Square Foot Gardening Made Simple - 7 Steps To Simple and Sustainable Square Foot Gardening

by Rebecca D. Powers

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including scanning, photocopying, or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Copyright © 2013

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Table of Contents

1. The History of Square Foot Gardening

2. Why Square Foot Gardening?

3. About the Square Foot Gardening Layout

4. What About Square Foot Vertical Gardens?

5. Think About Square Foot Gardening Spacing

6. How to Build a Square Foot Garden Bed

7. Creating Your Square Foot Gardening Soil

8. Square Foot Gardening Sowing & Planting

9. Make the Most of Your Square Foot Garden

10. Square Foot Gardening Online Resources

1. The History of Square Foot Gardening

The term "square foot gardening" was first used in the early 1980s by Mel Bartholomew, as the title of a book published by Rodale Press in 1981.Square Foot Gardening was the bestselling gardening book of all times. Later there was a television show that celebrated the principles of this style of gardening in boxes, laid in grids. Square Foot Gardening aired on PBS. The companion video was available in 2010. Square foot gardening is similar to a style of raised planting known as French intensive gardening.

The original methods in the 1981 book involved laying out your garden area, and digging down six inches. Once the six inch deep square was dug, the soil was improved with manufactured soil that consisted of two inches of sphagnum peat moss, two inches of vermiculite, and two inches of compost mixed into the original soil.

Generally the planting box was open on top and bottom and was four foot by four foot. The planting area was boxed in with any type of lumber except pressure treated lumber for a depth of twelve inches. Like many methods, square foot gardening has been improved over the years by practical applications. In the book The All New Square Foot Gardening, Mr. Bartholomew revised his method to a simpler method with less work.

To start lay down weed barrier cloth, set up your four by four boxes on top of it with the combination of vermiculite, compost and peat moss. Plants grow exceptionally well in the perfect soil, even though it is only six inches deep.

Another key principle was to lay paths between your square boxes. Originally the path was a foot wide board, but a new method suggests that paths be two to three feet wide because the plants grow so full in the planting boxes and hang over the boxes and into the path.

Each box in the square foot system is narrow enough that all plants within it can be reaches from outside the box for weeding tending and picking vegetables.

The manufactured soil is never compacted by gardeners walking on it. Within each garden box the planter lays out a grid and plants sparingly within the smaller squares. There is no thinning and no waste of healthy plants with this method.

In the United States and around the world square foot gardening has let thousands of people produce healthy nutritious food with minimal waste or work.

2. Why Square Foot Gardening?

Within the last few years, the ages-old concept of square foot gardening has been gaining newfound popularity among homesteaders, urban farmers, community gardeners and even backyard gardening hobbyists.

As the population rises and urban sprawl continues, the need for container planting and raised bed gardening is increasing, both of which are highly compatible with the square foot method. While most people prefer to use rectangular or square beds for this purpose, it is also possible to use circular beds and round containers.

Like with all forms of gardening, it's important to have quality soil and the proper environmental conditions to reap a successful harvest. Here's how you can start your own square foot garden with little or no hassle.

·           If your soil is poor, add the appropriate amendments before getting started. Doing this now saves you from having to work around the markers and plants.

·           Start by cordoning off your bed into one-square-foot sections. You can use gardening twine, long twigs, store-bought plant stakes or thin bamboo rods for this purpose.

·           Plan out the arrangement of your plants with one plant to each square. Although it might seem easy enough, you should consider plant height and each square's micro-climate before planting. After you create your layout, start planting. Don't forget to label your plants so that you know what species and varieties you have.

·           Once everything is in place, add water and a good fertilizer that conforms to the needs of each plant. It's also recommended to add a layer of leaf mulch to help retain soil moisture and integrity.

Flowers may be planted in a square foot garden, but because the intent of this setup is to maximize yield in a small space, most people prefer to plant only vegetables and herbs. You'll also need to consider whether plants will require support and provide trellises or stakes as needed.

One of the biggest advantages of square foot planting is that as plants cease to produce, you can easily replace them without damaging or disturbing surrounding ones. This method also improves water, fertilizer and time efficiency while boosting your harvests with less effort.

It lets you create a functional and productive vegetable garden no matter what your skill level is and enables you to reap the benefits for years. However, it's important to remember that, like any endeavor, careful planning and analysis is the cornerstone to a healthy and productive garden of any kind.

