Am I eating Vegetables - Or Fruits??

Group:

I love my vegetable garden, and I suspect you enjoy yours too. We eat one or two meals a day from our garden, and my wife Araksya is an outstanding cook when it comes to using fresh garden produce.
Sometimes I'll look at a meal with 6 or 8 items from the garden and think how great it is to have such a wide variety of vegetables to eat.

But I was reminded last week that many things we consider vegetables are really fruits, botanically speaking! Let me give you a list of the items from a typical garden that are actually fruits, rather than vegetables - even though we eat them as the main part of the meal, rather than for dessert.

Are you ready for this? Garden fruits actually include Peppers, eggplant, pumpkin, squash, and tomatoes.

While I'm classifying things, let's distinguish some categories of vegetables, as well:

Leaf Crops - Those whose leaves we eat include basil, brussels sprouts, beet greens, cabbage, chard, cilantro, endive, kale, lettuce, mustard greens, onions, parsley, spinach, turnip greens, and watercress.

Root Crops - We eat the roots of beets, carrots, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, sweet potatoes, and turnips. And we eat tubers of potatoes and yams.

Seed Crops - We eat the seeds of several kinds of beans, corn, peas, pumpkins, and sunflowers. And we eat the seed pods of chili peppers, green beans, okra, snap peas, snow peas, and wax beans.

Stem Crops - We eat the stems of asparagus, celery, leeks, green onions, and rhubarb.

Flower Crops - We even eat the flowers of artichokes, broccoli, and cauliflower. And in places like Japan people prize the squash flowers, and eat the petals - hopefully after they are pollinated.

Bulb Crops - Let's not forget the bulbs of onions and garlic - these are used more often in our own family garden cooking than just about anything else.

Did I forget to list your favorites? As you put your garden to bed for the winter, begin to plan now for the vegetables and fruit you want to grow and eat next spring.

Good Growing,

Jim Kennard

Organic gardening Comparing the Mittleider Method with Commercial Growers

Q. How "Organic" or Natural is The Mittleider Method - Really!
My question is, how organic are the pre-plant and weekly feeder mixes? With today's current market trends and people's general desire to move away from commercialized food sources, the main question I have been asked when speaking with others about the Mittleider Method, is how organic or natural is it really? (Tammy Curry)

A. That is a fair question - one that is fairly often asked - and it deserves a complete answer.

The USDA lists all of the minerals we use in the fertilizers we pre-package and sell as being approved for use in organic gardening.

I believe it deserves the descriptions some people use, such as "better than organic" and "best of organic", and that so long as you don't use commercial pesticides and herbicides, you are fully justified in calling your garden produce "organic" if you want to.

For those of you who have concerns about this issue I strongly recommend you visit the FFEF website at http://foodforeveryone.org/faq/ and study the 8 short articles I have written in response to the question "Organic or Chemical?"

I've also reproduced here an article I wrote about my personal experience using what I believe was just about the world's best compost. This article is in the Files section of this group, if anyone wants to reproduce it.

The Zoo-Doo Man

For 15 years I have owned a 3/4 acre parcel adjacent to Utah's Hogle Zoo, where I have grown a vegetable garden using The Mittleider Method as taught in many of the developing countries around the world by Jacob R. Mittleider. During that time I've been privileged to help him on a few projects, and recently, with his blessing, conducted some myself. The garden is always extremely productive, rather nice to look at, and a very popular unofficial "exhibit" with the 850,000 annual visitors to the zoo.

Many people asked, as they visited over the fence, if I used the zoo animals' manure, and I always told them "no", but one day a lady piqued my interest when she said the Seattle Zoo sells their composted animal manure to the public as "Zoo Doo." I decided to check this out, so I talked to them and found they pile the manure in win-rows, and after about a year, dry, bag, and sell it.

I decided I could make a lot better compost than what Seattle got by leaving it out in the rain for a year. So I first bought a Compost Tumbler and learned the best procedures and mixes as I tested small batches. Very soon I had constant 140+ degree heat for 3 weeks, and beautiful, black, sweet-smelling compost.

