Mittleider Method of Gardening

Spring is the time for gardening and starting a new crop of your favorite fruits and vegetables. Dr. Jacob Mittleider also thought that way and taught around the world about sustainable gardening, a form of organic gardening that will produce a larger return, until his death in 2006. The Food for Everyone Foundation carries on his work today (www.foodforeveryone.org). His method was dubbed the "Mittleider Method" for he was the one that brought it to the masses through his research. This method of gardening was also dubbed the "poor man's hydroponics method" as it works well in full size gardens, raised beds and even grow boxes. The method also works well in either large or small spaces.

The method in essence is to have a well organized space. For this organization there are fewer weeds, larger harvests and minimum use of water. For small spaces, vertical growing gives the gardener more room for produce. With the vertical growing, the gardener is able plant crops closer together. The gardener must keep the lower leaves of the plant off the ground as this provides air circulation to help the plants.

As for nutrients, the plants use the natural nutrients that are found in the soil in which it is planted. There are no chemical fertilizers used. If additional nutrients are needed only a simple manure tea is used. To make this tea, fill a burlap bag 2/3 full with either cow or horse manure and place in a barrel full of water. Let this soak overnight. The following day use this "tea" to water your garden.

One needs to keep the area free of weeds as they take away the nutrients that the plants need. The weeding includes from around the plants themselves as well as the aisles between the gardens and even the area surrounding the garden as the weeds will pollinate and once again invade the garden.

Watering is only done at the roots, either daily for a short amount of time or by a drip system that can be easily installed with equipment that can be found at a local hardware store. Watering only the roots saves water as it does not take much to make sure that the roots are watered, which allows the plant to soak up more readily than if the entire plant had been watered.

This method is quite simple to use and produces more abundant crops in any space that it is used it with only a few simple items to remember. Try this method of gardening next time you plan and plant your garden.