Schaufelreihen

Schaufelreihen, also known as shovel rows, is a traditional horticultural technique used in Central European vegetable cultivation. It consists of forming long raised soil ridges by hand with a spade, creating a pattern of elevated strips and lower inter-row spaces. The grower moves soil from the inter-row or path onto the adjacent row, building a raised bed along the length of each row. Plants are sown or transplanted on the raised ridges, while the furrows between ridges provide drainage and access.

The height and width of the ridges vary with crop and soil conditions and can be adjusted during cultivation. The method aims to improve soil warmth, drainage, aeration, and root development, while also aiding weed control by burying weeds in the furrows and creating a drier microclimate on the ridges. It is commonly associated with manual, labour-intensive cultivation and is particularly suited to hand-tilled or small-scale production.

Historically, Schaufelreihen were widely used in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland during the 19th and early 20th centuries, prior to the predominance of mechanical ridging and modern raised-bed systems. With the rise of mechanization, the approach declined for large fields but persists among hobby gardeners and some organic farmers who value hand-crafted, crop-specific ridging or prefer low-tech cultivation methods.

Crops commonly associated with Schaufelreihen include root vegetables such as carrots, beets, and parsnips, as well as onions and leafy greens. The practice is related to other forms of ridged or raised-bed cultivation and to historical Reihenkultur (row culture).