I then acquired a 10-yard cement truck and began doing large batches. With loads this size, they maintained temperatures over 140 degrees for 3 weeks, and then cooled down for one week. And You've never seen such beautiful material - I really felt like I had made the world's best compost!

I obtained the right to use the Zoo-Doo name, bought bags, T-shirts, banners, cart, etc. and began selling at the Zoo gift shop and in the local nurseries. I ended up on TV and in the newspapers, and became known as "The Zoo-Doo Man."

Whenever I had more than I could sell, I would drive the cement truck down to my garden and off-load the batch over the wall. I then put it into several soil-beds and grew vegetables with it – to compare which was better – compost or the Mittleider natural mineral nutrients, which I’d been using all along. And I grew good stuff with my Zoo-Doo.

However, the most important thing I learned in that two-year experiment was not how to make and sell Zoo-Doo. I learned for myself that I could grow better vegetables more consistently, and with a lot less time, cost, and effort, with a few pounds of inexpensive natural mineral nutrients than I could with truckloads of “the world’s best compost.”

I therefore continue to use good, clean organic materials when they are available, but I know that highly productive vegetable gardens are not dependent on improving the soil with organic material.

3 types of bush tomatoes garden 2009

6 Steps to Successful Gardening

Mittleider Method
6 Steps to Successful Gardening
Source Food for Everyone Foundation
Gardening Nonprofit



I. Choose the Location and Prepare the Soil

1. Direct Sunlight all day long
2. Locate a water source near the garden
3. Level ground – slight Southern slope OK

4. Clean ground – remove rocks & weeds
5. Outline perimeter with stakes & string
6. Fence to protect against intruders


2. Create Soil-Beds – a Nursery – in Which to Grow Plants
1. Measure and stake beds - 18” & aisles - 3’6”
2. Tie strings to stakes to outline growing beds
3. Level beds by moving soil – 1” drop in 30’
4. Apply Pre-Plant & Weekly Feed to beds
5. Dig or till beds only – not aisles! – 8” deep
6. Re-level beds, then shape with 4” ridges



3. Plant and/or Transplant

1. Space seeds or plants based on size at maturity
2. Use a marker for uniform plant spacing

3. Transplant healthy seedlings to extend season
4. Apply nitrogen to transplants for fast start
5. Planting seeds? Cover with sand, not dirt
6. Grow vertically – more yield in less space




4. Water for Maximum Yield & Minimum Waste

1. Never sprinkle! Wastes water and helps disease
2. Early morning watering is best, but don’t wait
3. Always keep soil moist – a wilting plant is dying

4. Cover end of hose with cloth – reduces pressure
5. Apply 1” of water in 10”-12”-wide planting area
6. Automate watering with drilled PVC pipes



5. Feed Accurately and Regularly

1. Plants require balanced nutrition all the time
2. Water-soluble minerals are required – through roots

3. Pre-Plant & Weekly Feed – once before planting
4. Weekly Feed until 3 weeks before maturity
5. Apply Pre-Plant 1 oz./1ft – Weekly Feed .5 oz/1ft
6. Use sterile compost/manure if minerals not available


6. Control Weeds – Stop Competition, Bugs, & Diseases

1. Eliminate all annuals and perennials at the start

2. After planting, remove weeds as they first appear
3. Use a rake and a “scuffle” or two-way hoe
4. Rake ridges down and back up – hoe bed & aisles
5. “E & O” – early and often for first 2-3 weeks does it
6. Avoid pesticides & herbicides for healthier garden produce


HARVEST AT PEAK MATURITY AND REMOVE RESIDUE FROM GARDEN!
Food For Everyone Foundation
P.O. Box 581052, Salt Lake City, Utah 84158
(801) 583-4449 (801) 915-4449 - www.foodforeveryone.org

How to make the Mittleider gardening preplant mix

How to make ridges for your Mittleider soilbed

Row three Mittleider organic garden

Have you ever considered growing your own food?

