighty above-ground part, height from 30 to 80 centimeters. yellow flowers arranged in clusters of 25-100 pieces and emit a characteristic honey aroma. Being a magnificent honey plant, mustard attracts numerous insect-eating insects to the site, which along the way pollinate neighboring beds with cultivated plants.

The colossal advantage of mustard as green manure is its low demand for heat. So, its seeds begin to swell and sprout already at a temperature of +1 ... 2 degrees, and young plants easily tolerate temperature drops to -6 degrees. Mustard is also relatively drought tolerant, although the most lush green mass thrives when the soil is constantly kept evenly moist.

Another advantage of this plant is that it feels good even on scarce, infertile and moderate acidic soils. This is due to the fact that its roots are able to effectively extract nutrients from all levels of the arable layer.

The seeding rate of mustard when using it as a green manure is 2-4 g / sq.m., that is, you need only 200 grams of seeds per hundred square meters of land. Sowing is carried out to a depth of 2 to 4 centimeters, after which the soil is lightly tamped. Landings gain sufficient green mass already 25-30 days after mass shoots. After that, the plants are mowed, crushed (preferably, but not necessary) and close up shallowly.

As green manure, it is advisable to sow mustard either in early spring or in the second half. The fact is that mustard, like other cabbage, in conditions of long daylight hours, high temperatures and lack of moisture in the soil quickly goes into bloom without the formation of a significant green mass, for which it is cultivated.

AT middle lane in early spring, mustard is sown as a precursor of such late crops as pepper, eggplant, black Eyed Peas and tomatoes. As soon as it melts last snow, the site is leveled and seeds are scattered over it according to the above norm.

A month later, the greens are embedded in the soil, and after another two weeks it will be possible to start planting seedlings of heat-loving crops.

And you can plant tomatoes and peppers right in the thickets of mustard. Do not worry that pampered window sill seedlings will not like such a neighborhood, quite the contrary. Growing mustard will reliably protect its fellows in the garden both from the wind and from scorching rays deceptively gentle May sun. Then the growing mustard is gradually pulled out and the root zone of pepper, tomato or eggplant bushes is mulched with it.

By the way, mustard can be sown in the aisles of strawberries and subsequently also use its greens as mulch on a berry plantation or other plantings.

In late summer, mustard as a green manure is placed after all early crops (except for all types of cabbage), especially after potatoes. Just before the frosts, the area with mustard is dug up without breaking earthen blocks.

Let's see what results can be achieved by regularly using mustard as green manure in your garden:

• enrich garden soil high quality organic. In a relatively short period, mustard forms up to a kilogram of greenery per square meter.
• the deep root system of this plant perfectly loosens the soil, improving its mechanical properties.
• found in all parts of mustard essential oil repels pests and disinfects the soil. As a result, potatoes and tomatoes get sick less, and tubers are practically not affected by scab and rot. In addition, with the systematic cultivation of this plant, the wireworm leaves the potato field forever.
• suppresses the development of weeds, including perennials.