I have the book and like the principles but I am just this year getting beds built...perhaps one day I can actually try the systemm...I do like the concept..

I just did a search, and it seems that it's a proprietary method. I don't think much of a 'method' that one can't learn much if anything about without paying money first.

I also don't believe, based on personal experience, that it is necessary to introduce minerals from other locales to be able to produce food. On the 'food for everyone' site, there is mention of how Mittleider found people starving though using traditional 'organic' methods. Perhaps there are many other factors that play into food production problems? War? Persistent drought? Traditional methods can't solve the problems of resource depletion and degradation nor overpopulation, and neither can Mittleider.

When I was at university Mittleider was active at the campus. His results were spectacular. I bought his book but was taken aback by by his either ignoring or opposition to using anything other than synthetic chemicals. Maybe that's been toned down in the program you have. His shelter ideas look very good but seeing pictures of people in Papua N.G. growing cabbage seemed absurd. In his defense when he started off he saw disease and starvation and went about trying to relieve them. It's hard to judge his era with ours many decades later. Tom

I am going to use this method (with variations) on a section of my garden next year. I figured that, with one section traditional, and the other Mittleider Method, I could compare production, maintenance, watering, etc. Why not?

I have been reading from the Small Farms Library lately. There is total agreement on increasing organic matter. While most of the writers there from the early to mid 20th century are organic and compost minded Englishmen and women, two writers disagreed sbout "artificial manures." William Lamin believed that gardeners and allotment growers would be able to grow organiclly totally, but that large acreages would need something more. He used the Clifton Park method of leys [deep rooted grasses] to increase organic matter plus using chemical fertilizer in addition to manure.

Having grown up on a Midwestern general farm, I suspect that William is more practical for larger farms than some of the others [for today's economy anyway].

Here is a link that might be useful: Small Farms Library

The promoter, Jim Kennard,(also local politic) was on my Yahoo group for a while.

A lot of his methods are very expensive if your an organic gardener, The pricing he gave was for pressure treated lumber, His fertiliser would cost me $80 shipping, alone. His methods require that you buy his 16-16-16 fertilizer.

The 1/3 sawdust for soil, is a bug magnet, you need about $100 worth of soil diazinon to keep bugs in check.

His methods also require one of 2 hybrid tomatoes, That produce a lot of tomatoes near the soil line

His methods were never tried with organics or heirloom tomatoes. I challanged him to grow 10 ft of heirlooms with his method.

Like Monsanto, he makes money when you buy his fertilizer and books

He also sells Zoo Doo for $10 a bag that cost him $1 packaged

A different side of the coin

Just curious to know if since the last post in 2007 if anyone has had much success using the Mettleider Method.

I have briefly read over one of his older books and I was disheartened to view the emphasis on chemical fertilizers as opposed to ones using more natural means such as compost, cover crops, alfalfa meal, etc.

Additionally, I was really turned off by the use of diazinon to control certain pests.

I am wondering if, over the years, the "method" has been adapted to favor more organic means of production. For example, instead of using ammonium nitrate, alfalfa meal or fish meal could be used instead.

The other thing is that sawdust is a superb source of lignin necessary for building soil humus. However, it has an extremely high C:N ratio and would need some high nitrogen residues (green material) to anchor the carbon to build humus.

Anyway, any feedback or experience anyone wishes to share would be appreciated.

Bob

I tried the "Mittleider Method" way back in 1982 in Bellevue, Washington. A neighbor who was a Mormon and into growing his own food turned me on to M.'s first book. I built the beds, but couldn't bring myself to use the sawdust and sand soil mix. I did go to a farm supply place to buy the chemicals. (When my purchase of ammonium nitrate, etc., was complete the guy there said "now you can go build a bomb." I didn't understand, this being years before T. McVey.) Anyway, with my own peat moss/vermiculite/regular soil mix but M's fertilizer I grew everything--very successfully--which is tricky in the wet, dark Seattle area. I did have bug problems though. I'm now in the Houston area and nearly 100 per cent organic. I do very high raised beds with a similar soil mix and now use Mittleider style irrigation (didn't need THAT in Seattle!) and have a great garden--with no bugs. Compost solves all problems. If you believe in "peak oil" you should learn to do without all the petrochemical fertilizer. Someday there won't be any.

I have used the Mittleider Method for 6 years now, I would never do the traditional gardening ever. I have though stopped using the chemical fertilizers and do use fish emulsion along with micros. I have 42 grow beds that I maintain by myself. Watering takes me about 45 minutes, weeding takes very little time since you only water where you grow. I helped a church put in the Mittleider garden last year, we had 48 beds and grew 5 ton of food which was all given away. In my opinion there is not a better way to grow as far as ease,production, but like other post I don't like the chemical fertilizers. Keep in mind this is high production gardening so you do need to feed your plants weekly so I use a foliure spray.

I am new to the Mittleider system. I have been a gardener more years than most people can count. I plan to use this system as close as possible, especially with the weekly fertilization which is needed with mass plantings. Since the latest videos say that one can use the system without 8" raised beds in your garden soil, I plan to use it in my 6" raised beds with out the sawdust for now, but using their mass plantings and weekly fertilization ideas. I am not apposed to using non organic fertilizers to give the plants what they need. After all according to writings by the founder of organic gardening, organic gardening pertains to the non use of chemical pesticides and said nothing about the use of man made fertilizers. Think about this: 10-10-10 is made from oil which is organic.

Oil is organic in the chemistry sense that it contains carbon. It is not organic in the sense of food labeling. It is synthesized from a hydrocarbon into chemical mix that can be absorbed by plants, but it is not a natural part of the ordinary nitrogen cycle. The distinction is pretty big, so make sure you're using the food label sense of the word when it comes to gardening food or else you'll wind up hopelessly confused.