3. About the Square Foot Gardening Layout

Before beginning your garden, it is important to know the square foot gardening layout. We will start at the beginning with the concept and rational. Row gardening can take up a lot of space and requires watering and weeding areas adjacent to crops where nothing is even planted. With very long rows, watering with a garden hose can be difficult.

Sizes

To save time, labor and space, square foot gardening layout incorporates 4 foot wide grow boxes constructed of 2” by 6” lumber. 1” by 6” lumber will also work. The length of your boxes can vary but due to the fact lumber usually comes in 8 foot lengths, it makes sense to plan boxes that are four, eight, twelve or sixteen feet long. For convenience of watering and moving from side to side it makes sense not to go longer than 16 foot.

Variations

For patio gardens and small spaces it is possible to use grow boxes as small as 2 feet wide. A 2 or 3 foot wide arrangement might be best to place against a fence, especially if there is no access from the side.

Location

Be sure to avoid shady areas. Your plants will need 8 to 12 hours of sunlight every day. It’s also important to keep your garden in a spot you can reasonably reach with a garden hose. Consider all the angles too, when arranging your garden. You should know the square foot gardening layout rational completely before choosing the location and building your boxes.

Whole Garden Layout

It is a good idea to draw your entire garden plan before starting. Before you start drawing the layout, you should mark north, south east and west on your plan. These will be important.

Leave room for expansion. Consider the largest garden you’d possibly want to build before placing your boxes. It can be hard to move beds once they are placed.

Arrange the grow boxes so that there are three foot walkways between your grow beds. This allows for easy access. You shouldn’t walk across the grow bed so be careful to arrange them so that all areas can be reached easily.

Use a Grid System of Square Foot Spots

Once your boxes are built, build a grid system out of either 1 inch by 1 inch lumber, plastic strips or metal rods so that your areas are clearly marked. These areas will allow you to label your crops, and insure enough space for each plant. You can either attach your grids to the boxes or simply lay them on the soil inside the box.

Thinking Inside the Box

Inside the grow box you must stay aware of due north. Always plant the taller plants and vertical gardens to the north of shorter plants. Your summer sun will always be streaming in from the south so this keeps shade off the short plants.

Once you know your square foot gardening layout, you will want to insert your trellis material for tomatoes, cucumbers and other vine plants. Remember, melons and pumpkins can also be trellised but you’ll need a really strong supporting material like wood or rebar.

Laying out, building and planting a square foot garden can benefit your family in many ways. It is a great way to utilize limited space in a productive way.

These gardens can be both beautiful and a healthy resource for your family. Knowing the square foot gardening layout can save money on the grocery bill. The gardens create a beautiful environment in your backyard and they can add years to your life by replacing those less healthy foods purchased in stores.

By providing low impact exercise and outdoor activities, a square foot garden can improve your fitness level as well.

4. What About Square Foot Vertical Gardens?

Square foot gardening is a method of growing crops in a four foot by four foot raised bed framed by 2” x 6” lumber to create a box, so what about square foot vertical gardening? Some plants are very tall but stand up on their own, creating a vertical garden. Other plants are intended to be trellised or staked for vertical growth. Many plants may be trellised or staked if you choose, but it isn’t necessary. This means that the plant vine can either spread along the ground or be encouraged to grow straight up by keeping it tied to a trellis.

Examples

Corn is a good example of a tall plant, but it must be planted at a depth of 2 inches to prevent it from falling over from insufficient root syndrome. Corn must be watered carefully to avoid washing the soil away from the seeds.

It must be kept moist but not wet. Avoid making puddles. Tomatoes need to be staked or trellised and are great for vertical gardening. Melon plants like cantaloupes are normally allowed to spread on the ground, but they can be trellised provided the trellising material is strong and well supported.

Why go Vertical?

Naturally, plants spreading along the ground waste space, planting soil and water. It can also make weeding difficult. The principles of square foot gardening are to conserve space, save on water and make gardening easier.

Therefore it is within the spirit of square foot gardens to trellis plants that vine, droop or otherwise require encouragement to grow more vertically.

What about Square Foot Vertical Garden Trellis Materials?

There are many types of material that can be used as trellis. Wooden lattice can be used as trellis. It is very pretty but tying can be a bit awkward. Still if you want a pretty trellis, this can look very nice.

There is also vinyl trellis netting, wire mesh and specialized wire trellising material. In addition wire mesh can be constructed into wire sculptures and then used as trellis, for a more elaborate presentation.

What about Square Foot Vertical Gardens Using Tall Planters?

This is a really good idea to get even more planting space in a small garden. Use a 6 inch PVC pipe cut to 5 or 6 foot lengths. Cut small holes in the pipe to plant seeds or insert young plants into.

