Gemischtes Gemüse
mixed cultivation – simple and easy
Healthier plants and soil, natural pest control, more biodiversity, more efficient use of resources and increased harvests – these are the benefits of mixed cultivation. Planning is usually time-consuming, which makes it difficult for hobby gardeners. To get started more quickly, anyone can plan a bed according to the principles of mixed cultivation on the Gemischtes Gemüse website and order the seeds without much prior knowledge. To ensure that nothing goes wrong when sowing, the seed tapes are printed with coloured lines that mark the position in the bed as a woven pattern. They are printed with water-soluble ink on grass paper so that they can be planted in the ground without any concerns.
student: | Stella Sachse |
project: | The Plant Project – Resilience Part II |
year: | 2024 |
Healthier plants and soil, natural pest control, more biodiversity, more efficient use of resources and increased harvests – these are the benefits of mixed cultivation. Planning is usually very time-consuming, which can make it difficult to get started. To get started more quickly, anyone can plan a bed according to the principles of mixed cultivation on the Mixed Vegetables website without much prior knowledge and simply plant and try it out using the seed tapes supplied and the individually created planting plan. To ensure that nothing can go wrong when sowing, the seeds are glued into seed tapes printed with lines which, when folded together, form a woven pattern. The seeds are printed with water-soluble ink on grass paper and glued with flour paste – so they can be planted in the ground without any worries. Simply lay out the seed tapes in the bed according to the pattern, fold over the corners with the names of the plants, cover everything with soil, water – done! Now all you have to do is wait for the first plants to grow. All the important information about the advantages of mixed cultivation and the plants available can be found on the website. I have only selected plants that are particularly beginner-friendly and can be sown directly into the bed. You can choose from zucchinis, lettuce, carrots, chard, beet, radishes, beans and onions as well as the flowers nasturtium, borage, camomile, and marigold.
As an example of my prototype, I have planned a bed with zucchinis, beans, beet, lettuce, marigolds and nasturtiums. The beans store nitrogen from the air, which benefits the zucchini, which is a heavy eater. With its large leaves, the zucchini provides shade for the beet and lettuce, which, as a shallow-rooted plant, ensures that the various soil layers are optimally utilized. Last but not least, marigold attracts beneficial insects and protects against nematodes, while nasturtium repels aphids. In this way, each plant plays an important role in the interaction of the bed. In addition to the information, the website also has a bed planner where the bed can be planned step by step, the planting plan downloaded and the seed tapes ordered. The seed tapes are designed so that sowing them is as easy as possible and requires no prior knowledge. The thickness of the printed strip indicates how deep the seed tape needs to be dug in, as the planting depth is different for each species. The distance between the rows is determined by the weaving pattern – if the overlapping colors are always on top of each other, all plants have enough space. The distance between the plants in a seed band was already determined during production. This means that you really only get as much seed as you need.
