Copper tools create 1.8 m² garden with 12 plants on the city island
If you live on the Havelberg city island — and haven’t acquired one of the many allotment gardens around Havelberg — you have little space to grow your own edible plants.
Our bed is 0.30 x 6 meters long or wide. We have only 1.8 m² available for planting.
At the Landmarkt, Pritzwalker Straße 68, my daughter and I bought 12 plants. We asked ChatGPT how to plant them optimally and what benefits they offer us. Here are the results:
You may have noticed in the video that the two garden tools I used looked a bit different? More shine? Yes, that’s right. Why that is, you’ll find out further down in the article.…
Optimal Planting of Your Shaded Bed (0.3 × 6 m) Next to the North Wall
If you want to arrange your plants optimally in a 0.3 × 6 m bed along the north wall of your house (east-west orientation), you should consider the following points:
Location
The bed is on the north side of your house and is mostly shaded. Shade-loving and semi-shade-tolerant herbs as well as shade-tolerant vegetables and berry varieties are particularly suitable here.
Order and Spacing (East → West)
You place all plants in a single row with the spacings given below:
Position
Plant
Distance to Previous Plant
Distance from East End
1
Black Currant
–
0 cm
2
Blueberry
100 cm
100 cm
3
Rosemary
120 cm
220 cm
4
Sage
40 cm
260 cm
5
Oregano
25 cm
285 cm
6
Marjoram
25 cm
310 cm
7
Thyme
25 cm
335 cm
8
Summer Savory
20 cm
355 cm
9
Curry Plant
25 cm
380 cm
10
Mini Cucumber
30 cm
410 cm
11
Zucchini
50 cm
460 cm
12
Mint
30 cm
490 cm
The bed ends at 600 cm, so after the mint you have about 110 cm left as a maintenance path.
Overview of Benefits and Care Tips
1. Black Currant
Benefit: Rich in vitamin C and ideal for jellies, syrups, and desserts.
Care: Needs moist, humus-rich soil. In late winter, cut old shoots close to the ground so new ones can grow vigorously.
2. Blueberry
Benefit: Source of antioxidants, delicious on its own, in muesli, or in cakes.
Care: Use acidic soil (pH 4.5–5.5) and mulch regularly with softwood bark to retain moisture.
3. Rosemary
Benefit: Aromatic kitchen herb that aids digestion.
Care: Has low shade tolerance. Ensure good ventilation and lime-free, well-drained soil. Protect in winter with fleece.
4. Sage
Benefit: Medicinal plant for sore throats and flavors meat dishes.
Care: Avoid waterlogging. Prune back hard after flowering to prevent woody growth.
5. Oregano
Benefit: Mediterranean flavor with antiviral properties.
Care: Tolerates partial shade. Air the plant occasionally and thin out to prevent fungal infestation.
6. Marjoram
Benefit: Mild flavor for light dishes and teas.
Care: Keep the soil evenly moist. Remove faded shoots to promote bushy growth.
7. Thyme
Benefit: Antibacterial and ideal for soups and stews.
Care: Prefers rather dry soils. Prune after flowering to prevent woodiness.
8. Summer Savory
Benefit: Seasons legumes and improves their digestibility.
Care: Choose evenly moist soil and do light pruning in summer.
9. Curry Plant (Helichrysum italicum)
Benefit: Delicate citrus aroma for salads and fish dishes.
Care: Needs sandy, well-drained soil. Protect the plant with fleece in winter if it’s very wet.
10. Mini Cucumber
Benefit: Space-saving snack cucumber for fresh snacking.
Care: Provide a climbing aid and keep the soil evenly moist. Mulch prevents soil splashes.
11. Zucchini
Benefit: Productive summer vegetable, versatile in use.
Care: Needs plenty of water and nutrient-rich soil. At least a few hours of sun per day increase yield.
…
12. Mint
Benefit: Refreshing tea, garnish for desserts and cocktails.
Care: Very rampant—plant it last. Keep the soil moist and prune regularly.
General Care Tips for Your Shaded Bed
Soil: Rich in compost, well-drained. A gravel base prevents waterlogging.
Water: In the shade, water less often but evenly. Avoid drought stress.
Fertilization: Regularly fertilize vegetables with organic fertilizer. Herbs need compost only 1–2 times per year.
Air Circulation: Keep enough distance and thin out plants occasionally to prevent fungal infestation.
Copper Garden Tools
I came across copper garden tools years ago when I was studying the life of naturalist Viktor Schauberger and reading some books about him.
One book reports that in the 1950s near Salzburg, farmers wanted to (re)adopt copper tools. Unfortunately, “the lobby” prevented this at the time, because on the one hand, they wanted to sell tools made from cheaper metals and—more seriously—the chemical fertilization!
This is hardly or not at all necessary for soils worked with copper tools.
Copper strengthens the soil.
Iron, especially rust, weakens the soil. This was researched in theory and proven in practice at the time.
There are so many wonderful (old) techniques that are not available on the mass market because large corporations and lobbies make sure everyone uses their products. Just take a serious look at the work of Nikola Tesla!
Back to my two small copper tools: These were made by PKS Bronze Johannes Stadler e.U. in Austria. PKS preserves and promotes the (re)discoveries and findings of Viktor Schauberger and produces high-quality garden tools from copper alloys.
There are some official PKS dealers in Germany. Unfortunately, not our Havelberg Landmarkt. Last year, I suggested this in a personal conversation. But the products are too expensive for people who are not aware of this essential added value. Maybe this article will change that a bit?
I ordered from the online shop mandelu.de. The operators Yvonne and Rainer run an online shop with free shipping from northern Brandenburg.
Warning: Amazon is not an alternative!
Of course, I also looked for suitable tools on Amazon, because you get a good market overview there and as a customer you take no risk. Well, almost none. Copper tools are offered there for much less money.
However, I became suspicious when reading the reviews. Why do high-quality copper tools only get 4 out of 5 possible stars? The 5-star reviewers are very satisfied. Okay, that doesn’t help. Let’s look at the 1-star reviewers: They found out that these are actually copper-plated tools.
That’s not so great, because they don’t have the beneficial properties for which we are willing to pay more.
Fake copper doesn’t help.
When the copper-plated tools become permeable, all the negative aspects of iron tools reappear. In addition, these are cheap foreign productions.
These are the advantages of real copper tools
No maintenance necessary.
No rust, no verdigris.
They can be resharpened or hammered out again.
They have an incomparably longer lifespan than iron tools.
Working with copper garden tools is less strenuous due to the material properties.
Not magnetically chargeable. The natural voltage field in your soil is hardly disturbed by using copper tools.
Through experiments by naturalist Viktor Schauberger in the 1950s, soil improvement and associated growth promotion were proven.
Through abrasion, copper trace elements are introduced into the soil, which play a key role in enzymatic processes.
Of course, I know that some readers will smile at me and happily appreciate their chemically coated Gardena tools. That’s great!
I’ve always been a bit quirky. But that’s how I’ve come to different results than the masses. I look forward to an exchange and am grateful to be part of Havelberg.
Here’s to a beautiful summer and a good harvest in your home garden, Richard Banks
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