About the gardening method narrow beds Few people haven’t heard of it, but not everyone decides to try it. After all, visually such a garden seems unprofitable and strange, although the harvest harvested from it pleasantly surprises both in quantity and quality. Therefore, if you decide to find out how to arrange a vegetable garden according to Mittleider, this article is for you - only in it we will pay more attention not to the little things (you can read in detail in the doctor’s books), but to what mistakes it is important not to make and why many refuse this method, without ever understanding it.
In short, the whole secret of the fast and rich growth of plants according to Mitlider is that all their roots extend to the inter-bed groove, where we sprinkle fertilizer. They do not penetrate deep into the soil or in breadth, and therefore quickly feed and take advantage of moisture. Many who have already tried this method talk about how they shock their neighbors with the harvest they harvest - and those who plant 70% more and harvest three times less are only surprised.
And the most important advantage of Mitlider’s method is that it is possible to grow in this way even in the desert - which the doctor himself successfully proved, working for some time in Africa.
How did Midlander technology originate?
The fact is that Jacob Mittleider inherited agriculture from his parents - but he noticed that a huge amount of mineral fertilizers, and all for the sake of harvest with subsequent sale. Yes, the vegetables are heroic - but the taste and quality suffer greatly, not to mention the health hazard. After all, those same Dutch tomatoes still taste like just a bar of soap, and many Europeans and Americans, having tried ordinary vegetables with Russian market, they are delighted! But even during the USSR, collective farms thoughtlessly used a large amount of fertilizers - and at that time they didn’t want to hear about any organic matter, there was neither the strength nor the desire for it. But, of course, we were still far from foreign countries. That’s why Mittleider decided for himself: either he radically changes this entire system, or he will not engage in parenting.
And for the next 15 years, the doctor was responsible for the production of seedlings in Southern California. He developed his methods for growing and air-shipping many live plants for retail sale. Next - cooperation with Loma Linda University, where he taught his farming technologies, while simultaneously engaging in practical activities. Since 1964, the innovator has already become famous on a global scale, teaching and consulting in many countries around the world, even in the Soviet Union. Jacob Mittleider has written many books and received 11 US patents - so maybe this method is worth trying?
We lay out the beds according to Mitlider - it's easy!
A vegetable garden according to Mitlider can be of two options - using the technology of narrow beds and using special boxes, for which there are also specific parameters.
- Step 1. First of all, on the site, you will make Mittleider ridges, everything needs to be cleared of weeds. To do this, select the rhizome of perennials, while digging the soil with an ordinary garden fork.
- Step 2. Next, carefully level everything, resulting in a completely flat area.
- Step 3. We mark the beds. It is convenient to do this with a special marker-rail, 1.35 m long, because our passage is 90 cm, and the beds are 45 cm.
- Step 4. Drive in corner pegs from the end of the area and stretch the cord between them. Do it this way: placing a marker on the first broken peg, hammer in the rest. The same thing - from the other end of the beds. After that - the cord itself.
Mittlider's narrow bed method produces a stunning harvest of organic vegetables in the first year. And working in such a garden is much easier - because the land is now less cultivated. Of course, here you will have to follow the technology and correctly formulate the mixtures, water every day and monitor the horizontalness of the beds. But this is already brainwork, not physical.
How to calculate and apply mineral fertilizers?
Particular attention in the Mitlider method is paid to plant nutrition. The fact is that in our body there are only 2 grams of iron, but without it the blood would not be able to carry oxygen. The same applies to gardening: microelements are an essential component of fertilizers.
Fertilizers according to the Mitlider method should be applied to the beds as follows:
- Mixture No. 1, 100 UAH each linear meter beds.
- Mixture No. 2, 50 UAH for each same meter.
Hint: purchasing the necessary mixtures and elements is much cheaper in online stores than in specialized kiosks. If it’s difficult to find this in your city, take “Florist Micro” - it’s easy to order by mail.
Fertilizers should be scattered evenly over the entire surface of the beds. When digging, focus on mixing rather than the traditional “turning”. Do everything slowly, if you also have a cultivator, use it.
The main mistakes of novice "military leaders"
So why are many already disappointed in this method, and even on the Internet you can hear a lot of unflattering reviews? There are reasons for this. And the most important of them is that citizens who are accustomed to doing things “at random” do not even comply with the basic requirements of agricultural technology:
Mistake #1. Low watering volume
If the beds are watered only once a week, then the applied fertilizers simply do not dissolve - and therefore are not used by the plants. And even worse: accumulating between the beds, they soon reach dangerous concentration and even begin to destroy the harvest. That is why, if water is tight in your area and you cannot keep the soil surface constantly moist, then it is better to abandon this method. Because you need to water every day, in rare cases - every other day.
