Spring is in the air here in southeast Wisconsin - the snow is melting... and my cat is trying harder and harder to get outside. If you haven't already been thinking or planning for improvements in your yard, now is a great time to start!
I NEED to pass along information about square foot gardening because it may change your life. Some of you may already be familiar with this method of gardening, but I was only introduced to it last year when my mom decided to do square foot gardening for vegetables. Growing up, we always had a huge row garden - at least a big one for a city lot in St. Paul, MN. Since I've been out of the house, the garden has been reduced in size, mainly because the soil seemed to get worse and worse even though we added homemade compost every year. Our soil drained poorly and I think there must have been a pH problem, but we never tested that. When my mother heard of square foot gardening, she new that was the answer for her! I've recently read Mel Bartholomew's book called All New Square Foot Gardening and I recommend you read it too if you have or want a vegetable garden at home. And no, I'm not getting paid to tell you this - I just think its great!
Benefits and basics of Square Foot Gardening:
- SFGs are above ground gardens. None of your existing soil should be used. The soil for a SFG is a special mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and 1/3 vermiculite. Homemade compost is preferred, but if you don't have it you should buy compost in bags, but you need to make sure you get 5 different kinds (mushroom compost, duck doo, etc.). You need a variety. Since the soil for SFGs is a special mix, there will be NO WEEDS!!! That's amazing to me. Also, no need to fertilize because the compost gives the plants all the nutrients they need. And... less watering! The vermiculite acts like a sponge, keeping the soil moist but still allowing water to drain properly.
- Mel (the author of the book) suggests gardens to be constructed of non-treated wood and usually 4'x4' and only 6" deep. If you want to grow carrots or potatoes, make your depth 1'. Landscape fabric under the garden keeps weeds from growing up into it.
- All SFGs MUST have a grid over the top to mark out each square foot. Wood laths work well for this. Mel says a Square Foot Garden is not a Square Foot Garden without a grid!
- You will be suprised by how much can grow in a SFG! Each square gets 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants depending on the mature size of the plant. Mel has charts in his book that show what size each vegetable will get and how many to plant in each square.
- Another great thing about SFGs is its easy to have multiple crops in a growing season, providing a longer harvest. Certain cooler temp vegetables like lettuce and radish can be planted early in spring or in fall and be rotated out in the summer months for a warm loving veggie.
- Have a SFG close to the house for easy access.
- One awesome thing I learned by reading Mel's book is that vining vegetables or fruits can be grown vertically - even squash and watermelon! If grown up on a support (connected to the north side of a SFG) the plant adjusts and forms stronger stems to support its large fruit or vegetable! This saves space, keeps the fruit away from insects, keeps them from rotting on the ground, and improves air circulation around the plants.
She decided to make her's 3'x5' and 1' deep. The chicken wire kept the neighborhood bunnies and cats out (didn't keep the neighbors out though).
These two gardens produced more than our large row garden did and it was about 75 - 80% larger than these two SFGs put together! I wish I had a picture of these gardens fully grown. It was amazing how big and healthy everything became!
Check out the website for Mel Bartholomew's Square Foot Gardening:
and read his book All New Square Foot Gardening ! Please let me know if you have done Square Foot Gardening. I'd love to hear about it!
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