# Mittleider gardening



## sgtrunningfool (Dec 8, 2012)

Has anyone here used the Mittleider gardening method? What did you think? Did you like it


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

Did a google and had a bit of a read. So you buy the fertiliser and apply throughout the growing season?


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

Interesting, don't recall hearing about it before. Just looked at the website that is selling the stuff and I really don't see what the benefits are, they mention a lot of things that can be a part of any gardening system like vertical growing and such.
So why would a person use this type of system (where you have to buy stuff)? I am curious.


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## sgtrunningfool (Dec 8, 2012)

I bought the book out of curiousity. You can do it without buying the stuff from them. The mittleider method allows you too use any soil and you admend it with coarse sand and saw dust which is a lot cheaper than the Square Foot Garden method but with mittleider you have to fertilize regularly. I think if you compare similar garden sizes the mittleider is cheaper.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

What type of cost with the square foot garden methods? I know people who do it organically, no cost that I can see. 
If I sound dismissive I am not at all, sometimes people think I am being critical but I love to hear different takes on gardening.


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## sgtrunningfool (Dec 8, 2012)

The Official Square foot garden method developed by Mel Bartholomew requires the bed be 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 compost but no fertilizing required. Those ingredients get pricey if you are trying to go large scale but no weeding or fertilizing


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

I see, you are talking about the initial setup, that would indeed be pricey. To be honest, I read the square foot gardening books (the original methods) ages ago and determined it wasn't very well suited to my idea of sustainability. However I know many people who practice what is now known as "square foot gardening" without any vermiculite or peat moss and it works excellent for them. I have incorporated bits of the square foot idea into our beds but I have never found a system of anything that would perfectly fit my needs and I don't think I ever will. I encourage people to look at as many of the methods out there as they can/want to and try to come up with a system for themselves, don't be afraid to experiment and let your methods evolve.


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## Wellrounded (Sep 25, 2011)

Had a bit more of a read about it. I can see why it seems attractive and why some people have had great success with it.
I have my doubts though. I would never ever tell someone to put sawdust into their soil, nasty stuff, fine if you're feeding the plants every week but miss a week or two and things will go bad real quick. Any method of gardening or anything for that matter that has 'buy this now' attached to it I'm wary of. I don't see any difference between their row/bed setup and traditional bed spacings, plant spacings look like basic french intensive method (the precursor to square foot gardening) just with bed edges added. Can't see how it will stop the need to weed anymore than any other intensive method. The term 'organic' means nothing to me, it's mostly about money and gimmicks. I garden naturally not the same thing at all. Anything that tells you growing vegies is easy or that someone with no or little experience with have great results from day one should be looked at with a healthy dose of doubt.
I'm not trying to be super negative but these are my first thoughts. The main reason I'm making such a strong comment is I've seen people destroy their soil for years because they've added sawdust to it, it can take a long, long time for the carbon/nitrogen ratio to correct itself.
If you think it would suit you or you can find someone who has done it and can give you an overview of the good and bad points of using the method go for it.
I've spent years developing the methods I use and I still try new things every year. Some of the things I do break all the rules but they work for me, as cowboyhermit said, experiment. I'd try a small bed and see how it goes, if it works great.


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