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Intensive gardening on Squidoo

Build a Mini Greenhouse

Sustainable vegetable gardening

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Start your own gardening business

Organic gardening

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How to start plants using growlights

Dr. Jacob Mittleider

How to preserve vegetables

How to build a gardening Tframe

How to feed your plants correctly

How to build a Hotbeds for seedlings

Gardening Non-Profit affiliate program

Homesteading on Squidoo

Hydro Power

Cobbhouse on Squidoo

Spiritual Stories

Gardening NonProfit

Intensive gardening on
Squidoo

Build a Mini Greenhouse

Sustainable vegetable
gardening

Heirloom seeds on Squidoo

Start your own gardening
business

Materials to use in Grow-Boxes and Seedling Trays

Here's the basic information you need to acquire and mix your organic soil mix for use in Grow-Boxes or seedling trays.

1) Soil mix percentages are figured by volume, and sand should be between 25% and 35%. The other ingredients, both type and amount, are your choice from the list below, based on cost and availability.

2) Extremely fine sand isn't the best, but you don't want anything too coarse either. It should be clean (no seeds, bugs, diseases, or dirt). In the USA we request "concrete sand".

3) The best soil mix alternatives are generally whichever are the least expensive among the following. Sawdust lasts longer than peat-moss, and perlite lasts longer than vermiculite, but sawdust takes some nitrogen while it is fresh (rarely enough to be a problem, if you are feeding properly), and vermiculite is
preferred by some growers over perlite because of the smaller particles.

4) Other materials to consider, in the order of our preference, include pine needles, coconut husks, rice hulls, coffee hulls, Bagass (sugar cane refuse), and the last choice would be leaves (but avoid scrub oak below 5,000 feet elevation and black walnuts).

These may be available free or at very low cost in many places. You should find a hammer mill or good chipper/shredder to chop the materials finely, and any of the above will work for you.

Avoiding problems with bugs and diseases

We don't like to spray for bugs. Our experience has been that you seldom have any problem with bugs or disease if you follow the procedures by doing such things as:

1) Start with a weed-free garden - leaving no place for bugs or disease to live and multiply,
2) Maintain weed-free, dry aisles and planting beds - creating a natural barrier, again with no place for them to live or hide,
3) Use no mulch or other ground covering, which provides safe haven for bugs and diseases,
4) Grow from healthy, stocky seedlings that were produced in a protected environment where appropriate - thus providing stronger, bug and disease-resistant plants, as well as fewer days in the garden for pests to get established,
5) Grow the plants healthy and fast by providing ample water and nutrition at the root zone,
6) Eliminate all weeds as soon as they germinate, thus eliminating the competition for light, space, water, and food,
7) Prune all leaves that are touching the ground, plus other excess growth that doesn't support optimum fruit production,
8) Harvest at maturity, not leaving the crop in the garden to attract and feed pests, and
9) Remove all crop residue immediately, to minimize infestation.

Types of Bark or Sawdust Not Recommended

Some people think that because Cedar or other kinds of bark are used to keep weeds down, sawdust from those sources will be bad for plants. This is not the case. Bark and other types of mulch inhibit weed growth primarily by denying light to emerging weed seedlings.

On the negative side, mulches also encourage garden pests and diseases by giving them a cool damp place to live and multiply.

We recommend you keep your garden clean, clear, and dry, except at the root zone of your plants.

When you plant according to the Mittleider Method the close-planted vegetable plants will quickly shade the ground and minimize water evaporation and weed growth, without any need for other ground cover.

Walnut sawdust is the only material - at least in North America - that we have found to be a problem for vegetable plants.

Row two Mittleider sustainable organic garden

How long can I grow seedlings indoor?

If one plants tomato seedlings indoors under florescent lights to grow
twelve weeks before transplanting outside and the plants normally are
supposed to produce ripe fruit within 65-70 days, what happens to that
normal development? Are the plants stunted or adversely affected in
some way that hurts their production after they are transplanted
outdoors? Would it be better to limit the seedling period to eight
rather that twelve weeks? Thank you!