Why is it so important that the soil surface is always moist? The fact is that with such a structure of the beds, the roots of the plants are located precisely in the thin top layer, which is why it is not recommended to loosen it. And the applied fertilizers do not dissolve in one day.
Mistake #2. Changing the composition and quantity of mineral mixtures
Next, when wrong choice the mixture can also be left without a harvest. Have you tested the acidity of your soil on site? There is a whole article about this on our portal. And just imagine: given the existing high level pH you add mixture No. 1 to your beds, and it is based on limestone flour. As a result, alkalization will occur, and many nutrients will be inaccessible to plants. A whole bunch of shortages - what kind of tomatoes are there... By the way, in this situation, take mixture No. 1 only based on gypsum. On acidic soils– chalk or limestone (or dolomite) flour.
One more thing: you forgot something, bought more of something - will everything suit the plants? No matter how it is. Only a dog can leave excess in the plate when it is full, and the plants will take it all. And if there is more of an element than needed, the harvest will “burn.” Will there be a shortage? Get sick. For example, if you don't look for the mysterious necessary element“Molybdenum”, but decide to make do with what you found - the plants will be left without “stomach juice”, which helps them “digest” everything. The result is a miserable harvest with nitrate vegetables, which then gives rise to myths about the unreliability of the foreign method.
And the biggest mistake is to take “some kind” fertilizers, often produced in basements. Buy ready-made mixtures Mitlaydera is very convenient!
Mistake #3. Violation of aisle width rules
Jacob Mittleider has repeatedly emphasized that the beds should be perfectly horizontal - this is not an innovation and is not coming. The fact is that with even a very slight slope, most of the water immediately flows into one of the parts of the bed, simultaneously washing away the fertilizer. As a result, where there is a nutritional deficiency and dry soil, and where there is an excess of both. And it’s bad for all plants at once. And with all this, many summer residents manage to make attempts to adapt the Mittleider method on the slopes, wondering why solar vegetarians work so well, but the “bourgeois method” does not? If you have just such an area, break it into parts and level each of them.
And you need to level it not just by eye - but using building level and a smooth long bar. The bed should be as smooth as a table surface.
Mistake #4. Uneven soil fertilization
If fertilizer is somehow scattered throughout the garden bed and then dug up with a shovel, then it will not be distributed over the entire 20th layer of soil, but will concentrate in separate points. Some plants will have an excess of it, some will have a deficiency, and the roots of some will not reach it at all.
Experts note that many today rush to extremes - if the Mittleider method does not work, then only organics! Like, there’s enough chemicals in the store. And not everyone knows that in fact the author of the method did not go from organics to mineral fertilizers, but from their very large quantity to smaller and dosed ones.
Mistake #5. Mittleider in Russian?
Many gardeners, who appreciate the quality of the vegetables produced in Mittleider's style, try to adapt it a little. So, they purchase mixture No. 2 of Ugarova, where only boron and molybdenum, they say, the plants will get everything else from the soil. But over the years, a deficiency of zinc, manganese and iron occurs in such areas. But Mitlider’s ready-made mixtures already contain all the necessary microelements.
By the way, never listen to the advice to make beds not 90 cm, but 70 - you can only take risks with garlic, onions and herbs. Because these are low-growing plants that need enough light. Otherwise, it’s so easy to break the technology and get a completely different harvest than you expected.
The thing is that the Mitlider method is not a set of individual techniques or requirements, it is a whole system in which everything is laid out to the smallest detail: disease and weed control, lighting, working with soil, fertilizing and watering. It's like multiple multipliers that lead to total number, if one of them is equal to zero, i.e. is not used, then general meaning will also get lost. That's the math. Therefore, once you take on this unusual technology, follow it to the end, even in small things, and an amazing result will not keep you waiting!
You know, I have a great desire to dispel some of the doubts of particularly hardworking “diggers” who do not think, and most likely, simply do not want to think about how to make their work easier - well, of course, everyone does it, but is it really possible? not “like everyone else”?..
