Saturday, September 16, 2006

Growing plants vertically

Mr. Kennard and Group,

I am in Michigan, and I am planning on trying a vertical garden (most of the veggies) next Spring. I have heard about "vertical" growing methods, but I am not quite sure what all the details are. Also, when and how do you prune tomatoe plants ? I plan on growing diff types (heirlooms, etc...). Do all tomatoe plants need to be pruned ? On another note, are praying mantis' and ladybugs a recommended method ?

Please let me know, Happy Gardening !!!

Group:

Several of the Mittleider gardening books give good illustrations and instructions for vertical growing. I recommend the Mittleider Gardening Course, Gardening by the Foot, Let's Grow Tomatoes, and Grow-Bed Gardening. The best place to obtain all of them is by getting the Mittleider Gardening Library CD. All are available at www.growfood. com in the Store section under Books and Software.

Vegetable varieties that can be grown vertically include indeterminate tomatoes, cucumbers (not the bush type), pole beans, smaller varieties of vining squash, small melons, greenhouse varieties of peppers, and eggplant.

Beans don't need to be pruned, but all others should be pruned regularly, by removing all sucker stems as soon as they begin to grow. Several articles on the website in the FAQ section are devoted to pruning. I recommend you look there for a comprehensive discussion on how to prune - however, the books will be the best, as they include pictures and illustrations.

We encourage beneficial insects in our garden, but we never count on them to handle pests on their own. Three cultural practices that are integral parts of the Mittleider Method free us from dependence on pesticides and herbicides, and cause people to refer to the method as including "the best of organics". They include:

1) Eliminating all weeds in your garden - with a 2-way hoe, rather than by using herbicides - is the single most important thing you can do to minimize pests.
2) Watering only the root zones of your plants means the rest of the garden is dry - again inhospitable to bugs and diseases.
3) Pruning all leaves that touch the ground removes the cover, reduces the cool, moist environment, and gives pests less opportunity to climb onto your plants.

Jim Kennard

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Sustainable gardening grwobed or growbox size

Sustainable Gardening Basics – Soil-Bed and Container Sizes
Author: Jim Kennard


In getting started with your sustainable garden it's important you choose the right sizes for the beds or boxes in which you'll grow your plants. Spacing your plants within your beds is just as important, and we'll discuss that another time. For today I'll explain why you will want to plant in soil-beds or containers of 18" wide, or 4' wide.



There are important production and efficiency-related reasons for these sizes. Do not make the mistake of thinking any size is just fine, or you will discover that you are not getting the yields you expected. Remember, the "poor man's hydroponic system" Mittleider Method is a recipe!

Widths narrower than 18" put most plant rows too close together when planting two rows. They also crowd the roots in some larger crop varieties. There's less available water, which can lead to water stress, and the soil mix in the boxes can dry out faster in hot weather, making it even worse.

Widths wider than 18" make watering and feeding more difficult and less efficient. For example, placing fertilizers down the center of a box or bed that's 22" wide will leave young plants hungry, because their roots haven't spread far enough to find the food. Applying two bands of fertilizer doubles the work and may still not solve the problem, depending on how well the watering system dissolves and distributes the fertilizers. Also, the water will not reach young plants' roots as well, and they will suffer from lack of moisture.

Even the size for the 4'-wide beds or boxes has been worked out for maximum yield and efficiency. This size allows for planting 4 rows of most plants, and two rows of vertically-grown varieties. Some folks mistakenly think they can get by with a 3'-wide box, and they pay heavily in lost yield, unless they're planting carrots or onions. The reason is that most crop varieties need the 2 feet of space between the inside rows for light and air. Always plan for the space your plants will need when they're mature!

The 5'-wide boxes demonstrated in Jacob's first book, Grow-Box Gardens , are no longer recommended for several reasons. First, it's difficult to reach into the center of the box. Second, efficiency requires planting across - rather than lengthwise in the bed - and then watering becomes a problem. Watering must be done by hand, since the automated watering system doesn't work well for planting across the width of the bed.

Remember also that aisle widths are important! We recommend 3 1/2' widths - especially for soil-beds. You can do alright with 3'-wide aisles if you prune properly and continuously. Aisles less than 3' usually do not provide sufficient light and air for large crop varieties, and thus reduce yields. It's also difficult to get equipment down narrower aisles.

The container depth of 8" works very well - especially if plants can send their roots down into the native soil. For a patio planter with a bottom - or if planting on cement, etc. a deeper box can be good, to give more room for root growth and to avoid overheating in warm weather. Remember, however, that a deeper box takes more material to fill, which adds to your expense. It also requires more water, and keeping the soil mixture moist is critical to your success. And finally, the fertilizers are distributed throughout a greater volume of soil-mix, so young roots have to search for them.

Benefits to having a deeper box include aesthetics, if you're using your Grow-Boxes in a landscaping scheme. It also makes it easier for folks who have difficulty bending over to work near the ground. Some people have successfully used Grow-Boxes as deep as 2 to 3 feet.

Once again, remember that the 8" depth is least costly to build and fill, and is most efficient for watering and feeding, and then govern yourselves accordingly. For more details, illustrations, and lots of pictures, check out the Mittleider gardening books at www.foodforeveryone.org.