Dave & Group:

The days-to-harvest for tomatoes and other transplanted crops are given from the
date seedlings are transplanted into the garden, NOT from the date seeds are
planted in the nursery.

Depending on several factors, including amount of light and heat in the nursery,
and the temperatures IN THE GARDEN SOIL, tomatoes can be ready for transplanting
in the garden as early as 4 weeks or as late as 12 weeks after seeds are
planted.

Florescent lights are NOT ideal for growing seedlings, especially beyond the
first transplant.

Plants grown under florescent lights do not receive anything approaching actual
sunlight, and so will not grow as fast nor be as robust as those grown in
sunlight. And they must be "hardened off" or acclimated to actual sunlight and
outside conditions more carefully and slowly than if grown in a greenhouse that
more nearly replicates garden conditions.

I recommend anyone using Grow-Lights to take plants into the direct sunlight
whenever the temperatures are conducive, even if it's only for a couple of hours
each day.

Plants should be in the garden by the time they are 10-12" tall (usually 8 weeks
maximum), unless they have been transplanted into gallon containers. And when
they get that tall the stem needs to be supported with a small stake carefully
placed into the soil and tied to the stem.

Jim Kennard

Can I use old tires to make my raised beds?

You may want to check out this URL:

http://www.noble. org/ag/horticult ure/raisedbedgar dening/RecycledT ireBeds.html

I have been using old tires for planting beds for about 20 years now
and have nothing
but good things to say about them.

Another resource that you may want to check out:

"Tire Recycling Is Fun" book by Paul Farber (do a Google search)

Hope this helps you...

Glen Mentgen

--- In MittleiderMethodGar dening@yahoogrou ps.com, Tim Randles
wrote:
>
> I was thinking about using used tires to build up the beds, cut in
> half like a pie ("C" shaped )and bolting them together to make a
> series of beds, there is a huge supply of these tires available free
> locally, and the cost/benefit/ effort to cut and drill and bolt is
minimal compared
> to other methods which would deteriorate over time ( except stone).
> Stacked 3 or 4 rows high, it could be a nice retainer for raised
> beds..clean, long lasting, inexpensive. .
>
> I have a very large dugout and was originally thinking of using the
tires as
> a retaining wall around the outside of it, and it occured to me
that it
> would possibly work as raised beds on flat and sloped grounds if I
cut and bolt them together
>
> I'm sure there are pro's and con's to it, and since there isn't
anything
> new under the sun, maybe someone here has info on this kind of
project
> and can pass it on?
> Cheers.. Tim
>

How to start a garden from scratch

How to Start a Garden from the Beginning

Hi Jim, I am inspired by your plan and your leadership on this forum. I am
ready to take the plunge and go Mittleider next year, but have no clue where to
start.

I have plenty of land that has been vacant for 20 years. I mow it off a couple
times per year to keep the weeds from taking over but that's about it, lots of
shade and old old old horse manure for the garden as my starting point. I plan
to cut back some trees to fix the shade problem but beyond that not sure where
to start.

Here is what I have gathered as a plan from the website:

1. lightly till (1-2 inches) to break up the grass, weeds etc
2. rake all the weeds and grass roots out that I can
3. put on the recommended pre plant treatment
4. till it all in
5. wait for spring to build my beds up

My problem is, I don't know what the pre plant should be, I don't know how to
plan the garden layout, whether I should put up a small greenhouse to start, or
put the small grow-houses over top of my beds etc..

Any resources I should definitely get? Any pointers or directions you can give
me?

Group:

In a situation where you have many years of growth, and the area is large, I
recommend you bring in a blade and scrape off the top 2-4" of soil and weeds.
That way you will remove not only the weeds, but also the weed seeds, and all of
the rhizomes and runners of the grasses and other perennial weeds. If you use a
tiller they will just be chopped up, and every one will become 5 or 10 potential
new plants.