One can use a spiral pattern around the pipe so that each plant has enough room for its root system to grow. Fill the planter with moistened Mel’s mix or other potting soil. Fasten the PVC planter in an upright position to the sides of your box. Use a one foot square in the raised box for each planter.

Water the planter from the top. Water will flow through the plant roots and soil and out the bottom of the pipe. These planters are perfect for strawberries, leaf lettuce or any other small plants that prefer well drained soil.

Square Foot Vertical Gardens are practical fun ways to grow food. They can also be used for flower gardens. The principles of square foot gardening can apply to smaller boxes as well.

If you are patio gardening, with only a small amount of space, 2 foot by 2 foot boxes can be used. In these circumstances going vertical just makes sense.

5. Think About Square Foot Gardening Spacing

Think about square foot gardening space as the pursuit of precision gardening. There are a lot of people who would love to garden but live in places with limited space. Square foot gardening lets you get the maximum output using the limited space you have to grow things.

Feel the exhilaration of actually planting enough onions to last a whole season, and well into the winter months. Making a salad out of things you grow is a real joy. Many times the foods you plant will be more potent than things you purchase at the markets.

This kind of gardening lets you plant in a weed free environment, using raised gardening techniques. Fill predesigned square foot boxes with soil and plant. This is a neat way for the beginning gardener to grow things and a way for people who want a less stressful way of growing things.

Planting with square foot gardening space will give you the chance to plant more things you like within the confines of a small area.

Some vegetables take up more growing space than others and some have shallow roots needing less space. Many items used for salad fixings require less room to grow, carrots, basil, parsnips, spinach chives and onions are just a few.

Square foot grids are available in wood and mesh if you decide not to make your own. This way of gardening is neat; and it is also easy to keep up with what you have planted, particularly when you are not the most seasoned gardener.

This can be used for flowers too. Netting grids do not break the plants and the material is long lasting. Wood grids are nice, but measure the planting frame carefully. You can go it alone and build your own grids; either way, this kind of gardening is a great way to plant vegetables.

Package instructions on the back of vegetables cover square footage and the distance in rows, so read. Anyone can have a great greenhouse garden or a nice roof garden with lots of herbs and basic vegetables to add flavor to dishes you might enjoy cooking.

It is especially nice to grow the things you love to eat. Smoothies are nice to make in the summer and strawberries take very little square footage; although, they can run a little wild. It is great when you can decide what kind of soil your food will be grown with. Home grown vegetables can be so much healthier for the body and your peace of mind.

6. How to Build a Square Foot Garden Bed

A square foot garden bed is an easier gardening method that takes away many of the challenges associated with maintaining a large garden.

It is the perfect option for those who want to start growing their own vegetables or herbs. This smaller scale garden is not only easy to maintain but it is very easy to build. Here is how to build a square foot garden bed.

Materials

4 cedar boards that are 4x12x2 inches

12 wood screws

Drill

Hammer

12 small nails

Shovel

Compost

Garden soil

Scissors

Steer manure

Twine

Newspaper

Directions

1. Screw the cedar boards together by using the woods screws.

Use three screws per board to secure. Frame should be even.

2. Select a leveled area to place the square foot garden.

The location should be easily accessible for maintenance and watering. The location chosen should also receive lot of sunlight.

3. Place the frame in chosen location.

When doing so flattening the grass inside the garden and then follow by covering grass with a few layers of newspaper.

4. Add compost, garden soil and manure inside the frame.

It is important to add these components in layers. Once these elements are added, mix thoroughly with shovel. Your square foot garden bed will require about 15 cubic feet of soil. This should fill up the garden bed within two inches of the top of the frame.

5. Separate.

Now that your square foot garden bed is filled with soil and placed in its location you will now use the 12 nails that will be used to hold the twine needed to separate your garden. Begin by marking one foot sections on the top of the frame. Hammer a nail into each of these marks.

6. Apply twine.

Wrap twine around nails that are parallel to each other. This will create sections of the garden that can be used to plant a variety of different crops. For those who want to permanently section off their garden, nail wooden strips instead of twine.

7. Plant and water.

Plant your selected seeds and water to begin your garden.

Overall, building a square foot garden bed is a very easy thing to do. Supplies are easy to obtain and the steps are very easy to follow. For those who do not have access or do not know how to use a saw, visit your local hardware store to have the boards cut to size. Before you know it, you will have a beautiful garden full of a variety of herbs, flowers and plants.

