Intercropping: smart, efficient and good for biodiversity!
14/01/26
In our garden, we work with nature as much as possible. A great example of this is intercropping. You may have heard the term before, but what exactly does it mean and why do we consciously choose this? In this blog, we would like to take you through the story behind intercropping, its advantages and why this way of growing is so efficient and ensures good biodiversity.
What is intercropping?
Intercropping means growing two (or sometimes even several) crops one after the other or partly at the same time on the same piece of land. This happens especially when a main crop has a long growing period, like leeks in our case. In autumn, we planted leeks. Leeks grow very slowly in winter, but remain vital. This allows us to harvest them in early spring. Because there is a long period between planting and harvesting, the winter months, the soil would otherwise remain largely unused. With intercropping, we use this period by temporarily growing another crop between the leeks. This keeps the soil active, alive and productive.
What does intercropping look like in our own cropping plan?
In our garden, we apply this in different ways. For instance, we combine leeks with rocket or leeks with carrots. We also regularly choose to grow several crops in one bed, such as leaf mustard, chervil and chard, or herbs and spinach together.
We also work with successive crops. A good example is the turnips: we harvest them piece by piece, while planting courgettes in the meantime. The turnips can then continue to grow for one or two weeks, after which we harvest everything and the courgettes take over the bed completely. In this way, we make the best use of space and time, without restricting the plants' growth.
Why do we choose intercropping? 1/2
1. Efficient use of land
Land is precious. By intercropping, we do not leave the soil unnecessarily fallow, but get more harvest from the same area. This means:
- More yield per season
- Less wasted space
- Better returns without using additional land
2. Healthy and living soil
Soil that is vegetated stays healthier. Roots provide:
- Air in the ground
- Nutrition for soil life such as worms and micro-organisms
- Less leaching of nutrients
Intercropping thus helps to improve soil structure and prevent depletion.
Why do we choose intercropping? 2/2
Intercropping and biodiversity
Biodiversity plays a big role in how we work. By combining multiple crops:
- Attract more different insects
- A more natural balance emerges
- Diseases and pests get less chance
Various plants provide food and hiding places for beneficial insects, such as ladybirds and parasitic wasps. These, in turn, help keep harmful insects under control.
4.Natural protection without pesticides
To protect our crops, we use insect netting. This netting prevents insects, such as the leek moth, from laying their eggs on the plants. The big advantage of this is that:
- We do not need to use chemical pesticides
- Maintain useful insects in the environment
- Nature can continue to do its work
This keeps our vegetables pure, healthy and in balance with their environment.
In conclusion
Intercropping may not be a new technique, but it is one that fits perfectly with a conscious and natural way of growing crops. It shows how smart use of time, space and nature can lead to healthy crops, living soil and rich biodiversity.
We hope this look behind the scenes shows how much thought and care goes into our garden and ultimately ends up on your plate. 🌱