4th week of June - Family Fun
Project
Building
a raised Square Foot
Garden:
Square foot gardens are easy to build and easy to maintain. Because
they are a raised bed and use potting soil to start, this results
in Less watering, weeding, and
thinning.
I fell in love with this method of gardening years ago when I bought
Mel Bartholomew's Book and
video's of his PBS Series Square Foot
Gardening. My son's and I have been using his methods ever
since and it is a great hobby and a great way to spend time with your
kids! A direct link to Mel Bartholomew's
wonderful website is at the end of this article.
Kids love Planting things and watering them and watching them grow
and who knows maybe they'll even be encouraged to actually eat their
vegetables! A 3'X3' Garden Box is ideal for young children. Another suggestion with SFG that is fun for
families is to have one 3'x3' or 4'x4' box full of sand in the
middle of the garden. Then, the very youngest in the family can
play in the sand while everyone else gardens! After that isn't
needed any longer, the sand can be removed and the box filled with Mel's
Mix and planted!
1 - LAYOUT. Always think in squares: lay out 4
foot by 4 foot or 3 foot by 3 foot planting areas with wide walkways
between them.
2 - BOXES. Build garden box frames no wider than
4 feet, and 6 to 8 inches deep. The length is not as important, but a
recommended size for your first time is one frame 4 foot by 4
foot. You can, of course, go smaller. A 2 foot by 2 foot works great on
patios and 3 foot by 3 foot box is ideal for kids. Frames can be made
from almost any material except treated wood, which has toxic chemicals
that might leach into the soil. 1 by 6 or 2 by 6 lumber is ideal, and
comes in 8-foot lengths. Most lumber yards will cut it in half at little
or no cost. Exact dimensions are not critical. Deck screws work best to
fasten the boards together. Rotate or alternate corners to end up with a
square inside.
3 - AISLES. If you plan to have more than one
garden box, separate them by 2 or 3 feet to form walkways.
4 -
SOIL. Fill frame with a mixture of 1/3 compost, 1/3 peat moss, and
1/3 coarse vermiculite (no dirt needed). A blended compost made from
many ingredients provides all the nutrients the plants require (no
chemical fertilizers needed). Peat moss and vermiculite help hold
moisture and keep the soil loose. It's best to make your own
compost from many ingredients but if you have to buy it, make sure it is
truly compost. Some stores sell mulch or humus and other ground covers
but call it compost. Most commercial compost is made from one or two
ingredients so to be safe, don't buy all of one kind but one of
each kind until you have enough for your garden.
It's really best to make your
own compost, then you know what goes in it. When buying vermiculite, be
sure to get the coarse grade, and get the more economical 4 cubic foot
size bags.
If placing frames over grass you can dig out the grass
or cover it with cardboard or landscape cloth to discourage grass and
weeds from coming up through your new garden soil.
5 - GRID. On top of each frame place a permanent
grid that divides the box into one foot squares. The grid is the unique
feature that makes the whole system work so well. To show you why the
grid is so important, do this little demonstration: Look at your 4 foot
by 4 foot box with the grid on and imagine up to 16 different crops.
What you see before you is a neat and attractive, well organized garden,
that will be easy to manage.
Now remove the grid. Could you organize and manage this
space without dividing it up into squares? Besides, without the grid you
will be tempted to plant in rows, which is a poor use of space.
Grids can be made from nearly
any material; wood, plastic strips, old venetian blinds, etc. Use screws
or rivets to attach them where they cross. On a 4 foot by 4 foot frame,
the grid divides the frame into 16 easy-to-manage spaces, for up to 16
different crops. Leave the grid in place all season. The grid can be cut
long enough to fit across the top of the box or cut shorter to lay on
the soil inside the box.
6 - CARE. Since you will
NEVER walk on or depress the growing soil, don't make the frames any
wider than 4 feet (2 feet, if only one side is accessible). Any wider
makes it too difficult to reach in to tend the plants.
7 - SELECT. Depending on the mature size of the
plant, grow 1, 4, 9, or 16 equally spaced plants per square foot. If the
seed packet recommends plant spacing be 12 inches apart, plant one plant
per square foot. If 6 inch spacing; 4 per square foot. If 4 inch
spacing; 9 per square foot. If 3 inch spacing; 16 per square foot.
8 - PLANT. Plant one or two seeds in each spot
by making a shallow hole with your finger. Cover, but do not pack the
soil. Thinning is all but eliminated. Seeds are not wasted. Extra seeds
can be stored cool and dry in your refrigerator.
Don't over-plant. Plant only as much of any one crop as
you will use. This 4 foot by 4 foot box will grow more than a
conventional garden that is 8 foot by 10 foot.
9 - WATER. Water only as much as each plant
needs. Water often, especially at first, and on very hot dry days. But,
be careful not to over water - this special soil holds water like a
sponge. Water by hand with a cup from a sun-warmed bucket of water. Warm
water helps the soil stay warm.
10 - HARVEST. Harvest continually and when a
crop in one square is gone, add some new compost and plant a new
different crop in that square.
For Complete information on Square Foot Gardening with
some great resources and a nice power point presentation go to Mel
Bartholomew's Website:
http://www.squarefootgardening.com/
More Resources
