Now that you’ve learned all about this new gardening method called Square Foot Gardening, I’m now going to show you the details of “how to.” Remember from the first article, we are merely building a box, laying it on top of our soil or it could be put on a patio or deck if it has a bottom, filling it with a special soil mix, called Mel’s potting soil Mix , laying down a 12 inch by 12 inch grid, to divide the box into 16 square feet. Then we are going to plant a different crop in each of the square feet. As each square is harvested, you add a trowel full of compost, and replanted with a different crop, depending on the season.
It’s a very simple common sense method. It’s all organic, natural, requires no chemical fertilizer, insecticides or pesticides, and because we start with a perfect soil, we never have to dig up our existing ground. Hence, we need no expensive heavy-digging tools. And the whole system is really so simple and easy most people end up saying, “Why didn’t I think of that?” Here are the 10 basics of Square Foot Gardening. In my next column, I will discuss how to start planting. For more details of the whole system, go to our website, squarefootgardening.com and .org and you’ll be able to follow the steps very easily. If you’d like a book, we have several available on our website. As a reminder, sales from our website support all of our educational and humanitarian projects. We put gardens in schools, prisons, community parks, nursery homes all as part of our national programs.
Square Foot Gardening Tips
Location:
- Pick an area that gets 6-8 hours of sunshine daily. (Most plants need this.)
- Be sure it is not near trees and shrubs. (Where roots and shade won’t interfere.)
- Have it as close as possible to the house. (For convenience, and protection.)
- Existing soil is not really important. (Since you probably won’t be using it.)
- Area must not puddle after a heavy rain. (In other words, good drainage.)
10 Basics
| 1. Layout | Arrange garden in squares, not rows. Layout 4`x 4` planting areas. For higher yield production, try some 4`x 8` or 12` boxes. |
|---|---|
| 2. Boxes | Build bottomless boxes to hold new soil mix. Add plywood bottoms for tabletop gardens. |
| 3. Aisles | Space boxes 3` apart to form walking aisles. |
| 4. Soil | Fill boxes with Mel’s special soil mix: 1/3 blended compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 course vermiculite. |
| 5. Grid | Make a square foot grid for the top of each box. A MUST! |
| 6. Care | NEVER WALK ON YOUR GROWING SOIL. Tend your garden from the aisles. |
| 7. Select | Plant a different flower, vegetable, or herb crop in each square foot; using 1, 4, 9, or 16 plants per square foot. |
| 8. Plant | Conserve seeds. Plant only a pinch (2 or 3 seeds) per hole. Transplants are planted in a slight saucer-shaped depression. |
| 9. Water | Water by hand from a bucket of sun-warmed water. |
| 10. Harvest | When you finish harvesting a square foot, add compost and replant it with a new and different crop. |
What could be easier than this?
And Start Planting!
The next step will be what and when to plant.
Hi – I live in a place where there’s no way I can plant my garden in the ground or animals will get to it.
Can I make my garden on top of a table, and place my 4 x 4 garden box on top of the table outside in a semi-closed patio? Or will that defeat the purpose of the things I grow seeking water in the ground?
Dear Betsy,
You bring up some very good subjects and I thought I had covered all of those different questions and situations in all of my books. Have you read any of them? Because as I have pointed out many times, Square Foot Gardening is the only method where you can have your garden on top of a table. Or when you add plywood bottom to your 3×3 or 4×4, you can move it about depending on the season, situations, and you can even put in the van and take it on vacation with you.
I’m a little confused Betsy by your statement that the plants might need to be in touch with the existing ground searching for water. The whole SFG system is based upon…Forget everything you’ve ever learned about typical backyard gardening. You don’t grow in your existing soil, you don’t need it, and you don’t want it. If you use Mel’s Mix in your box on top of your weed fabric, that separates your existing dirt with your plants and they then grow in the 6 inches of perfect soil. Just like as if you had your garden in a big flower pot. But our flower pot is square and much bigger, but about the same depth (6 inches) and it is filled with the perfect soil. Because of the 3 major ingredients to Mel’s Mix (1/3 coarse vermiculite, 1/3 blended compost, 1/3 loose peat moss – equal volume of these ingredients), that material has the ability to hold water, saving it for the plants when they are thirsty. All you have to do when watering a SFG is to keep the soil moist.
So to make a short answer to all your concerns and questions, the answer to your suggestions…is YES. Build your box. Add a plywood bottom (if you’re using a plywood bottom, you don’t need weed fabric) and always drill for drainage. Follow all the directions in the book. Add Mel’s Mix. Lay down your grid and start planting. Since you live in Florida, you have a whole fall and winter of growing ahead of you…so take advantage of it. I hope that gives you the go ahead to get started. Thanks for your letter. This will encourage others who have doubts or concerns to get started with their SFG.
Best Wishes,
Mel
P.S. Here’s a link to my latest book All New Square Foot Gardening, 2nd Edition.