See how you can grow more in the same space with this gardening hack.
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Grow more in the space you have with Multisowing
Sometimes you find that how you grow a garden is now new or exciting or there’s a name for the method you use. I stumbled across this multisowing method watching an English Youtuber build an off-grid homestead. He had onions growing in clusters and as it turns out, there are other plants that work well with this growing method too. Some I already grow this way in the garden, others, like the onions I had never thought about!
Since moving out here to beautiful Maine, I get to start a whole new garden again! I love growing intensive gardens that produce reliably and use what is already on the property to help the garden and homestead flourish. Using this gardening method is great if you have lots of space to grow or just a small, raised bed.
Mulitsowing or cluster growing works great on no-till gardens and gardens that are converting to intensive production.
Advantages Of Cluster Growing Or Multisowing
If you are a busy gardener or short on space in your garden, then there are some great reasons to try this growing method!
- Space-saving – you can grow more plants in the same area
- More efficient use of resources – you are using less seed starting mix to start more plants, using seed starting trays and modules better to grow more plants, able to use space and light for seed starting more effectively for the number of plants.
- Saving time – you’re planting more plants or sowing more seeds at the same time for doing 1!
- Harvest extension – picking plants over a few weeks rather than all at once.
For some plants, like beets or Swiss Chard, their seeds are naturally multiple seeds in a cluster making them a great candidate to try for an easy vegetable to grow using the cluster growing method!
What Is Multisowing?
The multisowing gardening method is sowing a number of seeds in the same hole in the garden or seed starting tray module as you would put 1 seed.
In my garden, this is how my grandad taught me to grow runner beans. 1 seed for me, 2 for the slugs! I would plant 3 seeds in the same hole. Sometimes all 3 make it, sometimes 1 or 2, even none. It’s ok! Part of the experimenting in the garden is to find what works for you and your garden.
What Vegetables Grow Well In This Method?
Some plants that have grown successfully for me using this cluster growing method have been:
- Beets
- Swiss chard for salads not for larger, braising greens
- Runner beans
- Leeks
- Peas
- Salad mixes
- Spinach
- Pole beans
- Winter squash
Other herbs and vegetables that work well are:
- Basil
- Dill
- Chervil
- Cilantro
- Parsley
- Kale
- Onions
- Radish
- Arugula
- Turnips
Plant Spacing
Even though you are sowing seeds together in the same hole, you need to give the plants space to grow between the clusters. So, if your leeks need 6-8 inches between the plants, you would plant your seedlings or sow your clusters 6-8 inches apart from each other.
Harvesting
To harvest, you pick the bigger plant first and leave the smaller plants in place. This gives your smaller plants a chance to get more sunshine and nutrients to grow a little bigger over the next few days, even a week or so for some veggies. Then you can pick the bigger plant again from the cluster and so on.
This repeated harvesting is great for homesteaders that are wanting to supplement their food from the garden without getting overwhelmed with a glut of produce ready all at the same time.
Pole beans and winter squashes you would harvest in the normal way, you don’t need to be pulling up the whole plant for harvest like you would a beet for example.
Kale or leaves for a salad you just cut the larger outer leaves to let the plant keep growing so you can get multiple harvests from the same space.
Do you grow using the cluster growing or multisowing method? Let me know over in the Facebook group
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