In total, my friendship with the earth is approaching its half-century anniversary. Even as a child, from the age of 5 I had to do the weeding and watering, which my mother entrusted to me when she went to work. Then all possible help in adolescence, first self-care behind the garden, because everyone planted and grew something and somehow then. Well, I consciously started working with the earth only about 15 years ago, when I first heard about J. Mittleider’s method. From that moment on, all work in the garden took on a new meaning for me.
I liked the principle: we work less and get more harvest.
If you have the information, you know that Dr. Mitlider's method involves creating narrow beds with wide aisles, using mineral fertilizers and frequent watering. You will say that this is not for small plots - and I have heard this addressed to me more than once from gardeners passing by. But it is precisely thanks to this planting (I want to talk about it) that on my 4 acres I grow everything I need - popular traditional vegetables, as well as plants that are not available on every plot, a huge assortment of salads and herbs, new items and exotics. Besides this, trees and shrubs - what would you do without them?
I grow, or rather, try everything that attracts attention, and that I see new on the market (within reason, of course). The harvest is enough for two families and for treats for neighbors, friends and acquaintances. And next to my house, along the paths and throughout my garden there is a kingdom of flowers. You can't wait to ask how I fit all this on my little space?
Less cost, more convenience
Having studied the method of J. Mittleider and tested it in practice, I chose for myself what I liked best. Nobody forces us to follow all the recommendations invariably! I marked the beds according to the compass from north to south with a width of 50 cm. In order not to injure my parents (old-school gardeners), I made the passages only 60 cm wide (although correctly - at least 80 cm), and they have remained that width to this day. I grow all the plantings, including potatoes, in crop rotation in these beds; there are 30 of them on the plot, about 7 m long.
And now I want to tell you in more detail and prove why my wide passages are not a waste of land, as some people think from the outside, but help in growing and caring for planted crops. It’s easy to work, walk freely with buckets and watering cans, it’s convenient to pull a watering hose and roll a wheelbarrow, and also weed beds while sitting on an inverted bucket. But in the garden bed itself I compact the plantings. This is where the dog is buried.
For comparison, let's count the number of carrots grown. On a classic, familiar bed of 1 square. m grows on average 80 pcs. (when planting according to the 5x25 cm pattern). I plant in double rows. Along the entire length along the sides I make two wide grooves into which I sow the seeds - two rows in each groove.
5 cm in a checkerboard pattern. On half the “square” I get 80 root vegetables, and the free path is 0.6 square meters. m helps ventilation, lighting and free growth of plants.
Before lunch, the eastern half of the bed is illuminated, then the western half. This way, all plants receive the right amount of sun. I fertilize and water in the middle of the bed between the rows of plants. And since the bed is formed in the form of a trough with sides, the water does not drain and all of it is used for its intended purpose.
The aisles always remain dry and the carrots grow large. In the same way, I grow other crops in dense double planting.
What do we end up with?
The number of plants planted is approximately the same per unit area measurement, regardless of the planting method, but the difference in labor costs and convenience when caring for plants is huge! Another big advantage of narrow beds is that the passages are never dug: having marked the beds once, we leave them in one place for life.
For the first meeting and acquaintance, I think that’s enough. Now you, dear colleagues, know about my existence, which I am incredibly happy about.
Slurry and other homemade liquid organic fertilizers can only be used after they are completely fermented. Otherwise, they will only worsen the composition of the soil and increase the likelihood of outbreaks of bacterial and viral diseases. If the soil is oversaturated with nitrogen fertilizers, add large amounts of mustard and rapeseed greens to the compost.
Every gardener dreams of a good harvest at the end of the season. But not everyone succeeds. Someone complains about weather, some on bad grounds, while others simply don’t have enough time. What would you say if you knew that there is one simple, but very effective method growing vegetables without special costs? If you want to get two or even three harvests in one season, without straining your back when weeding under the scorching rays of the sun, if you are limited in the amount of water, if you have a small garden plot, then Mitlider technology will help you solve all these many problems.
Agriculture according to Mittleider
Mitlider's technology differs from other methods of growing vegetables on own plot in a special way of plant nutrition.
The plant getting everything it needs minerals, grows quickly, it develops a powerful root system. Such a plant calmly tolerates any weather changes that our country is so rich in. At the end of the season, thanks to its application, you will receive an unprecedented harvest of vegetables.
Mitlider technology is ideal for beginners in gardening, as it does not require special skills and knowledge. Also, this technology can be successfully used on the most depleted soils.
The main requirement for creation is the following: the width of the bed should not exceed 450 mm, the length can be any, it depends only on the size of your plot. The beds can be made either from soil or from wooden boxes without a bottom.
