Jeopardy: Mittleider Edition!

Mittleider 101

100

Name 3 advantages of planting seedlings, rather than putting seeds directly into the garden.

• Stronger and more vigorous
• Mature earlier
• Produce more uniform and larger yields
• Cut costs on weed and insect controls

200

Why are narrow ridged beds and wide aisles used?

• 12” growing space allows for two rows of plants
• Ridges help determine where to place seeds or seedlings
• Flattened areas carries water and fertilizer directly to root area
• Ridges help reduce the amount of weeds
• Reduces watering by bringing plants closer together than conventional
• Narrow isles result in crowding, reducing sunlight, and therefore both plant growth and crop yields
• Harder to inspect crops for weed control, watering, disease and insect control, when to harvest
• Leaves and vines have sufficient room to spread for max light
• Wide aisles prevent foot traffic from damaging plants
• 5’ perimeter helps protect against weeds, bugs, and disease

300

What are the five functions of soil?

• Provide anchorage and protection for plant roots
• Holds air and water for plant use
• Includes minerals the plants need for food
• Acts a temperature regulator in hot weather
• Soil affords drainage for plant roots

400

Where should you locate your garden?  Name 4 of the 9 factors to be considered.

• Chose a sunny location with at least 6-8 hours of sunshine
• Choose a level area (more level=less work)
• Plant on the contour if using steeper slopes. Just level the beds themselves
• Avoid slopes facing North (more shadows, too cold)
• Stay away from low spots with door drainage (standing water=plants unable to breathe, also possibly colder areas)
• Plant rows may run in any directions
• Avoid open areas with strong winds, or build windbreaks
• Make sure water is available close by
• Protect from unwanted visitors (animals or humans)

500

Name 5 things distinguish The Mittleider Method from traditional gardening.  Consider such things as soil, layout, planting spacing, timing, feeding, watering, weeding, and pruning.

See list in the intro

Let's Make a Garden!

100

What are the two major types of weeds you must eradicate when preparing the land?

• Annuals
• Perennial

200

In preparing your beds, how much calcium-based mix should you apply?  How much Regular-Feed?

• Calcium-Based Mix (Pre-Plant): 1 ounce/linear foot
• Weekly Feed: 0.5 ounce/linear foot

300

Give 5 advantages of growing plants vertically - out of a possible 10.

• More plants can be grown in a small area
• Better quality crops because of the extra light
• Plants are easier to feed, water, prune and harvest
• The fruit does not sunburn and vines and leaves aren’t damaged during harvesting
• Fruit does not mildew, get eaten by bugs or animals, and doesn’t get stepped on

400

Describe 4 of the 8 advantages of custom-made soil.

• Provides excellent drainage and aeration for roots, and balanced feeding of plants
• Keeps the hard subsoil damp and soft, allowing roots to penetrate
• Extends the growing season, since artificial soils warm up quickly in the springtime, boosting growth
• Acts as a temperature regulator, since artificial soils keeps roots cool in the summer
• Takes up less space than regular soil and increases yields
• Greatly reduces or eliminates weeks
• Saves water since water penetrates uniformly, easily, and quickly
• Clean, and disease free
• Reusable

500

Name the Macro-nutrients (3), the Secondary nutrients (3), the Micro-nutrients (7).

Primary or Macro-nutrients: Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium

Secondary nutrients: Calcium, Magnesium, Sulfur

Micro or Trace-element nutrients: Boron, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Zinc, Molybdenum, Chlorine

"By the sweat of your brow..."

100

How can you prevent weeds (3 of the 5 ways)?

• Irrigate with well water
• Do not use sprinklers
• Use a domestic water supply
• Do not put unsterilized manure on garden
• Plant seeds or seedlings in custom-made soil

200

Give 3 benefits to Soil-Bed watering over traditional methods.

• Plants receive water at the roots where they can make the best use
• Water is conserved by minimizing evaporation and overwatering
• The same water supplies two rows of plants at the same time, cutting in half the amount of water used.
• Even distribution of water
• Even distribution of nutrients

300

What factors cause plants to do poorly?  Name 4 (there are at least 9)

Too much shade

Too cold or too hot

Poor drainage

Too little or too much water

Excess fertilizer

Excess salinity in the soil

Sunburn

Damage from pesticides

Virus diseases

Fertilizer burn on leaves or fruit

400

What are the 5 procedures for harvesting quality crops?

• On hot days, harvest vegetables in cooler morning hours
• Treat produce gently
• Keep freshly-picked produce out of sunshine and wind. Cool it promptly
• Keep produce clean-consider eye appeal
• Allow crops to mature and ripen on the plants or vines

500

What are the 5 steps to effective weeding of a soil-bed?

• Pull soil away from ridge
• Pull the soil back
• Smother sprouting weeds
• Disturb area between rows
• Remove weeds from aisles

The Science Behind it All

100

Describe 4 benefits to growing certain crops vertically.

• Can be grown closer together without sacrificing yield or quality (Increase yield)
• Increases light to the fruit and leaves, increasing the size and number of the fruit
• Improve the appearance of the garden
• Make harvesting easier
• Easier to fertilize
• Easier to remove weeds

200

What must happen to the nutrients before plants can use them?  Name two processes. (First thing hint – ite v/s ate)

• Must go from organic to inorganic, water soluble. This is done through oxidation, changing from an -ite (Nitrite, Sulfite) to an -ate (Nitrate, Sulfate)
• Those compounds then need to be dissolved in water, making it accessible to the plant.

300

Which should you use, lime or gypsum in your garden?  Why?

We should use lime in our garden, as we get more than 20 inches of rain per year. This tends to make our soil more acidic, which can be remedied through lime.

Or

We should use gypsum in our garden, as we get less than 20 inches of rain per year. This tends to make our soil more alkaline, which gypsum does not exacerbate. 

400

How can you overcome the problem of salinity to save your crop?

Pg 158-159 In the example of the farmer if you add too much fertilizer there is too much salt which can cause the plants to wilt and potentially die. A way to attempt to fix that is to “apply enough water at a single watering to leach the fertilizers below the top 8” of soil.”

500

Describe osmosis.  How does it apply to growing plants?  How can salinity be a problem?

Pg 157- “Osmosis is the Process by which the cells in the roots of a plant absorb water and nutrients from the soil.”

For growing plants, applying too much salts (as part of fertilizers) can have the affect of drawing water out of plants, reducing the yield or killing the crop. A soil too high in salinity may likely damage the crops unless it is properly addressed.

As well, when you only water where the plants are in a flat osmosis occurs, which the half of the flat that did not get water will take the nutrients the plants need. This will cause a deficiency in the plants. If there is not the right balance of salinity (salt) with other nutrients it sucks it out of the plant making it weak and nutrient deficient.