A plentiful harvest, rapid plant growth, the absence of weeds is the gardener's dream, quite achievable thanks to modern technologies of vegetable growing. The Mitlider method in Russia has been popular for over 20 years. What is the Mitlider Garden? How to apply in the conditions of our Russian reality highly effective methods of growing vegetables according to the Mitlider?
Dr. Jacob Mitlider Method
Having studied the problems and diseases of plants in many countries of the world, Doctor of Agricultural Sciences Jacob R. Mitlider, based on 55 years of gardening experience, developed universal growing methods. This approach allows, with a minimum of effort, to obtain a plentiful crop on any type of soil, regardless of climatic conditions, seasonality and many other conditions. How can the Mitlider method be implemented in the Russian version?
- Extremely significant when applying the method is the planning of the future garden: drawing up a plan, a calendar for sowing and care, marking up, which only a few Russian gardeners do. Why is it important? Planning allows you to more efficiently use the available areas, get strong seedlings and take into account many conditions for the development of plants. For example, choose an orientation for the beds that provides maximum illumination of plants in the morning and evening rays.
- The Mitlider system in the Russian version can be implemented through cultivation on narrow soil ridges, in drawer ridges and in limbo on vertical supports. On narrow beds, plants are planted in one or two rows (opposite or in a checkerboard pattern), taking into account the characteristics of crop growth. First, earthen bumpers are formed along the edges of the beds to hold water. Then seedlings are planted on the inside of the sides. A double-layer soil is created in the crate-ridges: artificial soil mixture is poured onto natural soil and planted in the same way.
- In addition, the doctor considered it very important proper nutrition and nutrition of plants with mixtures of simple mineral fertilizers. To prevent burns of the plant, top dressing is placed 8-10 cm from the stem of the plant. Strength and plant health significantly affect soil quality. Strong seedlings actively enrich the soil with root secretions, up to 20% of the mass of the plant.
- Irrigation irrigation, which only contributes to the growth of weeds, is not used. Only ridges are watered. Seedlings are irrigated at soil level, which prevents the development of mold on the leaves and saves water.
- Studying the planting dates of each crop, taking into account regional characteristics and frosts.
Pros and cons
Should I use the Mitlider methods on my site? To answer this question, we will consider all their advantages and disadvantages in the context of Russian reality.
Pros of the method | Cons of the method |
- Allows you to get a good harvest of any plants in a small area, regardless of climate and initial soil condition.
- Suitable for vegetable growing both in open ground and in greenhouses.
- Plants become healthier and stronger, productivity increases several times.
- Costs of time, labor for weeding and care are becoming minimal.
- Significant water savings.
- The wide passages between the ridges, always clean and dry, exclude the penetration of slugs and moles into the beds . Moles, like slugs, do not like the hardened soil of passages.
| - Not all sites are suitable for this technology, kitchen gardens on the northern slopes, swampy, in peatlands, lowlands, where water stagnation is frequent, are excluded.
- The mitlider in the Russian version requires a decent amount of fertilizer for multiple dressings, and sometimes the installation of an irrigation system, which not everyone can afford.
- Good lighting is extremely important, as shading reduces crop yields by 3-4 times. Vegetables will become nitrate, will be poorly stored. For self-purification from nitrates through photosynthesis, plants need light and plentiful watering.
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How to make beds according to the Mitlider?
Narrow soil ridges in most cases are used on unprotected soil, and drawer ridges are used in greenhouses and greenhouses. According to Mitlider, the classic ridge length should be 9 m, width - 45 cm, passageways should be 105 cm, in total - 150 cm. A sanitary zone (1 m wide) is left along the perimeter along the fence. Less than 105 cm is not recommended to make passages, since the plants will obscure each other and the space for their growth will be limited.
But the sizes are adjusted taking into account the area of the site and other conditions, so the Mitlider method in the Russian version is quite feasible. For example, if the greenhouse is lit by direct sunlight in the morning, evening and during the day, the dimensions of the aisles can be narrowed to 90 cm. If there is not enough space, you can reduce the length of the beds, as well as the width of the aisles, to 75-60 cm. The width depends on the variety. Tall tomatoes can be grown in crates 30 cm wide in a row. Spreading plants (zucchini, pumpkins, watermelons) will require beds and aisles along the classic mitlider sizes.
