“Square foot” method gardening?
Image by Campobello Island
Question by : “Square foot” method gardening?
I read an article about the square foot method of gardening when working with minimal space (which allows for more plants). They had how many plants would fit in a square foot for a lot of veggies, but nothing about squashes and melons. Since it’s different than the row method in how many plants can be utilized in the space, can anyone tell me how many squashes/melons can be planted per square foot?
P.S. I am assuming that it should be only 1 plant per square foot, since squashes and melons grown quite large, but I just want to be sure, as the more plants I can grow in my garden, the less I have to pay at the grocery store.
I grew 3 butternut squash plants in a 5 or so sq ft area last year. They thrived, and I got a good 6 or 7 (can’t remember) food size squashes off them. They did kind of intertwine themselves due to the small space, but they grew big and healthy nonetheless. What I’m more wondering is could I try 3 squashes and 2 melon plants in the same area again?
I live in a apartment complex with a big grass courtyard. There are some very large patches of dirt, and my landlord doesn’t care if I plant veggies in the dead patches, but I can’t tear up the grass. Last year, the squashes vines went out onto the grass, so they had a little more room to spread than be planted. So I have several very limited and unusually shaped spaces in which to grow a garden.
Can you help? Leave your own answer in the comments!
2 Responses to “Square foot” method gardening?
Leave a Reply
Perhaps, these foods were not mentioned in the square foot method because they really cannot be grown in a square foot since they are vining plants, often with many vines coming off each plant, and vine lengths can exceed 25 feet each. Also, these plants are often grown in hills, 3 or 4 seeds to a hill.
AmazingWomyn
January 19, 2012 at 4:04 am
“Square foot”, sometimes called “Intensive Gardening”, recommends that melons, squash, cucumbers, any vine plant, to be planted in hills 12 to 15 inches apart and grown on a trellis. But to avoid possible disease problems don’t plant the same variety of plants in the same location two years in a row.
Hondu
January 19, 2012 at 4:34 am