7. Creating Your Square Foot Gardening Soil

Creating square foot gardening soil is part of the practice of creating an organic garden. Composting is generally used for square foot gardening.

The method is well suited to use of almost any type of soil, however. Most gardeners look for soil mixtures, or create compost that will hold water well. Since planting beds are watered by hand, there is no waste during germination.

How dense the planted garden is, the more likely the presence of living mulch will attribute rich vitamins to the soil during growth. Weeds should be extrapolated on sight.

Some square foot gardeners choose to place a weed barrier at the bottom of the box composed of blended compost, decayed sphagnum peat moss and expanded vermiculite.

Annual addition of new compost can be added to the existing soil. Depth of planting in the soil varies, so how high the soil is compacted is dependent on planting strategy.

Some organic vegetables such as asparagus or carrots require a deeper plot. Most square foot gardeners recommend a more than six inch soil accumulation to meet root requirement with crowding.

Once the beds are planted, consistent weeding and watering of the soil will ensure that a planting thrives. Garden soil should not be stepped on or compacted into a hard plateau. New soil can be mixed in this manner.

Soil compost is important to creating the most bountiful garden. With only a few new handfuls of composted soil, square foot planters can be harvested. Maintenance of soil fertility is a snap.

Gardeners should check the status of the planters underlying soil, but in most cases it can be changed with minimal input. Make compost by hand in the kitchen with the remainder of live foods. By setting the compost box up in a window, garden or other sunny location, it can readily be moved to the square foot planting box.

Use new soil for growing herbs, flowers, fruits and vegetables. Garden containers are self-germinating beds. Gardeners can even place them on tabletops.

With just a few seeds per square foot in lightly composted soil, the entire experience of organic gardening comes alive. Close space means that little use of pesticides is necessary.

Square foot gardening has been employed in most regions in the world. Perfect for arid and semi-arid deserts, mountain plateaus, cramped city gardens and even locations with highly polluted or salinated soils, square foot gardening is easy.

8. Square Foot Gardening Sowing & Planting

It is time for square foot gardening sowing & planting. When plant food sources are scarce and expensive, you can use your limited space.

The name square foot gardening is a method using raised plots for growing crops. In this time and age, when food supply is abundant but comes with a tag price, you can make use of your garden or limited home space for plant yields.

Benefits of Square Foot Gardening

* Provides maximum plant and crop yields using small growing space

* Supports quality crop conditions

* Lessens risk of weeds, main culprits in plant yield degradation

* Decreases plant disease chances; thus, you will have an opportunity to grow a large variety of plants using confined and limited space without worrying about any plant disease outbreak.

Simple Planting Tips

If you do not have compost, you can use resources such as ground peanut cake, blood meal, and fish emulsion.

Alternatively, you can employ seaweed emulsion, a great source of real soil for maximum plant health. However, you should remember to spray your transplants before replanting.

For clay content, you can use good topsoil and then you can add some lime, ideally with about half a liter of ground limestone.

If you are living in a high-rise home, you can also create a square foot garden on your rooftop or balcony. But, you should check what weight can be accommodated by your rooftop.

You can also use break up your home to find a suitable place where you can build your square garden. Alternatively, you can use baskets, boxes, or any containers available.

For wooden plant beds, you can use make a stand to place them on your cemented area only if you are sure that the crop beds will not leak especially during a storm.

You should know that this practice might stain your cemented area. If you think this will eventually bother you, you can instead plant using wooden trays which are all covered with heavy-duty plastic materials.

If you do not have a soil source, you can also use compost. You can go to your municipal agriculture office for compost sources to employ in square foot gardening. You can also make your own compost.

There you have some benefits and tips to get you started in square foot gardening. If you wish to grow your plants for food, then you can gear up and prepare materials and resources needed to put up your very own limited space garden. Undoubtedly, growing plants for food can be possible even if your space is considered a restraint.

9. Make the Most of Your Square Foot Garden

Square Foot Gardening is the smart way to harvest a significant amount of produce when you’re low on space. These gardens are easy to maintain and take less time to care for than traditional in-ground gardens. How do you reap the most reward from your smaller garden? These tips have been proven to yield a larger harvest with ease.

Raise the Seed

Instead of breaking the ground and tilling soil that over the years is drained of nutrients, consider building an elevated square foot garden. Use soil that is rich with nutrients and add an extra boost of fertilizer.