DO NOT put the Pre-Plant mix into the entire area. You would be wasting more
than 70% by doing that. Wait until you have your beds staked out and apply
fertilizers only to the growing area.

From your questions I will assume you are going to build 18" soil-beds.
Following are the first steps to preparing your garden. Much of it you can do
in the Fall, but I'd wait until Spring to fertilize (except the horse manure if
you need to use it) and finish the beds, unless you're going to do a fall
planting:

1) Use nylon strings and stakes to outline your garden perimeter. Plan ahead so
that you have room for full-length beds if possible.

2) Measure and stake beds and side aisles - 18" and 3 1/2' are recommended. Do
this on opposite ends of your garden area, then run strings between the stakes.

3) Make your beds 30' long by putting end stakes at 30', then 35' (for 5'
end-aisles), then 65' and 70', etc.

4) Cut the strings, tying one end and looping the other once around the stake
tightly and lifting the string over itself to hold in place. This is important
so that you can move the strings out of the way quickly and easily when it comes
time to till, weed, etc.

5) Till the aisles only 1 1/2 to 2" deep, then pull that soil from the aisles
into the beds, starting in the middle of the aisle and pulling both directions.
This should leave all your 18" bed areas 4" to 5" higher than the aisles.

6) After making the soil uniform and smooth beneath the strings, level the beds
by using a straight 8'-long board with a string level glued to the center.
Determine which end is low, and how much, then move soil from the high half to
the low half until level. You should have no more than 1+" drop in a 30'-long
bed.

7) Smooth the top again, making sure the soil is directly under the strings and
the same width throughout the length of the bed. Double-check the level and
correct if necessary.

8) Apply Pre-Plant and Weekly Feed nutrients 2 ounces and 1 ounce per running
foot and till thoroughly into the soil to a depth of 8+".

9) Re-smooth and level the bed, then pull soil from the center of the bed to the
strings until you have a planting area 2+" higher than the aisles and 4"-high
ridges on both sides.

10) Smooth and re-check the level, and make sure the planting area is 10-12"
wide.

Your beds are now ready to plant - in the Fall probably not much more than
garlic will go into the ground.

For a simple Pre-Plant mix you will mix calcium, magnesium, and boron in the
ratio of 80-4-1. And Weekly Feed can be made quite easily with the
Micro-Nutrients from the Foundation website plus NPK and Epsom Salts, per
instructions on the Micro bag.

I recommend you build a seedling greenhouse ASAP if you are serious about
growing a large garden. In a 20'X 40' greenhouse with tables inside and out you
can grow 20,000 seedlings at a time. The plans are available in the Files
section of this group. They are also Appendix D of the Mittleider Gardening
Course, and pictorially displayed and taught in Grow-Bed Gardening.

Jim Kennard

How can I make my own Mittleider method fertilizer

I am a farmer from the philippines and will be using completely the
mittleider method. I just downloaded a copy of the Mittleider
Gardening Course and I'm also using an old Mittleider book, Grow-Bed
Gardening.

before I will fully implement this system, I have some questions
regarding fertilization. I hope you won't mind.

1. MITTLEIDER FORMULA. I am having a hard time looking for phosphorus
because this is not widely sold in my place. So I have decided to use 14-14-14. the problem is how much of 14-14-14 should I mix in relation to the other ingredients like calcium nitrate, boron, iron copper and the rest? by the way, aside from P I can't find Molybdenum either.

