Vegetable gardens are well-suited to find the ideal crop combinations. Photo Shutterstock Research programme CropMix has called on vegetable gardeners to assist them in the coming growing season. Their findings will help find the answer to one of the most pressing questions related to strip-tilling and other forms of combination tilling: What crops go well together? The first 150 gardeners have already registered.
CropMix has a 10-million-euro budget from the National Science Agenda to investigate how crop diversity, also known as strip-tilling, may help accelerate the transition towards a more sustainable farming system. The programme focuses on agroecological and socioeconomic aspects. How does strip tilling affect the farm, the production chain and the shop?
Beans
One of the principles underpinning strip-tilling and other forms of mixed tilling is that an ingenious combination of crops renders pesticides unnecessary. But what are the most successful combinations, and under what circumstances? The practical experiences gained by vegetable gardeners may help in answering that question because it is precisely in vegetable gardens where many crops are mixed.
Hence, CropMix will start a citizen science experiment. Vegetable gardeners are requested to grow at least two different crop combinations, broad beans and pumpkins, and broad beans with a crop of their choosing. The bean harvest will be quantified by counting the number of beans and peas. Coordinator Yvonne Florissen: ‘That is a more accurate benchmark than the weight of the harvest, as not every gardener harvests their crop at the same time. Preferences vary, after all.’
Contribute
Recruitment began at the end of November through an advertisement in the vegetable gardeners’ magazine AVVN. Any vegetable gardener with at least 4 m2 can join, regardless of their level of experience. Soil type is irrelevant. Florissen: ‘One of the advantages of a citizen science project is that it yields results from across the Netherlands, with a range of growing conditions.’
WUR employees and students with a vegetable garden are welcome to contribute. You may register until 21 December. CropMix will provide the (organic) pumpkin and broad bean seeds.
