Planting tomatoes according to the method of Mitlider

Tomatoes are cultivated in almost every garden plot of the Russian gardener, and each gardener has his own secrets and ways to increase the harvest. One of these chips is the cultivation of tomatoes according to the Mitlider method, due to which the yield is increased, the number of planting areas and the time for caring for the crop are reduced.

Who is Jacob Mitlider

Jacob Mitlider was born in the USA on April 23, 1918, was an expert on agriculture, a doctor of agricultural sciences. Engaged in:

• growing seedlings on an industrial scale, working in a nursery located in Southern California;
• creating your own quick way to grow vegetable plants;
• development of the most suitable mineral nutrition for vegetable crops;
• the development of new varieties of carnations (5 of which received copyright);
• the creation of commercial methods for cultivating, packaging and providing live plants by air for sale in various areas;
• the invention and creation of a special Mitlider greenhouse.

Mitlider Vegetable Growing Method

This method negates the use of organic matter in any form and is based on the selection of special doses of mineral fertilizers, the recipe of which has been honed in different countries and on different lands, special planting methods and non-standard care. It helps:

• get a high yield on poor lands;
• reduce the number of landing areas;
• Eat food without nitrates, provided there is sufficient watering;
• grow in the same area 2 times more crop;
• limit the time for caring for vegetables;
• reduction in the number of weeds;
• use only a shovel, chopper and rake in the work.

Outwardly, the Mitlider garden is a narrow long soil ridge with a width of 0.45 m and a length of 9 or 18 m, looking from north to south, and only strictly horizontally, without slopes. Along from the sides and from the ends of the ridge are limited by the sides from the ground. The row spacing is from 0.75 to 1 m. The ridges and walkways never change places. Throughout the summer period, vegetable crops of different ages grow simultaneously on the ridges: some are ready for harvesting, others are growing, and still others are planting.

Ridges - Boxes

In greenhouses arranged according to the Mitlider method, he strongly recommended the use of ridges - boxes, measuring 40 cm in height and 1.5 m in width, which are installed directly on the ground. They are filled with a mixture of rotted sawdust and sand + balanced mineral fertilizer and the soil mixture is added from above. Over time, the earth settles, thanks to the work of microorganisms, and soil filling is required. Tomatoes are planted in two rows, with a distance between plants of about 45 cm, the ground under them is not loosened throughout the summer period, and weeds are simply pulled out of the soil. If narrow ridges are used, tomato seedlings are planted in one row or in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 35-40 cm from each other. In the open air the sizes of beds - boxes do not differ from the sizes of soil beds.

Top dressing and watering

To feed vegetable plants, Mitlider developed 2 types of mineral mixtures:

1. The first mixture contains 2.5 kg of dolomite flour and 20 g of boric acid or borax.
2. The second mixture, which contains macro and microelements, consists of 3 kg of nitrophosphate, 0.5 kg of urea, 0.5 kg of potassium sulfate, 0.5 kg of magnesium sulfate, 0.07 kg of boric acid (0.25 kg of borax), 0 07 kg of amamonium molybdate or molybdenum acid.

Before planting, both mixtures are added to the ground, the amount of mixture No. 2 remains unchanged and amounts to 50 g per linear meter, and the amount of mixture No. 1 depends on the composition of the soil:

• when digging sandy soils add 100 g;
• in clay, loam, peat acidic additive is 200 g per linear meter.

Top dressing with composition No. 2 is carried out every 7-10 days and amounts to 25-40 g per linear meter of the ridge. The dose is less, the worse the conditions:

• shaded area;
• poor land;
• adverse weather.

Top dressing is applied in the center of the ridge in a dry form and shed until the mixture is completely dissolved. This method of feeding helps to avoid burns with a concentrated root composition. Watering is carried out directly in the root zone of tomatoes. Sprinkling leads to the development of fungal diseases and promotes the growth of weeds. Watering under the root does not depend on the time of day and is carried out at any time of the day, when the plants need moisture.

The soil can not be loosened:

• the roots are nourished in the upper layers of the soil, so they do not need to go deep;
• when loosening, the roots will be damaged;
• the roots located in the upper layers themselves well loosen the earth.