(I recommend you buy a package or two of the Micro-Nutrients available on the website at www.growfood. com, then mix one packet with 20# of the 14-14-14 and 3# of Epsom Salt for a good Weekly Feed mix - JK)

2. CONSTANT FEED SOLUTION. I am planning to try this system to my two
grow boxes measuring 4'X28'X8". in my old book, it says I will be
using around 450grams of the weekly feed thus my two boxes will be
requiring 900 grams. I intend to mix this amount in my 30 gallon tank
and feed my plants once a week. however, I also read about 1 ounce per gallon of water solution every time you water. I really do not know what to follow now. what is the recommended rate in fertigation
technique and the frequency of application?

(Do not mix the fertilizers with water and feed that concentrated mix to your plants once per week. It is too strong and you will burn your plants!

For a 4 X 28' box you should apply 28 ounces (800 grams) of Weekly Feed and 56 ounces (1,600 grams) of Pre-Plant Mix to the soil and mix it in BEFORE planting. Then each week apply 14 ounces (400 grams) of Weekly Feed to the top of the soil in the middle of two rows of plants - twice, since you should have 4 rows of plants in your 4'-wide box - and then water them into the soil.

You use the Constant Feed solution of 12 ounces (340 grams) Weekly Feed in 30 gallons of water and water with it daily, but this is usually only done when growing seedlings - not in the garden - JK).

3. PAPAYA, BANANA AND ASPARAGUS. I have these plants in my farm but
the two references I have do not have the specific method of feeding
them. can you please give the exact amount to feed and frequency so I
will enjoy the benefits of the Mittleider system in my farm.

(To be able to assist you in feeding your Papaya and Banana plants I need to know their size and how many months it takes the variety you're growing to reach maturity and produce a harvest. Asparagas usually is fed 3 or 4 times for each harvest - JK).

By the way, I used the temporary fertilizer mix and it is doing wonders in some of flowers. That is why I have decided to fully embrace this system.

Grow you garden later in the Fall

Extending your growing season

Today I want to assist many of you who are wondering how to extend your growing season for a few more weeks. For some it may be too late, as in Eagle Mountain, where it was 27 degrees one night this month, but most of the lower elevations are still frost-free as I’m writing this column.

How can you deal with the special challenges of living in these mountain valleys? Several difficult weather conditions make successful vegetable gardening an "iffy" proposition, unless you learn how to protect your plants against them. Let’s discuss what they are, and how you can successfully mitigate their negative effects.

First off, we have late spring frosts, which keep us from getting started in our gardens – often until mid or late May. Second, many of us have strong winds throughout the growing season that buffet our plants and dry everything out. Third, living in a desert we always face the scarcity and cost of water. And finally, we often have early crop-killing frosts, followed by several weeks of mild weather that could support continued growth and harvesting.

So how do you handle the shorter growing season with unseasonable frosts, the constant drying winds, and the lack of water? Let’s deal with the wind first, since the solution to that also helps reduce the other problems. To protect your garden’s tender plants, build solid fences or plant trees and shrubs between your garden and the prevailing winds - but put them far enough away that you do not shade your garden! Always remember that growing vegetables need direct sunshine all day long. This means that you also want to place your shade trees so as to leave the garden in full sun.

Some of you grow in small containers, or raised boxes. When these are subjected to hot winds they are difficult to keep cool and moist. Consider either larger Grow-Boxes - we recommend 4' wide and up to 30' in length - or growing in the regular soil. Many will remember that Thanksgiving Point’s fabulous vegetable gardens were grown in some of the worst clay soil we’ve seen anywhere, and Dr. Mittleider promises "a great garden in any soil, in almost any climate."

Next is watering. You will save ½ or more on your water usage by following these procedures. And it’s amazing how much heat and wind plants can handle if they are properly fed and watered. First, make certain your Grow-Boxes or raised Soil-Beds are accurately leveled, and that Soil-Beds have a 4" ridge around them. Then apply 1" of water right at the soil surface (not by sprinkling!) before your soil becomes the least bit dry – even every day in the heat of summer if needed. This will place the precious water right at the plant roots, and waste none. Finally, automating your watering using ¾" PVC pipes, with 3 tiny #57 holes every 4", will make watering fast, easy, and efficient.

