![]() We started out building three 4×4 square foot garden beds the first year and placed them to the south end of our garden area. You can learn more about the benefits of square foot gardening in this article: The method is also simple to understand, organized, and makes it easy to plan your growing beds. Instead of planting in rows, the bed is divided into one-foot sections, and each square is planted in grids according to the spacing recommended on the seed packet and described in the book.īuilding a square foot garden is a quick and easy way to begin or expand your garden. The theory of square foot gardening is to use a bottomless raised bed filled with a soil blend of equal amounts of peat moss, vermiculite, and finished compost from many different sources to add a diverse amount of nutrients. We built our first square foot gardens after reading All New Square Foot Gardening in 2009. He published his Square Foot Gardening book in 1981, and it has been revised several times through the years. Mel Bartholomew developed the square foot garden concept in 1976. You don’t have to worry about digging a garden because the raised beds are placed on top of the ground. Experiment with the arrangement and number of plantings in future growing seasons.Ī 4×4 square foot raised bed can be easily organized to plant 16 different herbs, with each herb occupying a 1 square foot space.Do you want to grow a vegetable garden, but don’t have a lot of room? Square foot gardening is a great way to grow vegetables. ![]() As plantings ripen, it is time to pick, clean, prepare, and enjoy fresh foods or to preserve the harvest. Approximate times to maturity and harvest can be found in Table 4 of HGIC 1256, Planning a Garden.Irrigate as needed, and use a rain gauge to monitor rainfall. For more information on soil testing, see HGIC 1652, Soil Testing. Fertilize plants according to a soil test report.Once properly organized, begin to plant.If planting a vegetable that climbs, place a trellis at the north side of the raised bed and orient those crops in that location. For more information on planting dates for a particular area in South Carolina, see HGIC 1256, Planning a Garden. Diagram & organize plantings by type and proper planting time.Pushpins or nails can be placed at each measurement to allow for stretching & fastening string in the appropriate lines. If the bed is longer than a 4×4, plan accordingly. Mark the grid by measuring at 1, 2, and 3-foot intervals along the frame in one direction and then again in a perpendicular direction.A common mixture contains 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, plus 1/3 blended compost with ingredients mixed thoroughly, or use a commercial planting mix. Line the bottom of the bed with cardboard for weed control and fill with growing medium.For alternate sized beds, plan accordingly. For more information on raised beds, see HGIC 1257, Raised Beds. Begin with the construction of a 4×4 raised bed.Enjoy fresh foods or preserve the harvest.Select, organize, and plant at the proper time.Square Foot Gardening consists of a few simple steps: The idea of square foot gardening revolves around the practice of intensive gardening in a reduced space. As an alternative, combining a raised bed and square foot gardening allows a reduction in space to 16 square feet for fresh foods or 32 square feet if preserving for later use per individual. An additional 100 square feet per person is required if additional crops are to be preserved. When planting a traditional garden with conventional rows, approximately 100 square feet per crop per individual are necessary to provide fresh food for a season. LayLa Burgess, ©2018 HGIC, Clemson Extension. Square foot gardening is a simple technique used to produce vegetables and herbs.
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