The passing of Thanksgiving marks a definitive shift for greenhouse growers. Gone are the pumpkins and late-season squash, our last crop of lettuces, brassicas, and tubers are almost ready to be harvested. December 21st marks the turnover of the season, the official end of fall, and many growers are face-to-face with the end of the harvest.
Winter is the least productive of the growing seasons (with low levels of sunlight and plummeting temperatures, crops are not able to thrive in these conditions). Many growers will protect the outside of their greenhouses from winter weather, and let the soil go fallow until spring rolls back around.
Your soil is more than just a growing medium, it is an ecosystem of different microbes working together. During the winter, these organisms don’t stop working. They continue to digest old plant residue and break down large organic molecules into simpler components that are easier for plants to consume in the following season. Maintaining microbial activity in the winter can not only make your soil healthier and easier to work with in the spring, but can increase the bioavailability of nutrients in your soil when you’re ready to get back to growing!
Cover Crops
Cover crops are the first tool many growers reach for when looking to keep soil active in the off-season. A layer of active plant growth protects soil from erosion, drought, and compaction, as well as allows nutrient cycling to happen in the soil. As plants consume nutrients from their roots, they release exudates into the soil that act as an essential source of nutrients for microbes. Additionally, many cover crops including peas, clover, and vetch, will fix nutrients such as nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil, decreasing the need and cost for fertilizer in the spring. When these crops die, this green material is then broken down and reincorporated into the soil to add fresh organic matter.
The growth and decomposition cycle in soil preserves microbes in native environments. Participating in these cycles allows the life in your soil to stay vibrant year-round, supporting long-term soil health.
Compost
Compost is a classic fall soil amendment, and it can be used to improve soil health in pretty much any growing environment. Rich in both microbes and organic matter, compost adds a protective layer to soil that helps to break down plant matter and improve soil texture, or tilth, for the next season.
Activated Compost also adds a specialized nutrient complex and is carefully formulated to support flourishing microbial life. These nutrients are metabolized by the microbes in Activated, as well as the life in your soil, and made more readily available to plants in the following season.
Limit Soil Disturbance
Over the growing season, fungal networks and microbial colonies grow and develop in your soil. These organisms are the lifeblood of soil and facilitate plant health through increased nutrient availability, disease suppression, and improved resource efficiency. Many growers will turn their soil in the fall to make it looser and easier to work with. However, tillage and soil manipulation can disrupt these networks, and damage soil health over time. Following the example of no-till farmers, limiting soil disturbance is an easy way to allow the microbial colonies in your soil to flourish, and help to preserve soil vitality over the winter season.
Protecting your soil from the harsh winters is an important step in developing healthy soil biology. Extra care before a consistent freeze can do a lot to boost your plants for the next year. Healthy plants start with healthy soil. Give the microbiology in your soil a fighting chance.
Questions about supporting your soil's biology in the off-season? Contact us!