Why is it recommended to leave wide passages between the beds? To make it convenient to water (there is a place for drives, barrels for water), to control pests, weeds, diseases, and to harvest in a timely manner. Plants are well visible and are not damaged when walking in the aisles. Optimum watering allows leaves and stems to grow well. Wide passages provide a place so that plants can spread out, get more light.
How to apply the method of Dr. Mitlider in the Russian version for the site at an angle? In a garden with a strong slope, it is recommended to make horizontal terraces with drawer ridges. To accurately calculate everything, you will need a drawing of the site with future ridges.
For tall plants, you can use vertical trellises, and beds with them are best placed from west to east to provide access to the sun for each plant in the morning. The doctor also recommended placing greenhouses and greenhouses in a direction from west to east. For low-growing plants, the orientation of the ridges is not particularly important, but they must be planted on the south side of the tall so that they do not shade.
The clearing of the plot for ridges, marking is carried out in the fall, and soil preparation, cultivation, digging - just before planting, which reduces the growth of weeds.
The advantages of narrow beds
Vegetable farming on narrow ridges gives results on any soil, including depleted. The Mitlider method in the Russian version is not so difficult to apply. Making such beds is simple and easy even for beginners, they do not require large preparatory work. Beds by this method are inexpensive. Preparation of soil rows does not require any costs at all, and drawer-ridges at a minimum (it is not necessary to use expensive materials, you can use old slate, unpainted boards, etc.). To create soil rows, unlike the beds, beds do not need additional materials, so Mitlider in Russia is becoming increasingly popular.
Well-decomposed organic fertilizers must be periodically applied to simple ridges from the soil to form humus, and only mineral additives will be required in the boxes during the preparatory period.
Plant benefits |
Ground Rows | Ridge Boxes |
- Earthen bumpers (8-10 cm high) along the edges of the ridges contribute to the formation of a favorable microclimate for seedlings.
- During irrigation, the sides retain water and fertilizer with it. Fertilizers do not burn plants, as they accumulate in the middle of the ridge and inhibit the growth of weeds.
- Plants get more light and room for growth.
- It is much easier to process narrow rows than wide beds.
| - The artificial soil created in the boxes (a twenty-centimeter mixture of sawdust, sand, lime and mineral fertilizers) helps to ensure that the ground under it always remains soft and moist, inhibits weed growth. Roots quickly pass through the first layer and grow well in natural soil.
- The artificial soil of the upper layer does not need organic fertilizers and is used annually. Thanks to the action of microorganisms, it gradually turns into compost, improves, enriches with humus. Humus retains nutrients from top dressing, preventing their leaching.
- Protection against adverse weather conditions, strong wind. Boxes will save plants from prolonged rainfall and flooding, cool the roots in the heat. Such beds can be temporarily covered with covering material or film.
- The growing season is lengthening, as artificial soil warms up faster.
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Fertilizer Blends
When growing vegetables according to the Mitlider, it is recommended to use two types of mixtures for fertilizer:
- Mixture 1. Lime fertilizer (boron and calcium) used before planting. It is spent on one running meter of the mitlider bed: 100 g (light soil) or 200 g (heavy soil). Light soils are sandy, clayey and peaty soils are heavy.
- Mixture 2. Mineral mixture for regular top dressing once a week (potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, magnesium, molybdenum, boron). Consumes 60 gr. on 1 m
Organic nutrition can be used for nutrition and soil health. It is important to remember that organics should warm up well, overheat, turn into compost, then under the influence of heat the weed seeds will become unviable. In addition to weeds, non-fertilized fertilizers can cause plant diseases and increase the number of pests. The microflora living in compost suppresses the causative agents of such diseases and improves soil properties.
The Mitlider method in the Russian version is most often the use of manure. Well-rotted compost or dung humus is introduced in the spring for digging and in preparation for planting. Fertilizing of 0.5-1 buckets per 1 m of ridges can be combined with filling the soil with mixtures of 1 and 2. When making more buckets (up to three), it is recommended to refuse to fill the soil with a second mixture.
