In our A1 bed we have started interplanting. This is where you plant crops with deep roots, like carrots or tomatoes, in between shallow vegetables like broccoli, lettuce, and kale. Another way of interplanting could be planting fast growing plants like spinach around slowly maturing plant like corn.
Interplanting, is very useful for several reasons. This type of gardening takes some planting knowledge, but vegetable intercropping can reduce disease and pests when done in proper combinations. The practice involves pairing taller plants with shorter ones growing under them. It also includes combinations of companion plants, which help repel pests. It also allows the small space gardener to grow many different crops, minimizes open spaces that encourage formation of competitive weeds, enhances soil fertility and promotes cooperation among different species to enhance the health of all the plants.
Intercropping with nitrogen-rich plants, such as beans, allows them to fix nitrogen in the soil and increase this macro-nutrients availability for other plants. Cyclical plantings for consistent harvest are also an important facet of interplanting. No matter what area you focus upon, the basic idea of interplanting and intensive gardening is to create a favorable relationship among all the crops and increase yields and variety.
In our own bed we have planted a few crops in this style. We first planted kale and broccoli which is about 15 inches apart, following the in bed spacing. Then we noticed a lot of room between the plants and decided to plant carrots weaving through the kale and broccoli. The carrots worked well in the small areas because they have only 4 inch in bed spacing. Not only did we save space in our bed, but we can water less, produce more, and the plants are working together.
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