Square Foot Gardening?
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I’m doing a square foot garden in my parents yard this year. It’s a 4×6 foot square and under about 5 inches of Mel’s Mix is another foot or so of composting mulch and peat moss. I hope my little plants like it.
The weather has been so crazy lately that I haven’t really done any planting. I did put some pea seeds in last weekend but we’ve been having alternating snow, 60 degree weather, hard frosts and warm rain. I hope they do OK, but I’ve got lots more seeds to plant if they don’t make it through this early spring madness.
The square dividers are old venetian blind slats. I thought it was a pretty clever reuse of old material. The chicken wire is there to keep the dogs from digging. I’ll figure out some other kind of cover to keep the jays, dogs and squirrels out over the next week or so.
Yipee for spring!
Question by Angeln: Square Foot Gardening?
I want to start a garden this year, it wil be the first time ive ever done it on my own. I was looking into square foot gardening, they have the 1981 version of the book by Mel Bartholomew at our local library, i was wondering if anybody has read it? From looking online it looks like theres been a few re-writes, would it be worth finding a newer version? Has anybody tried the methods in his book? I like the idea of laying out grids and stuff, but ive read reviews about a soil mix he recommends, and some people say its great, and others say it was expensive to mix up and wasn’t worth the effort?
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
5 Responses to Square Foot Gardening?
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I garden in rows, but I hear Square foot gardening is okay. You till the soil or use a shovel to turn up the ground. You may want to add fertilizer (10-10-10) or horse manure or compost or whatever. You can plant lettuce, spinach, onions, and stuff like that (cabbage) 2-3 weeks before the last frost. With beans, corn, squash, cucumbers, and tomatoes, you have to wait until all danger of frost has past. You definitely want to get the cool weather crops in a little early. You can also replant them later in the year for a second harvest. Tomatoes like a very sunny location. With most crops, I use stakes and string to mark my rows, but I think it works a bit differently with square foot gardening. Gardens need lots of watering!
sojournsoul
October 23, 2011 at 6:14 am
I did square foot gardening and if you follow the directions from the 1981 library book you should have excellent results. After doing square foot gardening a couple years, I realized large buckets are adequate to grow just about anything so I plant almost entirely in containers now.
Planning and drawing up the squares in addition to deciding what to plant where is fun. Plan so a square of pole beans doesn’t block out the sun for carrots(and they will) Prepare the soil, mark your plot with string or some other thing so it will look awsome. It’s all in Mel Bartholomew’s book. I would use the free book for now and if you love it buy a newer version.
That Square Foot Gardening book is full of wisdom for gardeners who are newbies.
Much of the fun of gardening is being frugal. I reuse any suitable container, meaning I find it in someone’s trash. Then I buy a can of ‘OOPs’ paint for $ 5.00 and paint them all the same so they look charming. I save rain in barrels, and extra 5 gal buckets, I compost the shrubs, use the pine straw for mulch, plant the neighbors thrown away mums for next years blooms, save seeds, make my own newspaper pots to start seeds and so on. I love to garden!
sweetie02151
October 23, 2011 at 6:19 am
i own both editions. the 81 ed is fine to start with, and if you like it you can get the new one. soil mix can vary to meet your needs
glenn t
October 23, 2011 at 6:33 am
Square foot gardening is the only way to go. It is a snap to maintain and the least labor intensive of any method of vegetable growing that I know of.
Things that initially are expensive often pay off big time in the future. I have found from hard experience that getting your vegetable garden in right the first time and putting in solid permanent time and labor-saving features are indispensible. Therefore, I like putting in permanent brick or stone paths between the square foot beds, or any pathway material that stops or at least substantially cuts down on any kind of plant growth in those areas. I have found that one of the most tiresome things about vegetable gardens in the past was keeping between the rows and the pathways cleared of weeds.
Growing all vines on vertical frames is phenomenally successful. Use sturdy and long-lasting materials for years of use. Squash, beans, peas, tomatoes, and other climbers can be kept neatly under control by this method, instead of wandering aimlessly all over the lower forty.
I was able to grow 64 lettuces in a four-foot square. I grew herbs, corn, radishes, carrots, Kale, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, spinach, leeks, etc. in the four-foot squares as well. I adapted the process for potatoes, strawberries, and even put my rhubarb in contained areas. Anything that contains the area planted will define where your work begins and ends and gives a definite sense of accomplishment and purpose when approaching garden work.
Tashi Delek
October 23, 2011 at 7:23 am
Hi:
My first garden in 1991 was done with square foot gardening and I’ve continued to do it ever since. I still have my 1981 edition of Mel Bartholomew’s book and re-read it if there’s a veggie I’m not used to growing.
As for soil, I like using a potting mix that has water retention crystals in it. Miracle-Gro has one that contains water retention crystals and timed-release food and it works really well.
Square foot works well in regular garden rows and in raised bed gardening. It really give you a lot of mileage in a small space.
Good luck and happy gardening!
Best — Victoria R.
Victoria R
October 23, 2011 at 7:38 am