Get The Maximum Benefit In Limited Garden Space With French Intensive Gardening

For people who have limited space for gardening, French intensive gardening can be a great way to get the maximum benefit of a garden space.

intensive French gardening picture

French intensive gardening is a technique that is designed to maximize yields using a combination of biodynamic agriculture and specific alterations to the normal garden layout and planting system. In addition to being very productive, this type of gardening is extremely efficient, and an astounding array of crops can be produced in a very small space when the garden is laid out well.

French intensive gardening also can be beautiful, especially when the gardener takes the time to plan and map before plunging into the project.

French intensive raised beds gardening

One of the defining features of French intensive gardening is the raised beds that are used. In this style of gardening, the beds are very large, allowing gardeners to walk in the beds, rather than along established pathways, to perform garden maintenance. The beds are also double dug, which means that the soil is worked to twice the usual depth. The intensive working of the ground produces light, fluffy soil that is well amended with compost and humus, which encourages healthy plant growth and the production of deep roots.

gardening French intensive ideas

The beds also are mounded, rather than flattened, thereby creating more surface area for planting in each bed. Although it takes a lot of work to establish the beds for French intensive gardening, many gardeners believe that it is worth it, especially when the available space is small. The garden is maintained with daily light watering and the addition of rich compost and organic fertilizers.

Intensive french garden design

Another important aspect of French intensive gardening is plant spacing. Plants typically are grown very close together, with the leaves of the plants creating a cover that reduces weeds and helps keep the soil moist, acting almost like mulch. Gardeners who use this system also utilize companion planting, a system that pairs plants to their mutual advantage, using things such as beans to enrich the soil for energy-hungry plants, for example, or scattering marigolds in the garden to reduce insect pests.