(In the Garden #2...)

Basics of Square Foot Gardening

Square foot gardening is a method of gardening that gets you thinking about planting things in squares rather than the more traditional rows. It is easy to weed, easy to water, and once the soil is prepared, easy to keep going.

The original square foot method starts with a 4' x 4' block, broken down into 16, 1' squares. Each square can grow a designated number of a particular crop, for example:

1 tomato plant

1 pepper plant

4 lettuce plants

9 spinach plants

9 bush beans

16 carrots

16 radishes

The size of the garden square is based on the premise that once the garden soil is prepared, it will never be stepped on and packed down again. A 4' square can be reached into from any side since most of us have about a 2' arm length. But if you feel you are short-armed, make your garden a 3' x 6' or 3' x 3' rectangle instead!

The small size also makes the garden easy to protect. It has always been a challenge for me to keep the rabbits and deer out of the garden. I've invented a series of 4' panels with plastic fencing that I can easily use and remove to protect my squares. It is also easy to make mini-greenhouses out of plastic sheeting and wire if you want to try your hand at growing lettuce or spinach into November.

Tomorrow – Preparing the soil

If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need. - Marcus Tullius Cicero