Make sure you test the soil to ensure that the soil isn’t overloaded with nutrients. As with many things, too much of a good thing could lead to poor results. Your garden will thrive in an elevated bed better because the soil is looser, is less likely to be over-run by in ground natural pests and takes less time to maintain due to less weed growth.

Give Your Plants Room

When planting your seeds or seedlings, pay careful attention to the recommended spacing. By planting plants close together, you take the risk of overcrowding your growing plants.

Plants that are crowded will not thrive and grow to full potential due to lack of space and decreased nutrients. Studies have shown that plants thrive better when planted in a triangle pattern versus the traditional straight in a row pattern.

To make use of your space, plant all of your vine bearing plants together. Use stakes so that the vines can grow upwards instead of covering ground space. Produce that grows on vine producing plants include melons, beans, tomatoes and peas. For those that are thinking of growing corn, the corn stalks provide an excellent support pole for your vine growing plants.

The vines attach to the stalk and grow upwards, providing an opportunity to plant smaller produce bearing plants below.

Extend Your Season

Your garden thrives during the warm summer months, however; the cooler temperature of fall doesn’t have to mean an end to your harvest.

When the warmer temperatures begin to slip away, take advantage of natural heat producing blankets that keep your garden producing longer.

Moss and mulch applied as a ground cover will naturally create and retain heat near the roots of your plants. A warm plant is a happy plant that will eagerly provide an abundant harvest for your family.

10. Square Foot Gardening Online Resources

There are as many reasons to plant a garden as there are gardeners. Some people can’t resist the flavor and texture of a tomato fresh off the vine, still warm from the sun. Some people want to avoid genetically modified food and pesticides, and some people just take great pleasure from working the earth.

In today’s busy lives, however, it’s hard to find time and space for a garden. Commutes are long, yards are small (or nonexistent, for apartment dwellers), and weekends are often consumed by children’s activities. Enter Square Foot Gardening, an innovative technique popularized by Mel Bartholomew in the early 1980’s that enables you to grow delicious produce and gorgeous flowers in as little as one foot of earth. The web is abundant with tips and advice for how to incorporate this easy method into your own life.

The granddaddy of them all, Mel Bartholomew’s site http://www.squarefootgardening.com offers tips on getting started, how Square Foot Gardening works, and an active forum to chat with fellow gardeners. A comprehensive webstore offers everything you need to get started, from grids and planter boxes to planting mixes and vermicompost. The site offers courses that allow experienced gardeners to become certified instructors in Square Foot Gardening methods.

Http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net is Emily Peery’s gardening site, with timely advice on when to plant crops, how to tell when they are ready to harvest, and even how to use them in recipes. A community forum lets readers share pictures of their layouts and get advice, and readers can sign up for e-mail reminders of planting times. Ms. Peery has just released a series of e-books that provide a vegetable reference guide, as well as information on gardening basics and planning a garden by color.

Http://frugaldad.com/2008/03/03/how-to-build-a-square-foot-garden/ offers a step-by-step break down of how to build the grid that is the basic of Square Foot Gardening, as well as the costs of materials, and an innovative, inexpensive irrigation technique. Jason describes how to build a tabletop garden, and provides tips on how to garden frugally.

Http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Square_foot_gardening gives a history of the technique, tips on what to plant when, and a few ideas for layouts for those who don’t want, or don’t have space for, the typical four square foot box. The site also offers information on how to combine Square Foot Gardening with other techniques, such as French intensive gardening and combination planting.

Square Foot gardening is a great way to bring a little old fashioned pleasure into your busy life, and the web is a fantastic resource on how to do it. Slow down a little bit and take the time to smell the flowers in your own yard!

CLICK HERE Your FREE Organic Gardening 6 Day Course...

HIGHLY Recommended!

      "You Can Have a BEAUTIFUL, Lush IndoorGardening By Following These Tips..."

      The Shoestring Gardener - Frugal Eco-friendly Gardening Tutorial

      Expert Gardener Finally Reveals His Underground Secrets For Growing The Most Abundant Crops of Delicious Fruits and Vegetables You Can Imagine!

      How To Build Your Own Vertical Garden

Table of Contents

Copyright

Other books

1. The History of Square Foot Gardening

2. Why Square Foot Gardening?

3. About the Square Foot Gardening Layout

4. What About Square Foot Vertical Gardens?

5. Think About Square Foot Gardening Spacing

6. How to Build a Square Foot Garden Bed

7. Creating Your Square Foot Gardening Soil

8. Square Foot Gardening Sowing & Planting

9. Make the Most of Your Square Foot Garden

10. Square Foot Gardening Online Resources