There is an opportunity to prepare them by yourself. How to do it?
If you heat your home with firewood, don’t forget to collect the ash. It can be useful not only as fertilizer but also for combating pests and diseases of various crops. Store the stove ash in metal containers, old barrels, or buckets. Be sure to cover it with a lid and place it in areas protected from rain and snow to preserve the nutrients. You can also prepare peat ash, which, although it contains few nutrients, has up to 25 percent calcium oxide. It can be used for liming acidic soils.
For those who keep animals, it is advisable to prepare manure in advance for spring by stacking it in a pile, taking care to ensure that spring floods do not inundate it. The best way to do this is to build a low platform on which to place the fertilizer. It is recommended to cover the platform with a film to prevent the volatilization of ammonia nitrogen. If you do not have animals, try to purchase manure from local residents.
You can also collect eggshells: they should be crushed and incorporated into the soil in spring. Chicken manure should also be collected and stored in a closed container until spring.
In areas where there are peat deposits, collect it in winter and transport it to your summer cottage in good weather. By spring, the peat will have weathered, and it can be used not only as fertilizer but also as mulch for early sowing.