Extending your growing season is accomplished in two ways. Next February and March I’ll show you the first, which is how to grow healthy seedlings in a protected environment and transplant them into the garden after the danger of frost is past. The second thing you can do, even right now if frost hasn’t already killed your garden, is to make "Mini-Greenhouses" for covering your plants. By themselves they are good, but with a small heat source they can extend your growing season in both Spring and Fall by 4-6 weeks. PVC pipe, bent as shown in the picture to fit your bed or box, and covered with 4 or 6 mil greenhouse plastic, provides some protection against frost at night, and will warm the plants on cold days. Cover the edges with dirt all around when frost threatens, and open up when it gets warm. More details are at www.foodforeveryone.org in the Gardening Techniques and FAQ sections.

Extend Growing Season 6 weeks both Spring and Fall

Extend Growing Season 6 weeks both Spring and Fall

Author: Jim Kennard

All who are interested in extending your growing season - particularly with vertical plants - may want

to save the following description of covered T-Frames. You can plant 4-6 weeks earlier in the Spring,

and harvest 4-6 weeks later in the fall if you do it properly.

In a garden with 18" X 30' beds and 3 1/2' aisles, place 8 T-Frames at 10' intervals in two adjacent

beds parallel with the inside stakes, so that the 4" X 4" posts are 3 1/2' apart. The top of the "T"

should be 32" long, and thus the width of both together is 6' 6".

For stability, nail each set of two T-Frames together - bridging the gap between them - with 6 1/2'

long 2" X 4"s. Next, tie all T-Frames together lengthwise using 6 - 10' 2 X 4's. Now you have a 6

1/2' X 30' greenhouse frame covering two Grow-Beds or Grow-Boxes.

Buy 32 - 3/4" 45 degree PVC elbows and 1" pipe straps. Nail or screw the straps and elbows at 2-foot

intervals along both sides of the 2 X 4 frame, with the elbows facing up and to the center of the

greenhouse.

Buy 16 - 10'-long pieces of 3/4" PVC Schedule 200 pipe, 16 - 3/4" pipe straps, and 4 - 8' pieces of 1"

X 2" lumber. Cut the PVC pipe and the 1" X 2" lumber to to 7 1/2' lengths. Nail the 1 X 2's

together, using the 6" pieces, making a single piece 30' long. Nail or screw the 3/4" pipe straps to

the 1 X 2" wood at 2-foot intervals, on the same side of the wood as the 6" pieces which hold the wood

together. Insert the 3/4" PVC pipes through the straps. With the wood on top, insert the PVC pieces

into the 45 degree PVC elbows - creating the arched roof.

Buy a roll of 6-mil 24'-wide greenhouse plastic at least 37' long (do NOT use construction plastic.

It will become brittle and tear within 3-4 months). Cover the greenhouse, with 3 1/2' overlapping on

each end.

Buy 8 - 1"-long eye bolts and 130' of 1/4" nylon rope. Attach eye bolts on the side of each T-Frame T

- 1" in from the edge and 1" down from the top. Cut rope into 8 - 16' lengths. Tie one end of rope

to each eye bolt. Hammer a 3 1/2" nail into the top of the 2" X 4" on the upper outside edge near the

eye bolt. Tie short loops into ropes at 10', 12' and 14' to give 3 levels of opening the sides of

your greenhouse plastic.

Buy 16 - 8'-long pieces of 1" X 2" lumber. Cut all to 7 1/2' lengths. Cut 2 into 4 - 3 3/4' lengths.

Place wood on both side edges of greenhouse plastic along both sides of greenhouse and screw

together, sandwiching the plastic between the two pieces of wood. Alternate lengths of 1" X 2"

between 3 3/4' and 7 1/2', to make the entire 30' length strong. Roll plastic sides up in warm

weather, and lower in cold weather.

