Blanda egen jord : ett odlingsförsök utifrån historiskt recept och lokala resurser

Abstract

Making substrates is a craft which made up a big part of the gardener’s profession up until the middle of the 18th century. Many of the necessary components often involved resources that were accessible in the garden. Today, both the knowledge surrounding and the craft within mixing substrates has largely been forgotten, and very few gardeners dedicate time to do so. In present time the manufacturing of substrates is done by specialized companies in factories. This thesis aims to enlighten and research substrates from a cultural history- and craftmanship perspective, done with local resources, through analysis of a practical experiment, interviews and a study of accessible literature. In my practical experiment I gathered components and mixed two different substrates, one of them based on a recipe from 1912, and the other composed in collaboration with Pauliina Jonsson from Jordbruksverket. These were then compared with a peatmoss-based substrate bought from Hasselfors Garden. The two selfmade substrates were based on components such as leafmold, gardencompost, sand and soil. Salad plants were then planted into each of the three substrates in a large growing container, where they were closely monitored until harvest. Subtrate analysis was taken from each of the substrates and a reflection of harvest results, properties and deviations in the craftmanship needed for each of the substrates were made.