Agriculture is not an easy job. To get a good harvest, it is necessary to work 8-9 months a year “until you drop”. Many new technologies have been developed to facilitate the work of gardeners and gardeners. An alternative way of growing a vegetable garden is offered by an American vegetable grower, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Jacob R. Mittlider.
My acquaintance with his method began with an article in a magazine, I became interested. I read a lot of his materials and decided to experiment on my site.
The method is positioned as an effective technology of land cultivation. This allows you to grow so many vegetables on 1.5 – 2 acres that a family of four or five people will last for a year. At the same time, the quality of the soil is not crucial: vegetables can be grown on abandoned lands, completely overgrown with weeds, and on “poor” infertile soils.
Basic principles of the Mittleider method
- Application of mineral fertilizers in parts.
- Tight planting on narrow raised beds.
- Wide aisles.
Pedantic adherence to these principles gives excellent results.
Two compositions of mineral fertilizers
Mixture No. 1 consists of 8 g (0.3 oz) of boric acid and 1 kg (2.2 lb) of gypsum for alkaline soils. For acidic soils, gypsum is replaced with lime or dolomite flour.
Mixture No. 2 is prepared from a base consisting of 11 parts nitrogen, 6 parts phosphorus, 11 parts potassium and additional ingredients: magnesium sulfate 450 g (15.9 oz) boric acid 10 g (0.35 oz) ammonium molybdate 15 g (0.5 oz), thoroughly mixed and added to 3 kg (6.6 lb) of the base.
There are two options for cultivating the land: growing vegetables on natural soil and growing vegetables in boxes-beds filled with so-called artificial soil.
The narrow garden beds on the ground
In the first case, vegetable crops are grown on narrow beds arranged on the ground. Their width is 45 cm (17.7 in), the length is arbitrary and depends on the shape, landscape and size of the cultivated areas.
Planting on narrow beds differs from traditional ones in that they are thicker. Light and moisture for good development of vegetables are obtained due to wide aisles, the ideal width of which is one meter (3.3 ft). In small areas, 0.75 m (2.5 ft) is permissible, but not less, otherwise there will not be enough light for planting to grow: overgrown plants in neighboring beds will shade each other.
Vegetable garden on advanced methods
The method is designed for small areas. If possible, orient the beds from north to South, do not move them from place to place, make them once and for all. And never dig up the passage. In order to avoid soil depletion, accumulation of pests and pathogenic microorganisms, crop rotation should be observed.
Preparation of the ridge for planting begins with pre-sowing fertilizing. The recommended proportions for a bed 10 m (32.8 ft) long and 45 cm (1.5 ft) wide are 1 kg (2.2 lb) of mixture No. 1 and 500 g (17.6 oz) of mixture No. 2.
Start with pre-feeding
7-10 days after germination, make a second foliar top dressing with mixture No. 2, scattering in the middle of the bed between the plants. When watering, fertilizers dissolve and are absorbed into the soil. The amount of top dressing during the summer is from 3 to 8, depending on the type of culture and the condition of the plants. For example, radishes, peas, potatoes, beets, beans are enough to feed 3 times, and nightshade, cucumbers, pumpkins need 7-8 fertilizing.
Vegetables are planted in two rows, parallel or staggered. Large tall plants are planted along one side.
Growing vegetables in boxes-beds
The second variant of the method of advanced methods allows you to grow vegetables in artificial soil in box beds. Frames without a bottom of any size are made from improvised materials (boards, slate, logs). Usually the width of the box is 45, 120, 150 cm(1.5,3.9,4.9 ft). The recommended depth is 20 cm (7.9 in). The frame is installed on the provided space and covered with artificial soil.
The garden-boxes
The mixture consists of two or three components available at hand: sawdust of deciduous trees, sphagnum moss, perlite, sand, foam, straw, nut shells, sunflower husks. The percentage ratio is: 20%, and the remaining components are 40%. The soil in the boxes is not changed, the same one is used from year to year. Natural soil is not used to fill the boxes.
Before sowing, the beds are fertilized. 4.5 kg )9.9 lb_ of mixture No. 1 and 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) of mixture No. 2 are applied to a 9x1x0.2 m (29.5×3.3×0.6 ft) box, evenly distributed over the entire area and watered. Then the soil mixture is mixed, the surface is leveled and watered again. Furrows for planting are made across the boxes. The distance between the grooves depends on the type of plant.
Seeds are scattered along the grooves, buried and watered. Immediately after planting, apply top dressing with a mixture of No. 2 – 600 g (21.1 oz) to a 9-meter (29.5 ft) bed. Then feed the plants every 10 days. There are two ways to apply fertilizers:
- Dry. Scatter the fertilizer around the plants if the distance between the rows is 30-50 cm (11.8-19.6 in), and if at a distance of 15-17 cm (5.9-6.6 in), then just scatter it between the rows.
- Solution. Dissolve the required amount of fertilizers in water and pour over the bed. 600 g (21.1 oz) of the mixture per 66 liters of water.
Boxes-beds on the slope
Personal experience
For the experiment, several narrow beds were made in the garden, they occupied a small area. The day before sowing, we prepared four beds measuring 0.45 x 5 m (1.5×16.4 ft), placed them in length from north to south. We did the same as usual: the allocated area was marked with pegs and a cord, a narrow strip was dug, leaving the passage untouched. The ground was leveled, the edges of the beds were made with a side to a height of about 8-10 cm (3.1-3.9 in).
On these beds, carrots, garlic, and lettuce were sown on the sides in two parallel rows. Radish and lettuce, planted in the same bed. The passage between the beds was 85 cm (2.8 ft) . The care of the plantings is usual – watering, weeding at the initial stage. Plants grew quickly, but weeds did not. The aisles are just hollow, perennial weeds have been dug out, but in two years it was not possible to completely get rid of weeds between the beds.
The technology of growing vegetables by advanced methods is controversial, but, in my opinion, it is worthy of attention: I liked to weed narrow beds, easily reach any weed, and it is convenient to walk between the rows with a hose. Carrots, we can say, have not thinned, just since mid-June began to reach for other plantings. For lettuce and radish fertilizers were applied only pre-sowing, for carrots and garlic – 2 times in the summer. Leaf lettuce and radishes were removed in early June, and seedlings of annual flowers were planted on this bed. Carrots and garlic have been quite successful for our family.
Harvest carrots
The idea of beds in boxes is very tempting and easy to implement. I have an abandoned clearing on my plot, a solid carpet of weeds used to grow on it. Two frames were made of boards and installed there. We made artificial soil from sawdust, tree bark (8 buckets each) and sand (4 buckets). Everything is thoroughly mixed, scattered over the beds. That’s just decided not to plant in completely artificial soil, but sprinkle garden soil on top with a layer of 3-5 cm (1.2-2 in).
Planted in boxes – the greenery has risen – I was satisfied. And the place is ennobled, and summer greenery, and there are no weeds and weeding is not needed.
This year we plan to grow seedlings in a greenhouse in an experiment using the method of advanced methods of filling seedling boxes with artificial soil. Maybe someone has experience growing seedlings using this technology? I want to know your opinion.