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MITTLEIDER METHOD NOTES:Control 6 Elements for Success:1. Light

Your plants must have full sunlight all day long! No trees, shrubs,fences. Plants can even shade themselves. Prune off excess sucker stems so there is plenty of air and light.

2. Temperature

Seeds usually don't germinate until they reach 75-80 degrees. If your climate is a cold one, you can build a mini frame around your rowsand cover it with greenhouse plastic (uv protected). If your climate istoo hot, use the same frame but cover it with 30% white shade cloth(30% is maximum- you can go lower). And only cover in the hottest parts of the day. Plants will stop fruiting once the temperature reaches95 degrees.

3. Air

Plants receive air through the roots- they need soil air. No standingwater, so avoid flooding. Make your beds 2 inches above the height of the walk ways to promote drainage.If you have a problem with clay soil, make your beds and then mix insand to make up 30% of the bed and your problem is solved.If you are container gardening, use sawdust and 30% sand to fillinstead of dirt. This helps with air supply, drainage, and spread of nutrients given to the plants.

4. Water

A plant is a continuous water pipe from the tip of the smallest root tothe top of the highest leaf.When you first water your seeds keep the beds wet until they sprout.After that, water once a day first thing in the morning -1 inch of water in the bed and that's it. if you live somewhere especially dry like AZyou may need to water 2x a day in the summer. If your plant is wiltingit is dying, so watch your plants to see if they need more water.If you have a problem with salinity (salt) in the soil, create the beds,then flood it three times and it will get the salt far enough down awayfrom the planting area that your plants wont be affected.It is important to have level beds so that all nutrients given to the plants will stay and soak into the soil where they are placed, rather than running to the lowest point of the bed when watered. (I have avideo of how to level the beds coming soon)Water only the root zone of the plant. *Do not sprinkle* this will water weeds, waste water and promote disease. Try your hardest to not getthe rest of the plant wet when you water- this just promotes disease asmentioned. If you automate water using an above the ground dripsystem it will be easier, faster, and more efficient. Using 3/4 inch #200 psi pvc piping (painted with exterior paint) and drill 3 #57bit holesevery 4 inches. Set this on a 6"long 2x4 to suspend above root zone.(when I make mine I will video and post)

5. Food

A plant can not grow beyond it's most limiting factor. In my opinion

food is, in most cases, the most limiting factor. There are plenty of thenutrients that your plant needs in most soil, however, many are bondedto other elements and cannot be absorbed by the roots, so they do youno good. The food given to plants must be water soluble and availableto roots. The 13 natural mineral nutrients needed for the best growthand health of the plant are:

Major Elements

•

Nitrogen

•

Phosphorus

•

Potassium in the form of PotashOtherwise known as NPK and is available at any garden center. Youwill need 16-16-16. 16-16-16 is the relative percentage % of Nitrogen(N), Phosphorous (P), and Potassium (K).Plants use these nutrients to develop different parts; Nitrogen buildsstrong leaves, Phosphate builds strong roots, and Potash (Potassium) promotes root development and disease resistance.

Secondary Elements

•

Calcium

•

Sulfur (Ca and Sulfur are found in gypsum)

•

Magnesium (epsom Salt)

Trace Elements

•

Zinc

•

Boron

•

Manganese

•

Iron

•

Copper

•

Chloride

•

MolybdenumA continutous supply of these elements is best, so feed them everyweek!

I will include the fertilizer recipes at the bottom of this post.

6. Competition

weeds, bugs, animalsWeed early and often. do not use mulch. keep ground dry and bare.Prevent disease and bugs! Pick fruits as soon as they are ripe and prune your plants so that no leaves are touching the ground (we will betraining all our plants UP). Clear the ground of any trimmings and pullout and dispose of plants

as soon

as they are done fruiting. Do not letfruit rot on the plant. Do not let your plants get over-watered.

Other notes:

A lot of people are concerned about the pH of the soil. For us in thesouthwest, the pH of soil is fixed when you add the preplant mix withgyspum. To determine if your soil is acidic or alkaline, a good rule of thumb is: any place that gets more than 20" of rain a year is acidic andany place that gets less than 20" is alkaline. If you live somewherewith more than 20" of rain a year, replace the gypsum in the preplantrecipe with pulverized lime or garden lime. A good gardening pH is 6.

The fertilizer recipes are as follows:

Preplant

mix

80 parts gypsum

(find in a large bag at most gardening stores)

4 parts Epsom salts

(Found at the drug store in First Aid)

1 part Boron

(found at most grocery stores in the laundry isle asBORAX laundry booster)Remember these are parts not percents. When to add: Add to center of the isles once they are made and leveled (and before seeds or seedlingsare planted). Cut into soil until you cant really see it anymore and thenlevel again. You don't want to add before isles are made because it's awaste of fertilizer. You will be adding 1 oz (2 tablespoons) per squarefoot. ____________________________________________________

Weekly Feed25 lb bag NPK (16-16-16)4 lbs Epsom Salts10oz of Magic Mix

(I get this from thefoodforeveryone.orgwebsite.It has the trace elements that are very hard to find, and when they arefound can only be purchased in large quantities. Foodforeveryone has