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Ground beds
Before arranging soil ridges according to Mitlider, it is necessary to dig up the prepared area and mark the passages between the ridges. They can be quite wide - up to 1 meter wide, but if you small plot, the passages can be smaller, but not narrower than 600 mm. Clear the dug up soil for the ridges of roots. The more carefully you do this at the beginning of the season, the less time you will have to spend weeding.
Prepare a mixture of sand and fine sawdust and pour it on top of the prepared narrow ridge. The height of the added mixture must be at least 200 mm.
Advantages of using soil ridges:
- Preparatory work is kept to a minimum.
- Even a beginner can handle this job.
- Minimum material costs.
- The technology is applicable to any climate and any soil.
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Rows-boxes from improvised means
Using box beds is more convenient, since the sides of the beds are preserved. In this case, you can use old lumber that is not suitable for construction. In these boxes without a bottom, you can grow your crops both on completely artificial soil and on two-layer soil: the first is the soil itself, the second is artificial ground. It is important to maintain one condition: the width of the ridges should not exceed 450 mm.
Having made such beds once, you will use them for several years, simply adding artificial soil in early spring as it settles.
Mitlider technology is successfully used not only in open ground, but also in greenhouses.
Advantages of using bed boxes:
- Ease of manufacture.
- Under a layer of sand and sawdust, the soil retains the necessary moisture, which is very important for good growth of the plant root system.
- Any soil, even the most depleted or acidified, can be used.
- By quickly warming up the artificial soil in the spring and retaining heat in the fall, the agricultural season is extended.
- The weed problem is greatly reduced.
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The basis of the method is mineral feeding
As mineral supplements mixtures consisting of borax (or boric acid) And dolomite flour. This mixture No. 1 is prepared in the following proportions:
5000 g flour + 40 g borax (boric acid).
Mixture No. 2 includes micro- and macroelements. For example, you can use the following composition:
6000 g nitrophoska + 1000 g urea + 1000 g potassium sulfate + 1000 g magnesium sulfate + 15 g boric acid (or 25 g borax) + 15 g molybdic acid or 20 g sodium ammonium molybdate.
Prepared beds are fertilized with these mixtures before sowing, and then mineral mixture No. 2 is used for fertilizing.
Before sowing, mixture No. 1 should be applied to the soil in a ratio of 100 g per 1 linear m if the soil is light and soft. If you have loamy, clayey or acidified soil, the ratio should be 200 g per 1 linear meter. Fertilizers are sprinkled in the middle of the ridge in a continuous strip.
Mixture No. 2 is applied in the same ratio for any soil and is 50 g per 1 linear m.
Feeding during plant growth and development is done every week with mixture No. 2. It is recommended to use 30-40 g of mineral mixture for each linear m. In this case, you must adhere to one important rule: the maximum dose (40 g) is used for good growth and plant development. The minimum dose (25-30 g) - if weather conditions are unfavorable, if there is not enough sun on the site or you have sandy or sandy loam soils.
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Watering and maintenance does not take much time
The initial watering of the beds using the Mitlider method before planting should be the most generous, since fertilizing is done in dry form. Make sure that mineral fertilizers are dissolved in water.
In the future, when watering plants in the garden, make sure that the moisture gets on the soil and not on the plant itself. This is important, otherwise there is a high probability of fungal diseases occurring.
The technology for growing vegetable crops according to Mitlider allows watering to be done at any time, without adhering to mandatory rule: morning evening. Thanks to the top layer, consisting of sand and sawdust, the natural soil retains moisture for a long time, and the plants do not suffer from drought even on particularly hot days.
Important! Under no circumstances should you loosen the ridges! Loosening leads to severe damage to the root system of plants. It is enough to pull out the weeds that appear from time to time. you will be surprised and pleased at the low number of weeds.
The Mitlider method is a popular method of vegetable growing in our country. Thanks to him you can get good harvest without putting in a lot of effort.
Agriculture has firmly entered our lives through dachas and vegetable gardens. You always want to grow something of your own, but the harvest is not always plentiful, and the plants often get sick and suffer from various pests. Then the Mittleider scheme comes to the rescue, which solves almost all the problems of gardeners. How the Mitlider method works and how to apply it can be found out by reading the implementation of the method.