Russian fertilizers against mitliderovskih chemicals
Many Russian gardeners use the method of narrow ridges, but they often refuse mineral fertilizing (mixtures 1 and 2). This is due to the fact that the active use of fertilizers without appropriate knowledge in crop production does not always give the desired result. The method of Dr. Mitlider in the Russian version often involves the use of humus, compost, green infusion of herbs, mortar with manure, ash, etc. What are the advantages of natural top dressing, what are the disadvantages associated with the use of mitlider mixtures?
- The use of mineral fertilizers affects the taste of the fruit, many gardeners do not like this. And thanks to the replacement of mineral fertilizing with natural organic fertilizers, you can get an environmentally friendly crop.
- It is better not to overfill the plants with fertilizers than to overfeed, since an excess of nitrates will harm health.
- In order for the minerals to dissolve and absorb, abundant watering and sunny weather are required, which is not always compatible in the weather conditions of some regions. In addition, it is important to know that abundant watering is beneficial on some days and harmful on plants on others, while taking into account periods of their development. Each culture has its own method of watering: for some, sprinkling, and for others in dry weather, under the root.
- If there is manure humus (not fresh manure, but thoroughly rotted manure compost), you can abandon the method of fertilizing according to the Mitlider.
Mitlider method in Russian. Transformation
Mastering the Mitlider method in the vastness of Russia, our gardeners made their own corrections to it:
- Many reduce passages, leaving the width of the beds unchanged. Here everything determines the type and variety of planted culture. Passages of 45-50 cm are suitable for onions, dill, radishes, carrots, beets, etc. For cucumbers, tomatoes, cabbage, zucchini and others (depending on the variety) leave wider passages from 65 to 100 cm.
- The Mitlider method involves planting plants in one or two rows. For example, cabbage, peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant are planted in one row. Onions, garlic, beets, radishes, carrots, peas - in two.
- The Mitlider method in the Russian version allows you to completely abandon the annual digging of the entire garden. In spring, ridges are simply loosened before sowing or transplanting seedlings, and in autumn they are decorated with a hoe.
- To cut the weeds in the aisles, they are treated with a hoe or hiller. The remains of plants can be accumulated to form compost, which is decomposed into beds in autumn.
How to fill the ridges?
Ridge boxes are bottomless frames that can be made from cement, logs, saw and other materials. The Mitlider method in Russian does not exclude the use of old railway sleepers. They do not harm plants, since creosote, used many years ago to process them, has already ceased to be toxic.
Before planting seedlings, boxes are filled with artificial soil, applied year after year, but in no case natural. The mixture can be prepared from 2-3 materials listed below:
- Small as dust sawdust.
- Sand.
- Peat.
- Styrofoam Balls.
- Perlite.
- Pumice.
- Sphagnum moss.
- Pine bark.
- Crushed, chopped coconut or walnut shells.
- Styrofoam in granules (heat-insulating foam).
Mitlider method in the Russian version. Reviews
Many gardeners confirm the high efficiency of the method of narrow ridges in Russian conditions, especially when growing vegetables. It is very convenient to process them from weeds, to spud. They make it easy to distribute the space for certain vegetables, taking into account the yield of the last season. The Mitlider method in the Russian version, reviews of which are mostly positive, has low labor intensity, saves time, effort, and is indispensable for older people.
Gardening by Mitlider allows you to create almost ideal conditions for agriculture; protect plants from any adverse weather conditions: heavy rain, strong winds and high summer temperatures; receive rich crops on depleted or problem soil. Dr. Mitlider’s method has been used in Russia for a long time and deservedly won the army of fans.
Conclusion
The mitlider method has several advantages. It is efficiency, universality, profitability and simplicity. Not all gardens are suitable for this technology, excluded areas on the northern slopes, swampy, in the lowlands. Not all gardeners use mineral fertilizers and top dressing, but the technology described in the article is easy to adapt to many conditions. This proves that the modern kitchen "Mitlayder in the Russian version", the photos of which are presented in the article, is quite feasible.