Fold and attach plastic on ends to secure an air-tight covering in cold weather, and open when weather

is warm.

After a few of you handy builders have done this, you can help me improve the instructions, and

perhaps provide all of us with some graphic illustrations.

Heat Source(s) for Mini-Greenhouses

Q. In your answer on 'extending your growing season' you mention using a small heat source for the 'mini greenhouses'. What heat source would you recommand and how is the best way to use it?

A. Depending on the size of your Mini-Greenhouse and the severity of your frosts, you may be able to keep your plants from freezing by the use of a couple of lightbulbs placeda little distance from the ends. Or it may require a 1500 watt electric heater, generally turned to low heat. You will need to be careful that you don't cook your plants or melt the plastic. And always turn it off/unplug it when the outside temperature rises.

Books Now on CD & by Digital Download!

Author: Jim Kennard

We are SO excited to announce the availability of 5 of the very important Mittleider gardening books, as well as his 9 Manuals, for digital down-load - right here on the FFEF website!

You can now have instant access to The Mittleider Gardening Course, Grow-Bed Gardening, Let's Grow Tomatoes, Gardening by the Foot, and 6 Steps to Successful Gardening.

Two books, Let's Grow Tomatoes and Grow-Bed Gardening are out of print, so this makes them now available once again. All books and manuals even cost 20% less than the discounted prices for which the paper copies sell on the website. Scroll down the pages on the website and you will find the digital books listed. Enjoy, and tell your friends!

http://www.howtoorganicgarden.com/products_pdfs.htm

Crop Rotation Yes or No

Drastic Crop Rotation - Change the Entire Location Every Year - Good Idea??

Author: Jim Kennard

Q. My husband said you should change the location of your vegetable garden every year. Is this correct?

A. This idea is impractical and unnecessary. Most family garden areas are too small to even rotate crops adequately, much less having the space to move the entire garden to a new location.

If you maintain a clean, weed-free garden, grow your crops fast, harvest at peak maturity, and don't introduce diseases into your garden, you should be able to grow indefinitely in the same garden spot.

If one or more crops are over-run with pests or disease, you may need to avoid planting that crop for a year or more, unless you have a large enough area that you can move that crop some distance away, where the disease or bugs that have wintered over won't get to them.

Compare Mittleider Method With Commercial Produce Growers

Q. The commercial produce growers in my area use black plastic with drip lines. They mix fertilizer in their irrigation water and pump it to the plants. What makes the Mittleider method more productive and efficient?

A. Large commercial growers of things like lettuce, cabbage, etc., who water and feed accurately, especially those who feed regularly right in the water supply, and who eliminate weeds completely, are at least as good and productive as the Mittleider Method. They also have very large investments in materials and equipment.

The Mittleider Method is sometimes called "the poor man's hydroponic method" because it borrows principles and procedures from the large hydroponic, greenhouse, and field growers, and adapts and sizes them to the small family farmer and family-size garden. And we produce great yields without the large capital investment large growers must face.

Most family gardeners don't understand the importance of a constant water supply, just to the root zone of the plants. They don't appreciate the value of regular feeding with a complete, balanced nutrient, and they don't realize how much weeds rob their garden of nutrients that are essential to the well-being of their vegetable plants.

Beyond those three principles, the Mittleider Method teaches vertical growing, with the attendant pollinating, pruning, and protection issues the hydroponic growers handle so well.

These are the primary elements that set the Mittleider Method apart from typical or traditional FAMILY GARDENING and make it SIMILAR to (not better than) hydroponic and large commercial growers.

How to build a mini greenhouse with PVC

Building Mini-Greenhouses from PVC Pipe

Author: Jim Kennard

I will give instructions for building a jig and then making PVC arches for 18"-wide boxes or beds.
Materials needed:
11 - 5' lengths of 1/2" Schedule 40 PVC pipe - to place arches 3' apart - for each bed or box you are wanting to cover.