Doctor of Sciences D. Mittleider has been studying diseases and methods of caring for plants for a long time, in particular vegetable crops. Carrying out various experiments yielded results: Mittleider developed unique scheme planting crops in the garden, which allowed gardeners to get bountiful harvest in any weather, climate, seasonality, etc.
This wonderful method consists of the following:
- Before planting, it is necessary to create a sowing scheme that will provide future bushes with maximum illumination.
- To retain water, you need to form small walls of earth. On narrow beds, seedlings are planted in 2 rows. You need to follow the characteristics of the plant being planted.
- It is imperative to properly feed the soil and seedlings. Fertilizers are placed 10 cm from the plant to avoid burns to the roots.
- Not used for irrigation rainwater. The seedlings are lightly sprayed to prevent rot from appearing on the roots.
- You should know the timing of planting each plant, take into account the climate and frost.
Advantages and disadvantages of the method
Not all areas are suitable for the Mittlider method. Planting using this method is not suitable for peat soils, lowlands, northern slopes. For the Russian climate, it is necessary to use fertilizers frequently to make the soil fertile. Light plays a big role; the beds must be provided with plenty of light. Also, do not forget about proper and abundant watering.
Wide beds make it easy to water, harvest and control pests. Wide beds allow you to immediately detect any plant diseases and get rid of weeds, so the Mittleider method is really convenient and effective.
In general, it can be noted that the Mittlider method has great advantages. Regardless of the condition of the soil, it allows you to get a good harvest and is suitable for use in greenhouses and outdoor gardens. During crop growth, water is saved and the penetration of slugs and other pests is prevented due to the wide arrangement of the beds. Vegetable gardening according to Mittleider improves plant growth, health and productivity.
How to land according to Mittleider
The Mitlider method implies an average bed length of about 9 m, a width of about 50 cm, and passages of about 1 m. It is necessary to create sanitary zone along the fence. You should not make passages smaller than specified, otherwise the plants will cast a shadow on each other, thereby slowing down their growth. In any case, it is worth taking into account the size of the site and other conditions, but in general it is quite possible to plant according to Mittleider.
It is worth considering that the light should fall on the beds evenly throughout the day. Therefore, it is necessary to create passages so that the shadows of the plants do not fall on each other.
The dimensions of the passages can be narrowed by a few centimeters to provide the plants with the right light.
At the same time, the bushes should not dry out. Sun rays should fall evenly and not burn the plants. You should study what kind of lighting a particular species needs, for example, tomatoes are best grown in boxes, planting them in one row. Zucchini, pumpkins, watermelons and others require classic scheme vegetable garden according to Mittleider.
Instead of conventional mineral fertilizers, ash, compost, humus, etc. are often used. It is worth remembering that it is better not to use fertilizers again than to overdo it and this will only harm the plant.
Not in all regions of Russia is it possible to carry out frequent and abundant watering with the correct incidence of light, so it is necessary to take into account the soil, climate and the fact that each plant requires a certain watering regime.
For a vegetable garden with a slope, it is necessary to use box-beds. For the most accurate planting, it is best to draw up a garden plan.
Soil preparation must be done immediately before planting to prevent the appearance of a large number of weeds. Weeds are removed with a hoe, and the plants can be used to subsequently fertilize the soil.
Mitlider method for tomatoes (video)
Fertilizers and bed boxes
You can make bed boxes yourself from wood and other materials. These frames do not have a bottom; they must be filled with something and used in cases where it is not possible to create ordinary beds using the Mitlider method.
You can fill the ridge boxes before planting seedlings with artificial soil - under no circumstances should you use natural soil. You can make a substrate from small sawdust, sand, peat, polystyrene foam, pumice, pine bark.
Planting according to the Mitlider method involves using special mixtures fertilizers
Before planting, a lime fertilizer made from boron and calcium is used. For clay and peaty soils, it is necessary to use about 200 g of fertilizer, for other types - 100 g.
For feeding, 50 g of mineral mixtures of potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, etc. are used. Various organic fertilizers can be used. Planting according to Mittleider does not prohibit the use of manure humus as organic fertilizer. If compost is used, it must be completely rotten, otherwise weed seeds and various microbes will get into the soil, which can become the causative agents of any diseases.
The Mitlider method has a sufficient number of advantages, and it does not require any expensive costs.
Of course, it is not suitable for absolutely all soils, but using this planting method, you can significantly increase the yield on clay and peaty soils. Therefore, you can be sure that the Mittleider method is quite feasible and effective in Russia.
Gallery: Mitlider method (15 photos)
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