”Are you kidding?? Why would I even think about growing a garden? I’m much too busy earning a living!” Let me give you a few reasons you SHOULD consider starting a garden: • Diesel costs $4 per gallon – Delivering your food is now twice as expensive. • Wheat costs $26/bushel ($3 in 2002) – and supplies are the lowest in 60 years. • Some fertilizers cost 6 times more than they did only 3-4 years ago. • The dollar is weaker against foreign currencies than it has ever been, which means everything from other countries costs much more than it did even last year. Now that I have your attention I’ll introduce you to a gardening method that REALLY makes sense – even for the busy working man or woman. We’ve searched the world for the ONE method that guarantees success beyond anything you’ve ever seen. And it’s so simple a child can do it! Our FREE ebook shows you how. You’ll learn how to grow a GREAT garden in ANY soil, without soil amendments! The complete Mittleider Gardening Basics Course is FREE at www.growfood.com. You’ll also find a FREE Gardening Group, FREE greenhouse plans and automatic watering system plans, and a FREE FAQ section that contains more than 400 short articles answering your important gardening questions. With the Mittleider Method you will: • Grow healthy, delicious vegetables & fruit like NEVER before. • Increase your yields as much as 5 to 10 times traditional methods. • Use about ½ the water of other gardening methods. • Enjoy a weed-free garden without problems with bugs and diseases. • Grow a highly successful garden in any soil, and in virtually any climate. • And do it all without using harmful pesticides & herbicides. “How – and why – would you do this”, you’re asking. • We’re a non-profit Foundation with all volunteer staff. • Our mission is to teach the best gardening methods to people everywhere. • Some people end up buying the great gardening books, software, & CD’s. • Generous people care enough to assist us by donating to the Foundation. You can also become an Affiliate for FREE and receive 40% of all sales. Go to www.howtoorganicgarden.com and click on Affiliates. Help us spread this gardening knowledge – Donate at www.foodforeveryone.org

Soil Mix & Ratios - Fertilizers to use and How Much

Soil Mix & Ratios - Fertilizers to use and How Much

Author: Jim Kennard

Q. I think what I need to know is, 1) what do I put in the soil mix and 2) proportions, as well as 3) what fertilizer to use and 4) proportions to mix in soil, plus 5) how much to feed weekly.

A. The fertilizer formula is on the website in the Learn section, under Fertilizers. When it's mixed accurately, using the materials we recommend, the NPK ratio is 13-8-13 in the finished Weekly Feed Mix.

For small gardens we suggest people use 16-16-16, if they can't get the individual ingredients, and add the Micro-nutrients from the Foundation, along with Epsom Salt, in the prescribed amounts. If 16-16-16 is not available we recommend 13-13-13, and in extremitties we suggest 10-10-10.

You must NOT forget to include the Pre-Plant mix in your preparations. Buy lime, magnesium sulfate, and boron, and mix them in the ratio of 80-4-1. Then apply as prescribed, along with Weekly Feed, and mix into the soil before planting.

If you're growing in containers we recommend clean materials, such as sawdust, peat moss, perlite, etc. mixed in any combination with sand. The sand should be between 25 and 35% by volume. Other materials you can use with the sand include ground pine needles, coconut husks, or rice hulls. We do NOT recommend compost, manure, or DIRT.

If you are growing in a 18"-wide soil-bed or Grow-Box, as we teach, demonstrate, and recommend, you should use one ounce per running foot of Pre-Plant mix one time, and 1/2 ounce of Weekly Feed per running foot each week until 3 weeks before harvest for single crop plants, and until 8 weeks before you expect to end your harvest for everbearing crops.

Those amounts translate to 2/3rds of an ounce (4 teaspoons) of Pre-Plant and 1/3rd of an ounce (2 teaspoons) of Weekly Feed per cubic foot of soil.

Phase one Mittleider organic garden 2009

Gardening seminars

We will be in Utah between February 15 and March 5, and would be
willing to conduct free gardening seminars during that time, if there
is sufficient interest by church congregations or community gardening
groups.

The preferred format is for a 4 hour seminar, with 2 hours in the
classroom and 2 hours in the garden.