Breakdown of the garden by Mitlider

This method of growing vegetables is suitable for cultivation in open ground, in a greenhouse and greenhouse. To do this, choose a smooth, well-lit piece of land. Further:

1. The site is dug up, carefully choosing the roots.
2. Proceed to mark the ridges.
3. Ridges are made strictly from north to south.
4. The width of the ridge is 45 cm, and the dimensions between them are two times wider for good lighting and ventilation.
5. If the site is inclined, terraces are made and a bed is set on each of them.
6. If possible, erosion of the soil by rains, install the box.
7. Before planting tomatoes, the ridges are again dug up, introducing fertilizer and making around the edges of the sides about 10 cm high.
8. Passages between the beds are mowed throughout the summer period.

Mitlider method in Russian gardens

Doctor of Biological Sciences Tatyana Ugarova was personally acquainted with Mitlider. She is called the Russian Mitlider, since she translated almost all of his books into Russian, she adapted the Mitlider system to Russian conditions. And according to her claims, for growing in Russia in this way they will not work:

• wetlands;
• low, with stagnation of water after spring and summer rains;
• areas in the shade;
• land where there is no water for irrigation;
• slopes with a sharp descent.

The advantages and disadvantages of the Mitlider tomato growing method can be seen in the table:

pros	Minuses
Reduced sown area	Gardeners repel a large number of applied mineral fertilizers
2-fold crop increase	Reduces the number of worms and reduces the amount of humus
No need to harvest manure and make compost heaps that attract mice	Do not swap beds and walkways
Reduction of labor costs	Moisture evaporates quickly, often watered
Only shovel, rake and chopper are used in the work	An increased dose of mineral fertilizers depletes the soil
Can be grown indoors and outdoors	To reduce the amount of nitrates in plants, a large amount of watering and light are needed
Passages make it difficult for moles and slugs to penetrate	When using large quantities of mineral fertilizers, the taste of tomatoes deteriorates
Fractional balanced nutrition contributes to harvest all summer.	Harvest is not environmentally friendly

Many Russian gardeners, having adopted the box from the Mitlider technique — beds, narrow ridges, the principle of creating sideboards, varying the length of the beds in their possibilities, reduced the amount of mineral fertilizers or abandoned them. Instead, they use:

• organic green top dressing, spilling the middle of a narrow ridge;
• mulching from weeds, preventing the appearance of a crust on the surface and to reduce moisture evaporation.

Reviews

Vladimir, Leningrad region.

“For a long time, at the beginning of 2001 I read an article about narrow bulk boxes - beds and forgot about it. And in retirement they moved to live in the village, and the land around the house is clay and barren. That's when I remembered that read article. There were many sawdust from the construction of the bath. He put together narrow boxes, fell asleep with sawdust, shavings, needles from the forest and left it this way for the winter. In the spring he brought sand and a soil machine, fell asleep, added fertilizers, mixed and planted cabbage with potatoes. Only then did he learn that this method is called the Mitlayderovsky. I’m still planting, only I’m adding very little fertilizer, but more organic. ”

Irina, Kostroma

“The plot near the house is very small, and I tried to seal the plantings as much as possible, but the vegetables grew small due to lack of sunlight and nutrition. But then I read about narrow beds and for a long time did not dare to make them, and the costs also for the purchase of boards. But, when once again they were left without a crop, they dug up the whole garden and made narrow beds - boxes. Piled weeds weighed down, leftovers from the kitchen, covered with a mixture of earth, sand, compost from above. The beds turned out to be much smaller, but on the aisles, at least walk together. I was very worried that the harvest would be small. I planted potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers in 1 row, carrots, beets in 2 rows. From the sides I made the sides, as it should be, but I reduced the amount of fertilizer by 2 times, and used it several times by watering with infused grass and sprinkled ash, the earth between the plants was mulched with grass cut from the aisles. The crop got even a little more than with a conventional planting. Each bush was in the sun and developed well. I will continue such plantings, but I will minimize the amount of fertilizer. ”

The mitlider weaned Russian gardeners from using every centimeter of space, which makes it possible for any plant to get enough light, nutrition and moisture. Tomatoes fully develop even in a drawer on the balcony or window sill. To return the harvest, they need constant fractional nutrition and watering. But each gardener takes independently or not to apply such technology for the cultivation of vegetable crops in his garden.