Mixed vegetable trials have begun!
The packs of seeds and information have now been sent out to 50 participants of the mixed veg trials 2011.
What is mixed vegetable gardening?
Mixed vegetable gardening is an example of a polyculture. The word means growing lots of different types of plants together. The growing mix in a polyculture can include vegetables, herbs, flowers and even fruit. People have used this approach all over the world for hundreds of years, often with great success. Examples include the English Cottage Garden, Caribbean kitchen gardens or the allotments of Bangladeshi communities in London.
How does it differ from other forms of gardening?
In a conventional vegetable garden, each type is planted in rows or patches. Usually similar species are grouped together, such as brassicas, beans and peas and so on. Plants of the same or similar species compete
for the same nutrients, and are an attractive habitat for pests of that plant. Usually, the patches are rotated every year to prevent the build-up of pests and diseases and so as not to deplete the soil of nutrients.
By contrast, in mixed cropping a large number of different vegetables are grown together in the same space. A well-chosen combination can result in less competition for nutrients, and other beneficial relationships between the different plants mean that plants are healthier.
Some benefits of mixed vegetable cropping:
- Better use of space - a lot of food is produced and many types of vegetables can be grown in the same space over a longer time.
- Fewer pests and diseases - the different colours, shapes, textures and scents of the leaves confuse pests, and diseases can't spread as easily from one plant to the next.
- Less weeding - there is no space and no light on the ground, so weeds can't germinate.
- Less need for watering - greater soil coverage means less evaporation.
For more information go to the Mixed Vegetable page of the Permaculture Association site and have a look at the manual we have put together.
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