Jim Kennard

Come on Spring

It is supposed to hit 54 degrees tomorrow come on spring. After 3 years of being a Mittleider gardener I am finally ready to make some income at gardening. Heck naturally grown red peppers sell for $7.99 per pound at the local green grocer. I am also setting up my 10x10 roadside stand this year. One step closer to living off grid and providing for myself instead of working to build the wealth of another person.

Thank you for all your hard work

The article in the women's magazine was exciting! Great work.

I also wanted to say thank you!. I live in Weston Idaho. This past year I
was gone so much during the weeks but home on the weekends. I had planted
my garden as a Mittlieder garden with the 30 foot rows with 31/2 feet
between the rows. My garden grew beautiful.

I loved the mittleider method because my children are assigned a part of the
garden and they keep it weeded and then we pay them for the produce that
comes out of their part of the garden. It makes a win for me and a win for
them! I get fresh produce that I might have had to spend money at the store
for and they get a little spending money too. The Mittleider Method makes it
so easy for the children when it is kept up.

I couldn't believe how well the garden produced this year. It was nearly
weed free just being weeded with the loop hoe (not sure the correct name at
the moment--the one that is sold on the food for everyone site) when we were
home on the weekends. The time weeding was very minimal.

At Thankgiving I had a man tell me that I had the most beautiful garden this
year. He said he couldn't believe how large the onions were and how good
that everything looked. He said it looked so healthy and beautiful. While we
were gone during the week we allowed people to share our garden and so many
hands helped to keep the produce from going to waste. Which I loved
because I felt that I was feeding the hungry something very good for their
health.

After sharing so much of the garden, there was still so much left--amagine
that. :) It was a blessing from the Lord. He provided for our family as well
as for other families.

For thanksgiving it was fun to still have fresh squash, potatoes, tomatoes,
onion, peppers, beets which I was able to store. My dehydrator was
constantly going this year as we would have extra and I wanted to be a good
steward over all the Lord had blessed me with. Now I have enjoyed so much
using what I dehydrated. So fun to make salsa at Thanksgiving with fresh
produce out of my garden...you have to understand that my garden was picked
quite some time ago (end of September 1st of October).

Thank you for helping our family be more healthy and helping us enjoy the
fruits of our labor. How blessed we are for having you share Dr. M's
knowledge and experience with us!

I wish you much success in all you do.

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.

How to plant a Mittleider garden on a hillside

I am gardening on a hillside. I just started digging and then I hit upon the idea of having terraces about two to three feet wide and then directly below that I dig a 12" trench for walking that is about a foot lower than the next terrace. Then walking along this trench the terrace above is about waist high very handy for tending. I just did this last summer, so I am not sure how everything will work as far as erosion, although the walking trench also keeps the rain on each terrace. I'm thinking of planting alfalfa or clover on the sides of the terraces. I have 6 terraces about 20 feet long.

Group:

In one sentence you say the walking "trench" is just a foot lower than the next terrace, and in the next sentence you say that the terrace above is "waist high". So I don't understand the seeming inconsistency. I'm probably missing something.

Anyway, I'll explain how Dr. Mittleider learned to do it the very best way.

The planting beds should be 18" wide, with ridges 4" high to hold water. Normally the aisles are 3 or 3 1/2' wide, and that's it.

However, with Grow-Boxes, and even sometimes in the soil, Dr. M. created 4'-wide boxes or beds. In those situations the plants were planted in rows 10-12" apart near the outside edges, with 2' center "aisles". In boxes the aisles are not used for walking at all, and in the soil they're not used more than necessary.

The plants really need that 2' center aisle for light and space to grow.

When growing on a slope you should always do it on a slope that FACES the sun, otherwise you will suffer for lack of direct sunlight.

On a South-facing slope you can have 4'-side beds (if the slope isn't too steep to allow it) and 3'-wide aisles. the measurements need to be horizontal, and the measurements down the slope will then be a little wider. The slope will provide more sunlight to the plants.

Erosion should be stopped by the growing plants and the ridges. If there is no soil in which to grow, but only rocky terrain, then build boxes and fill them with the sawdust and sand mix.

Dr. Mittleider changed the economy in Okinawa by showing those people how to grow on their steep hillsides, which were everywhere on the North of the island.

Jim Kennard

Where can I get seeds for my garden?