6-mil greenhouse plastic - 5' wide and 33' long - one for each bed or box to be covered.

For Grow-Boxes only - 3 10' lengths of 3/4" Schedule 200 PVC pipe, cut into 24 15" pieces for each box to be covered. Plus 22 - 2 1/2" nails and small 2" X 4" block.

One 30" X 30" (or bigger) sheet of plywood, plus 6 - 2 1/2" nails.

One heat gun (to heat and bend pipe).

The jig for bending the PVC pipe:
With a pen, make 3 marks at the top of the plywood sheet - one in the center, and one each, 9" to the left and right of the center. Go down 9" on the plywood and make 3 marks exactly corresponding to the first 3.

Draw lines from the outside lower marks to the top center mark. Place marks on
both lines 10" up from the bottom. Go down 18" on the plywood and make 3 marks corresponding to the others. Draw lines between the marks.

Make marks 2" up from the bottom of both 18" lines. Drive nails into the 4 upper
marks, leaving 2" exposed. Drive nails into the marks 2" up from the bottom of the 18" lines, then drive nails 1" to the left and right of these nails.

Cutting and Bending PVC Pipe
Cut 5' lengths of 1/2" schedule 40 PVC pipe. Mark them at 18" and 28" from each end. Place one end of PVC pipe between nails on one side, with the end
at the 18" mark (2" below the first 2 nails). With heat gun, heat PVC pipe at each spot where PVC pipe encounters a nail, and carefully bend the pipe to fit the jig. allow to cool before removing pipe from jig.

For Grow-Boxes, place 15" pieces of 3/4" PVC adjacent to the Grow- Box at each end and at 3' intervals on both sides. With a hammer, and using the small 2" X 4" block of wood, hammer the PVC into the ground until the top is level with the Grow-Box. Pre-drill a hole through the PVC pipe 2" up from the dirt, and hammer the 2 1/2" nail through both pipe and Grow- Box. Bend the nail over on the inside of the Grow-Box to avoid getting scratched later. Slip the 1/2" PVC arches into the 3/4" PVC holding pipes until they encounter the nails - about 6" deep.

For Soil-Beds, just push the 1/2" PVC arches into the ground at the peak of the ridge on each side of the Soil-Bed - again about 6" deep.

Lay the 6-mil plastic over the entire box or bed, centered, with 18" overhang on each end. Place dirt on all sides of the plastic to hold it in place, as well as at the ends.

Whenever the weather is conducive, open the ends, and when it is above 60 degrees, take the plastic off from one side.

Remember, you must watch carefully that it doesn't get too hot in your mini-greenhouses. A thermometer in at least one bed is a good idea, to measure the temperature, and make adjustments in the exposure.

Remember also, that brassica's can grow in cooler weather than the warm- weather plants. Tomatoes, corn, peppers, etc. must be near 70 degrees or
above to do well.

How To Save Crops From Freezing In Your Garden

How To Save Crops From Freezing In Your Garden

Author: Jim Kennard

Q. I have a farm in Afghanistan, which is about 30,000 square
metres, in which mainly grapes are grown. In the cold winter the
grape vines are buried under the ground because of the very cold
weather and then in the spring the vines are exposed to air and
light, then the vines become green. Mostly this works, but in some
years, after the plants grow their leaves and grapes, the weather
becomes cold again for only one night. All the grapes freeze and
become black in color, and there is no time for the plants to grow
new fruits because of the arrival of the winter.

Is there any solution for this problem other than a green house,
because it will be too expensive to cover all of the farm. Is there
a way to warm the plants for one night only? This year the whole
yield of grapes was frozen. Please help, PLease help!

A. 1) Watering everything, including the ground as well as the
entire plant, immediately before it freezes, can sometimes save a
crop if the frost is not too hard.

2) Another solution may be to have many small fires burning throughout your vineyard during the time temperatures go below freezing. In america this is done with propane and kerosene heaters, but that would be too expensive for you. We also use fans to blow the warm air throughout the orchard, garden, or vineyard.

