Square foot gardening

[mrscoyote]

I am looking at starting this method in the spring. My hope is to finally have a garden I can manage and that is a good producer. I would love to hear from those who have done this or share with fellow newbies how it works out.
Nancy

 

[Denim Deb]

I use a combination of square foot and companion planting and it works well. I'm able to grow basically all the veggies I need in a garden that's about 25x32. For instance, I plant corn in rows that are 8" apart. But then between the rows of corn, I plant different types of beans. That way, I get both of them. Vine crops are grown vertically. This year, I was going to try something different, but we had a problem w/a ground hog and hubby didn't want me to do the fence. So, by the time he finally got it up, it was so late in the season, I never did get my garden in.

 

[BarredBuff]

I like it for "house gardens" like onions, lettuce, peppers, spinach, salad tomatoes, summer squashes, etc.

I think that for a heavy harvest of staples like beans, sweet corn, potaotoes, tomaotoes, winter squash, etc. should be done in the traditonal method.

 

[Marianne]

I did it years ago with great success. The next year wasn't nearly as good, but that's gardening around here.

Companion planting is great. I was amazed at how much produce I got from such a small space. Most of the time I plant onions between all my potato plants. I didn't last year and had a perfectly lousy crop of spuds.

I have friends that garden on their deck with pots - cherry or grape tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, squash. Anything that vines is tied up on fencing for support. They have even done muskmelon. They used old panty hose to cradle each melon.

If you do a search for 'potagers', you'll find some images to inspire you. Cabbage, lettuce, rhubarb, whatever, inbetween pretties in your flower beds.

 

[mrscoyote]

Thanks for the search tip Marianne, it was interesting. I agree Barred, but for now I want to keep it simple and something I can manage. It seems my helpers always have something else they need to do when it's time for tending the garden. I almost feel like the little red hen sometimes. One of my big tasks will be improving our soil, then I can look into expanding.

 

[Marianne]

There are people who have grown lots of potatoes in trash bags, fence rings, etc. It gets so hot here that a lot of things do better in the ground. I'm even taking out my raised beds as they require more water in spite of mulch, plus they don't produce as well.

BUT, it might be an entirely different story where you are. You might also try a search for square foot gardening in zone XX (are you in zone 5?) and see if you can get a list of what does well in your area.

Honestly, I had such good results that first year. Neighbors were surprised, everyone around there got stuff from me. One day I sat in my little green bean patch and almost cried, there were so many beans and everyone around there didn't want anymore. LOL Now, it'd be a whole different deal!

 

[mrscoyote]

I am in zone 8, My plan is to section out beds but not actually raise them. I found a planting guide for my area which should be helpful. There is just so much to learn. Gardening is not as easy as people think.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Square foot, in raised beds are pretty much my only opt....I flood sometimes and its too discouraging to work that hard and watch everything drown. Plus being older and not wanting to use all my yard for an old fashion garden, which will require lots of howing, tilling, weeding, etc... its nice to have a method you can use that will be easier on the back and give you more, due to the planting design and improved soil.
Its not the only gardening I do, but its the only one I come close to having a guarantee on.
It costs a lot to set up if you do it our way because DH wanted to buy a couple of pallets of retaining wall blocks, so our 2 big and 2 little beds costed us about 600, just for the blocks, and another 200 for the soil that went into it, but I think we have eaten 1,000 in produce, in the past 3 years that came out of there, so its all good. But we also sometimes use tractor tires, which we cut the inner part out to allow more planting space. I know a lot of people wouldn't chance it because of possible leaching problems, but it hasn't seemed to hurt us yet and we can have all the tires we want, because of our employers using a lot of them. Only thing is we have to paint them white or the beds will be too hot and nothing will grow. I've picked a lot of greenbeans out of tractor tires over the past few years. Plan on growing potatoes in one, with a bunch of hay this coming year.
I think I'll raise bed and square foot an herb garden also.....I have over 30 herbs on my want list so far.

 

[moolie]

Zone 3/4 here, I've gardened in raised beds (2x8" timber sides) for 16 years now, minus the first two years we were in this house (moved in 5 years ago). I've always done companion planting and a modified version of square foot gardening--some plants like lettuce I just broadcast in their square, others I plant by the numbers (e.g. 16 carrots/radishes/beets per square). I've done potatoes both in the garden as well as in plastic bins, both have worked really well for me. We manage to grow an annual supply of carrots, parsnips (except this year when our mole got them), green/wax beans, all of our pickling veggies (cukes, beets, relish items), and plenty of salad/fresh items for spring/summer/fall consumption. Corn is difficult to grow here, we don't always put in potatoes. We also have two apple trees, raspberries and saskatoon berries on our property.

For excellent companion planting advice, check out books by Louise Riotte like Carrots Love Tomatoes (I have her 1970s edition called Secrets of Companion Planting, but it's basically the same book).

For excellent Square Foot Gardening advice, read Mel Bartholomew's original Square Foot Gardening, not the "new and improved" version although that one will do if you can't find the old one (I bought the new one at my used book shop when I misplaced my old one and ended up selling it back because I prefer the older one).

If you are into other books, there are several good ones I've borrowed from my local library about "vertical gardening" and getting the most out of your available garden space--I used some great ideas this past summer.

For some great free SFG advice and to see how it works for other people and actual garden plans/photos, check out www.mysquarefootgarden.net She also sells a couple of books but everything you really need it on her site.

 

[~gd]

Square foot, in raised beds are pretty much my only opt....I flood sometimes and its too discouraging to work that hard and watch everything drown. Plus being older and not wanting to use all my yard for an old fashion garden, which will require lots of howing, tilling, weeding, etc... its nice to have a method you can use that will be easier on the back and give you more, due to the planting design and improved soil.
Its not the only gardening I do, but its the only one I come close to having a guarantee on.
It costs a lot to set up if you do it our way because DH wanted to buy a couple of pallets of retaining wall blocks, so our 2 big and 2 little beds costed us about 600, just for the blocks, and another 200 for the soil that went into it, but I think we have eaten 1,000 in produce, in the past 3 years that came out of there, so its all good. But we also sometimes use tractor tires, which we cut the inner part out to allow more planting space. I know a lot of people wouldn't chance it because of possible leaching problems, but it hasn't seemed to hurt us yet and we can have all the tires we want, because of our employers using a lot of them. Only thing is we have to paint them white or the beds will be too hot and nothing will grow. I've picked a lot of greenbeans out of tractor tires over the past few years. Plan on growing potatoes in one, with a bunch of hay this coming year.
I think I'll raise bed and square foot an herb garden also.....I have over 30 herbs on my want list so far.

It is usually a good idea to confine herbs since some will take off and take over when grown outside their usual area. [I have thyme that got into my brick walkway smells and looks nice even though not planned] The mint family is another takeover plant. where I buy they have signs warning about them.