Wondering if seeds will be hard to find next spring so want to stock up now.
Thanks!!

Group:

You can get a #10 can of heirloom garden seeds from the Foundation, if you need or want that many. It's 22.5 ounces, will plant 6 tenths of an acre, and it costs $39.95. I suggest everyone who's thinking of stocking up on true-to-variety seeds look at the file I just posted to the Files section of this group, and consider getting a can from the Foundation Store at www.foodforeveryone .org/store.

Most folks don't need this quantity, unless they are into emergency preparedness. Several good seed companies have an online presence, and I recommend you look at their catalogs.

Jim Kennard

Can I use seawater for my garden?

: Seawater is very stable at about 3.5% total mineral salts. However, water near the surface and near the shores is below that percentage.

Furthermore, Dr. Murray diluted the seawater in his experiments;
According to this document it appears he used 12% seawater, 88% fresh
water, along with some NPK*, iron and acid to balance the pH:
http://www.seaagri. com/hydroponicsformulas.pdf

* According to this website, NPK was added for hybrid crops. I wonder
what heirloom plants would do? (They would benefit every bit as much as hybrids - JK)

Did you know plants use only inorganic minerals

I've never heard before that plants use only inorganic minerals. Is there a source from which to quote?
Thanks,
Rita

Rita & Group:

There are probably a million sources for this knowledge, and perhaps other members of the Group can do a better job of finding something written simply and succinctly, but here are a few I found at 12 midnight, which I hope are satisfactory to answer your question.

From Wickipedia under Plant Physiology - "Researchers discovered in the 1800s that plants absorb essential mineral nutrients as inorganic ions in water. In natural conditions, soil acts as a mineral nutrient reservoir but the soil itself is not essential to plant growth. When the mineral nutrients in the soil are dissolved in water, plant roots absorb nutrients readily, soil is no longer required for the plant to thrive. This observation is the basis for hydroponics, the growing of plants in a water solution rather than soil, which has become a standard technique in biological research, teaching lab exercises, crop production and as a hobby."


Another article, http://www.iisc.ernet.in/academy/resonance/July1998/pdf/July1998p45-52.pdf describes in detail how plants work. The first paragraph gives us the basics of what we need to know for this discussion:

"Animals, including man, require food in the form of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, etc., which in turn are provided either directly or indirectly by plants. Then, how do plants obtain their food?

Plants have the unique ability to synthesize their own food
utilizing solar energy and the inorganic elements (minerals) available in theirsurroundings. They obtain their carbon, hydrogen, and oxygenfrom water and from the atmospheric CO2 and O2. The soil is thesource of other inorganic nutrient elements which are normally
available as ions such as NO3
–, H2PO4
–, SO4
– –, K+, Ca2+, Mg2+,
Fe3+, etc."


Jim Kennard

Growing in the desert using the Mittleider method of sustainable gardening

I live in the southeast corner of Arizona at medium high elev. - about 3500' - desert. I just used the container method of the Mittleider Method of Gardening.

We have lots of bugs, rabbits, javeline, birds and our own dogs.

Before Mittleider I got three tomatoes on one plant. Now we've got tomatoes but we have to keep the dogs away from them because they eat them. So we fenced in the garden of containers and now my herbs are growing. I still have squash growing across the pathway.

Tomatoes here bud early compared to the rest of the U.S. due to our long growing season. I have put in some experiments in the pots and they grew.

We are building raised beds because we have caleche soil. Some Master gardener from this area recommended shading the plants in pre-Monsoon
and Monsoon seasons but she said that I could grow up until frost in the beds with out shading after 90 degrees.

What has been the biggest problem here is the high winds. We are working on a wind block. Our fencing is just chain link. Hope this encourages you. I'd like to hear how your enclosed growing area works after next season. Gloria

Group:

If you can limit your shade to 25% or thereabouts, and allow for direct sun in morning and later afternoon, the shade won't hurt your production.

For a wind-break I recommend you visit your fence companies and ask for the plastic slat material that can be slid between the links of the fence. These give virtually total privacy and reduce the wind as well.

Jim Kennard