Mixed cultivation, Milpa bed... What is that actually?
![[Translate to Englisch:] Milpa-Beet](/fileadmin/dokumente/beschaeftigte/Qualitaetsmanagement/Nachhaltigkeit/Urban_Gardening/Urban_Gardening_2023_15_rot.jpg)
![[Translate to Englisch:] Milpa-Beet](/fileadmin/dokumente/beschaeftigte/Qualitaetsmanagement/Nachhaltigkeit/Urban_Gardening/Urban_Gardening_2023_16_rot.jpg)
The concept of mixed cultivation has existed for many thousands of years. Even the Maya and Native Americans relied on the plant community of sweetcorn (Zea mays Saccharata), runner beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) and pumpkin plants (Cucurbitaceae) - the so-called milpa culture - to ensure basic nutrition.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Milpa-Beet](/fileadmin/_processed_/6/7/csm_Urban_Gardening_2023_13_35ea5dfe91.jpg)
Also aptly referred to as "the three sisters", the milpa culture is a prime example of the benefits of growing different crops side by side. In a mixed culture, the characteristics of the respective plants work together and support each other. For example, the sweetcorn serves as a trellis for the runner beans, which bring important nutrients into the soil thanks to their ability to bind nitrogen from the air. The large-leaved pumpkin plants shade the soil and thus counteract weed growth and water evaporation.
![[Translate to Englisch:] Milpa-Beet](/fileadmin/_processed_/1/a/csm_Urban_Gardening_2023_14_d4ffd530f7.jpg)
This, to a certain extent, self-sustaining planting not only saves the allotment gardener labour, time and resources, but also has the potential for future-oriented application in industrial agriculture.
This knowledge could once again be the key to our food security.
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