Growing plants vertically can mean higher yields per base area. A traditional example of this technique is growing beans and corn together. Developing fruit can be supported with slings made from used stockings or rags. The spacing should be whatever the seed packet recommends for spacing between plants. Intensive gardening methods The purpose of an intensively grown garden is to harvest the most produce possible from a given space. In this type of garden, much of the area is taken by the space between the rows. Back at the first bed, loosen the second, deeper layer of soil. They are about four to five feet high and I connect them with steel posts. … Intensive Gardening Method Raised Beds. They advocate r… This is by far my favorite part of gardening… trying new things!! Intensive gardening done in containers on the patio may include a potted tomato to a variety of lettuces and spinach grown together in a container. Smaller gardens also require careful management. Once marked, you can use a hoe or rake to move soil from paths up into beds. Make freestanding beds no higher than eight inches or they will dry too quickly or be washed easily by rains. This is a good option for gardeners with sandy soil that would dry too quickly if formed in raised beds. Most gardeners practice a simple succession planting in row gardens by following a lettuce planting in spring with a late crop of, say, beans, or by staggering plantings of beans or sweet corn to ensure a steady harvest. All gardeners can grow vegetables more efficiently by using some of the intensive growing techniques described here. A method of inter-planting which has received notice recently is known as “square foot gardening.” This technique (based on a book of the same name by Mel Bartholomew) involves planting vegetables very intensively. This would actually deplete nutrients from your soil. Good gardening practices such as watering, fertilizing, crop rotation, composting, and sanitation are especially important in an intensive garden… Or some of the lettuce can be removed in May to make room to sow seed of winter squash. Certain wood preservatives can damage growing plants. Once you’ve decided their location, plant smaller, fast-growing vegetables around them. The practice of intensive gardening is not ... example, carrots and radish are commonly planted together in the same row. Privacy Policy, « Tomato Sauce—Basic, Herbed, or Vegetables Added. This may not seem excessive until you try to make 10 to 50 beds. Smaller gardens require less labor and expense than larger gardens. Carrots grow especially well this way. The gardener can sit on the edge of the bed to work. Choose High-yield Crops. By Victoria Bailey Bio-intensive gardening is a system of producing food that concentrates on harvesting the largest amount of crops using the least amount of resources. If the trellis is part of your landscaping it should be aesthetically pleasing, too. The beds are also double dug, which means that the soil is worked to twice the usual depth. This technique made its way to America around 1966, thanks to Alan Chadwick who demonstrated this technique on an inhospitable hillside at the University of California’s Santa Cruz campus. Be warned! Additionally, vegetable plants can be trained on trellises to provide welcome summer shade to smaller cooler seasonal things like lettuce, spinach, or beets; or privacy screens, as well as to produce food for the table. That was a boon! Always handle it with gloves, and wear a mask while sawing it to avoid absorbing any of the preservative residues. (Source: HouzBuzz) Companion Planting. A good rule is to install the sturdiest trellis you can afford. Properly amended raised beds will have soil loose and friable enough to be turned easily with a shovel. 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