The book Food For Everyone, available at www.growfood.com, is a college-level text with hundreds of pictures, and should be in the library of every serious vegetable grower.

What is the Mittleider Method?

The Mittleider Method combines the best features of soil-based gardening and hydroponic gardening, but without hydroponic expense! It's a complete, easy-to-follow plan that eliminates guesswork and ensures success anywhere: an apartment patio, a city yard, a country lot, or a farm.

The method is based on maximum utilization of space, time, and resources. Crops are large because plants are close together, nourished by supplemental feedings of natural mineral nutrients (as in hydroponics), but with no special equipment.

Also, unlike hydroponics, the Mittleider Method gives plants access to the natural soil for nutrients as yet unknown or that, while not essential to plant growth, are useful in human nutrition. You can use the Mittleider Method by raising crops in either soil-beds or grow-boxes.

Cost of automated watering system

Q. I'm planning to install the automated watering system for my 18 raised Grow-Boxes. I thought it was supposed to be inexpensive, but I'm nearing $300 for the PVC and fittings so far. Maybe I'm buying the wrong things. Can you give me the detailed list of what I need, and an estimate of what my 18 bed watering system should cost?

A. In Salt Lake City, Utah I would pay approximately the following for 18 beds, including risers from a main line. I have not included the cost of your main line to the garden, since I don't have any facts.

18 - 3/4" T with Riser side threaded - - - - - - - - - - - $ 13
54 - Male threaded adapters - glue to pipe ends - - - 25
18 - Sch 200 pipe for risers 1' each - - - - - - - - - - - - 2
18 - Slip/thread elbows - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6
18 - 1 1/2" nipples - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 6
18 - Plastic threaded ball valve - - - - - - - - - - - - - 72
54 - 10'-long 3/4" Sch 200 PVC pipe - - - - - - - - - - - 60
36 - slip/slip connectors to make 30' lengths - - - - - 9
18 - threaded end caps - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9

Total - approximately $202.

This represents a 20 year investment of $10 per year, which is less than 6 cents per day of a 6 month growing season. It will will save you money every day for 20 years on water, plus the time required for watering, and it will make the water distribution more accurate and effective. We consider it a very inexpensive investment, with a high rate of return.

Companion planting yes or no?

This is actually a never ending debate among the scientific
community and the biodynamic gardening community. The biodynamic
gardening is based on some "bad science" especially with the
"sensitive crystallization method".

However, there is a type of "companion planting" done on large farms called no-till farming. This technique has become popular in recent years and is being used around here for the sorghum and grain crops. However no-till is planting in the residue of the last crop and not doing the traditional tilling of the land. This is different that the companion planting you are referring to.

The farmers here are for the most part highly educated with bachelors
and master degrees and keep up with the latest research, and none of
them utilize companion planting except "no-till".

I have never seen a lot of scientific studies that have really studied this technique but have personally tried it a few times myself and was not impressed with the results. The last time was two years ago when I tried doing the three sisters approach. Actually the corn did good but the beans and squash were nothing to write home about.

I am sure that Mittleider studied the technique thoroughly and came to the conclusion it was not useful and actually detrimental as I experienced.

I could not consider the article you posted as a "Well Researched Article" but it is a very well done general introduction of companion planting. I enjoyed reading it myself. Please refer to this article for what a "research article" is.
http://www.lib. utexas.edu/ lsl/help/ modules/research .html

Below is an article of a study that a student did for her masters degree She did a two year study of companion planting with potatoes. This is a summary article and of course not a research article. There is not a research article cited. However, it is interesting reading.
http://www.organica gcentre.ca/ ResearchDatabase /res_cpb_ companion_ tara.asp

This is an article from Cornell.
http://www.gardenin g.cornell. edu/factsheets/ ecogardening/ complant. html