Square Foot Gardening

[goobygirl]

Has anyone did this? Just found info on the internet today about it, seems like people are having good results:

www.squarefootgardening.com

I'm going to check out the library.

[Ilse W.]

Oh yes, it's been around for a long time. My square foot gardening book is quite old. I use the method all the time in all my raised beds, although they are usually 8x4 feet. I just estimate the grids in my head when I plant the seeds. Works fantastically well.

[texasgirl]

I used one last year and it was wonderful. I did have pictures, they may be archived somewhere. It's a great idea.
Blessings :D

[Revvell]

Which do you think is better ~ square foot gardening or lasagna gardening?

I'm looking at lasagna. Have a neighbor doing it. Seems like a pita to get started but, after that... not much work; water once-a-week in the hottest summer...

[petaltothemetal]

I've tried 'em both and Rev, you may be better off with lasagne because it's hot and drier where you are. The problem with square foot gardening - or any intensive gardening - is that the plants are close enough to compete for space, nutrients and water. I do raised beds still but don't plant that close anymore. I just can't keep up. I didn't like the lasagne method for the reason you mentioned, which is that it is a bear to start and expensive if you don't have the supplies. However, for high maintenance plants and heavy feeders, it works great. At my old house I had trouble with lettuces and peas except in the lasagne garden. It was hotter and wetter there. Although, with this year being 100 degrees for weeks here in Oregon, I may decide to do lasagne again just for those crops. Everything else grows well for me in normal raised beds with just slightly closer spacing than recommended on most seed packs for most plants or slightly farther spacing for the ones that need the most water.

[Raene]

Has anyone did this? Just found info on the internet today about it, seems like people are having good results:

www.squarefootgardening.com

I'm going to check out the library.

I had one this year...my first attempt at gardening...it worked GREAT! My only fear about it is the vermiculite...that stuff really freaks me out. I used it but wish I hadn't just because I'm paranoid.

[petaltothemetal]

Yeah, I wouldn't use the vermiculite (sounds like vermin, doesn't it?) but the reason they recommend it is because peat moss dries out so THOROUGHLY and is really hard to water again and also because the plants are spaced close and the vermin stuff holds water.

[Revvell]

Thanks for the info. I understand the lasagne method holds water really well even in our hottest summer. I've heard we can get hay/straw for about $38 delivered. Don't know how much bat guano is. :rolleyes: Need to get the boards/frame so yeah, seems expensive to start. He's thinking that using untreated wood, the wood will warp and also have problems with termites. We've got some GREAT yardbirds now so anything that moves may be of interest to them. We'll see. I think I planted things here at the wrong time ~ lettuce and celery. Nothing good came of those. Tomatoes came out; some squash; chives; that's about it. Oh! He'd gotten green bell peppers (which actually will turn red if you wait long enough). Those came out o.k. This will be my second try at it. Thanks again for your comments.


I've tried 'em both and Rev, you may be better off with lasagne because it's hot and drier where you are. The problem with square foot gardening - or any intensive gardening - is that the plants are close enough to compete for space, nutrients and water. I do raised beds still but don't plant that close anymore. I just can't keep up. I didn't like the lasagne method for the reason you mentioned, which is that it is a bear to start and expensive if you don't have the supplies. However, for high maintenance plants and heavy feeders, it works great. At my old house I had trouble with lettuces and peas except in the lasagne garden. It was hotter and wetter there. Although, with this year being 100 degrees for weeks here in Oregon, I may decide to do lasagne again just for those crops. Everything else grows well for me in normal raised beds with just slightly closer spacing than recommended on most seed packs for most plants or slightly farther spacing for the ones that need the most water.

[goobygirl]

I read the book and saw some youtube videos. I am willing to give it a try.

The square food gardening book has been updated too, it's called the All New SQF.

Funny, when you said lasagna gardening, I was like cool, if you can grow lasagna, go for it. :)

Then you said it was a pita in the beginning, so I was doubly for it...:)

Don't know what lasagna gardening is, but I'm definitely interested... :)

You can always try to get wood from construction places, and paint the outside, but not inside. I heard there are frames you can buy on the SFG website too.

[Raw Joy]

I did the square foot gardening for the first time this year, doing two separate boxes. It was a success in that I had fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and some greens. Peppers didn't do so well, though I got a few small ones. My cucumber vines completely overran the second box, so my beans and beets didn't make it.

But it was a great learning experience and the tomatoes alone were worth it. I even got to dehydrate and make my own sundried tomatoes from my romas, so that was cool.

What would I change next year? Not put the plants so close together. Even my tomatoes didn't yield near as much as they should have for having seven plants, and I think that's why my peppers didn't do so well also.

But it was very low maintenance and I'll definitely expand it next year.



Try it out.

[Revvell]

I did Earthboxes a few years back ~ same thing with the cukes. They just took OVER! Didn't think anything could beat down a tomato plant.

I think for the fall/winter, I'm going to do a lot of lettuce. I eat a lot of it, why not plant it?

I don't think space is the issue. I've got some plants squooshed up against each other ~ a bell pepper and arugula and they're doing better than any of the others. Had another bell pepper in with the orange tree. The pepper plant overtook the orange (dwarf) tree. had to move the thang out! It's thriving now in it's own pot.

Got my first composter going. :D



I did the square foot gardening for the first time this year, doing two separate boxes. It was a success in that I had fresh tomatoes, cucumbers and some greens. Peppers didn't do so well, though I got a few small ones. My cucumber vines completely overran the second box, so my beans and beets didn't make it.

But it was a great learning experience and the tomatoes alone were worth it. I even got to dehydrate and make my own sundried tomatoes from my romas, so that was cool.

What would I change next year? Not put the plants so close together. Even my tomatoes didn't yield near as much as they should have for having seven plants, and I think that's why my peppers didn't do so well also.

But it was very low maintenance and I'll definitely expand it next year.



Try it out.

[goobygirl]

It seems to me in the new SFG book that that author recommends training the cukes to go UP on trellises that he shows how to build. Also, I know that if you use old pantyhose, you can support things like squash, melons, and cukes and tie the pantyhose to support. As the fruit gets larger, the hose continues to support it.

[Raw Joy]

I did put my cukes up on trellises and used the pantyhose. It's just that they grew up, out, sideways, around, and every other way (the cukes, not the pantyhose :D)

[Revvell]

That makes total sense. I didn't know cukes could be so aggressive until I grew them. This year, I knew better and tied the lil guys up with knee high's. Works GREAT!


It seems to me in the new SFG book that that author recommends training the cukes to go UP on trellises that he shows how to build. Also, I know that if you use old pantyhose, you can support things like squash, melons, and cukes and tie the pantyhose to support. As the fruit gets larger, the hose continues to support it.