Square Foot Gardening

[poppycat]

I too started out using it. It's GREAT when your space is limited. I still use an adapted version of it for greens, garlic and a few other small things. But I've become slovenly lately and just let my squash sprawl all over the place. Plus my tomatoes just get a cage slapped on them when they are planted. No pruning and weaving here.

 

[annmarie]

Okay, I'm sold on this idea. I'm starting on square foot gardening this spring! I was looking for an easy way to expand my garden but was dreading the digging and rock picking and what I desperately need is a good way to grow greens especially. One question for those who have been using this method. Are there any vegetables that don't do well with this style of gardening. I'm questioning tomatoes because they need to be able to go quite deep right, and also many root vegetables? This is kind of a shallow system it seems, more suitable to greens and that sort of thing. Please explain if you can!

 

[inchworm]

The beds are as deep as you prepare them. Mine are about 10" deep and my tomatoes did well. I grew short carrots successfully. My raised beds of 10" seem much better for growing then when I was trying to garden in the ground which was perpetually rocky and hard.

Inchy

 

[annmarie]

Thanks Inchy. Because I'm a lumber-imbecile, did you use 1x10's or 2x10's (if there such a thing)? Or did you stack narrower boards on top of each other? And what type of wood did you use?

 

[Dace]

This SFG method is how I started my first garden nearly 20 yrs ago.

In this new house the soil is pretty bad so I was planning to do raised beds, but after re-reading about SFG gardening, I think I will use a grid to make it more manageable!

Annemarie...you can try to loosen the soil a bit where you plan to plant deeper rooted veggies, but by your second season the worms will have really helped out and it will get easier and easier to double dig those spots.

 

[inchworm]

Yes - mine are made with 2x10's. DH assembled the box and I backfilled with decent, weedless! soil.

 

[patandchickens]

One question for those who have been using this method. Are there any vegetables that don't do well with this style of gardening. I'm questioning tomatoes because they need to be able to go quite deep right, and also many root vegetables? This is kind of a shallow system it seems, more suitable to greens and that sort of thing. Please explain if you can!

What inchworm says. You decide how deep you want your soil prepared. Totally discretionary. You don't even have to use raised beds at *all* to benefit from all the other aspects of the system.

Have fun,

Pat

 

[annmarie]

Thanks everyone for your good advice. No broken shovels this spring!