The Mittleider Method

As far as pruning goes, I wait a little bit till they are about 1.5 feet high and then I select the main and maybe one larger stem usually growing off the main stem, these are my 2 leaders, Be so careful to never mess with the tip of the plant and if you have any questions as to which is the leader just leave the end of the plant alone and wait. It will become apparent as a little time goes on. If you prune off the tip the plant will not grow anymore. Then remove all other "Main" stems, Not branches mind you. Just prune to the main branch and second branch below the first fruit cluster as the second allowable branch. Then on each of these branches remove the sucker, if allowed to develop these secondary branches will not produce fruit themselves but will grow out and will grow other branches that will produce fruit but then you get a big bush and that is not what we are looking for. Contrary to much of what you may hear... pruning this way does reduce the plants yield. What it does do is allow you to grow 3-4 plants each with 60% of the yeild they would have had sprawling in the space one sprawled tomatoe plant would have taken. It also allows for more uniform fruit formation and you dont loose tomatoes and find them after they are half eaten or rotten. It (in my opinion) also helps with disease. When you sucker the plants only do so on a dry day. Do not touch a plant that seems diseased and then touch others, you potentially could transfer pathogens that way.


Drew

P.S. Suckers make good bug spray (Ask Tamara for the recipe) but they are not good for eating, I think it will only take about 3 oz to KILL you. You can (if you keep the soil pretty dang moist) root suckers and get new plants.



This message was edited May 25, 2005 10:43 AM

drew-n-corinn....... thanks for that quick course on pruning to 2 leaders. The bug spray from "sucker juice" sounds so interesting. Hope Tamara sees this and responds with a recipe.

Drew_n_Corinn...... another thought >>> when pruning, how 'bout using small scissors that could be dipped into a cup of Chlorox to sterilize between prunings? Since the fingers might be contaminated from plant to plant, this method seems like it would guard against the spread of pathogens/diseases through the sterilizing property of the bleach.
LD

that or Hydrogen Peroxide.... I personally have never had a single problem and just break off the sucker with my fingers... Sterilized with dirt...

Drew

Thanks, Drew.... the simpler, the better. Didn't know if the "wounds" caused trouble. Apparently not.
Thanks, LD

I prune under a dry moon sign, and never have any problem with injury. The stems are less "watery", and come off easily.

Thanks for the explanation on the pruning, Drew. Seeing it, reading it, just doesn't cut it till you've "done it". Great photo of the sucker too! And now it is obvious that the yield increase is by the sq foot, not by the plant!

Didn't get my brew made, but it was something like this:

1 quart tomato leaves (stems, etc), bring to boil in 1 quart of water. Simmer. Strain. Cool. Put in 1 quart pray bottle, and spray all over the garden. Don't know if it kills them, it is supposed to confuse the bugs. Pretty strong smell, I would gather. (Haven't done this yet either)

I successfully got about 1/3 of the stems and suckers to become plants. Yes, the stems work too! Next time I prune, I will use them for brew, it just seemed like a good time to start a few more plants :-) Bury them up to the tip, like you would when you transplant your seedlings. Expect them to wilt, they will recover.

Tamara

bump...

This method is so interesting and I'm following right along behind you...gonna go subscribe to the ezine...

Tomato brew :
http://www.ipmofalaska.com/files/homemadepestcontrol.html

thanks Annie! I tried it yesterday, then it rained for 10 hours today. Luckily, I didn't use it all, and I will dilute what's left so it will go farther. Sure stinks! Sprayed it directly on a small green thing, maybe cricket or grasshopper nymph, and he kept jumping away, but not far LOL

LOL ! brew it stronger!
seems to me all the vertical growing,etc. is like sq.foot gardening..I don't see the need for chemical fertilizer with all this increased health and circulation etc. As in life I guess I won't follow the method to the T (for tomater)but rather pick and choose what seems right. Not all plants thrive on salt soil left from years of miracle grow... I know my earthworms don't...but I am going to try to prune my mater and see what goes.
Have a good weekend all!
Annie
PS Welcome Fearless Weeders!!!!!

This message was edited Jun 4, 2005 8:04 AM

oops post

This message was edited Jun 4, 2005 8:03 AM

Have any of you made the preplant mix and the feed mix? I'm going to take a trip next weekend to a local co-op to see if they have the ingredients, but I'm not overly confident I'll be able to find all of them. If you have made the mixes, where did you purchase the ingredients? The Borax and Epsom Salt is easy.

Also, how do you grow melons using this method? You can't grow them vertically, too heavy. Where do you let the vines go? Just keep them contained in the box?

Is it too hot to plant veggies on the MS Gulf Coast now?

Thanks,
Megin

MzzPool,

I can't answer any of your other questions, but I've seen photos of how to grow the vines vertically. What they do is let the vines (watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumbers, etc.) grow up a trellis or fence, then when the vine starts to put on fruit, you make a "sling" for each fruit out of a panty-hose leg. You cut off a leg, slit it down each side, leaving several inches at the bottom intact. This is your "sling" which you wrap under the fruit and then use the loose ends to tie it to the trellis or fence to support the weight as the fruit grows larger and heavier. I have also seen it used where you cut the leg off, then cut the foot off, slit the remainer in two pieces, and use each piece as a sling under a fruit for support of the growing fruit. I think for small fruit like cucumbers you don't need the slings.

I've got a cantaloupe that has taken a notion to grow over and up the green bean trellis. It's putting on fruit about two feet up the trellis. So, I have made myself a note to get cheap panty-hose at the thrift store tomorrow. LOL.

Hope this helps. It's a weird concept, but it works. Those that have used it swear by it as a space saver.
Karen

Ohhhhh that's excellent! Watermelons growing up a vine! So cool!

Thank you!

Megin

I have been searching locally for 16-16-16 to mix with the Mittleider pre-mix weekly feeding mix I recently purchased but have had no luck. So, my local co-op suggested 8-24-24. I was reading through the flyer that Mr. Kennard packages with his pre-mix and the nutrient %'s read 13-13-13 for NPK. My co-op sells 13-13-13. Should I go back and get the 13-13-13 or will the 8-24-24 be okay to use?

Thanks,
Megin

I'm glad I found this thread! I've been doing SFG for a couple of years and stumbled across the Mittleider Method last summer. I don't like all the soil additives and I want to be *purely* organic so I'm going to try my own Square Foot/Mittleider hybrid gardening. I would love to hear from anyone who has tried the Mittleider method...

Michelle in Michigan

Hi Megin,

I suggest you post the question on its own in the Vegetable Forum so it will get more notice. I don't see how you could go wrong with a balanced formula, whether it's 10-10-10, 16-16-16, or 13-13-13, but I don't know enough to say about the 8-24-24. Someone will spot the question when it's closer to the top and will be able to give you a better answer than I can.

Karen