Basics of Square Foot Gardening

I was given the out-of-this-world opportunity to try a 4X4 raised-bed garden from Garden In Minutes...But before I get to that I thought I'd share what I've learned about square foot gardening.  After all, education is KEY for a successful organic garden adventure!

source

What is Square Foot Gardening?
Square Foot Gardening is a simple method for planting seeds in a specific way in a raised bed garden.  The Square Foot Gardening method was created by Mel Bartholomew, and outlined in his book "Square Foot Gardening" in 1981 (which was updated and re-released in 2006 as "All New Square Foot Gardening")
Bartholomew recommends marking out the square feet, using twine or thin pieces of wood, so that you keep your grid nice and even...Garden In Minutes has an irrigation system for their kits that also works as a grid!!!
Another thing, Bartholomew says we should ignore row spacing on seed packets. Just look at the recommended space between plants and plant in each square according to that spacing. 

There are four basic spacing guidelines:
Extra Large – one per square for 12 inch spacing
Large – 4 per square for 6 inch spacing
Medium – 9 per square for 4 inch spacing
Small – 16 per square for 3 inch spacing.

Example:

Most Importantly...DO NOT STEP INSIDE YOUR SQUARE FOOT GARDEN!  Stepping inside will compact the soil.

Why am I sharing this?  At Mary's Heirloom Seeds we are on a mission to change the World and make a difference locally through Education and Organic Gardening.

Over the next few days I'll be sharing more about Organic Gardening and the Square Foot Gardening Method.  Below are a few BOOKS that would be useful in learning more!

KINDLE BOOKS

 

Sign up for our E-Newsletter

HTML Form Generator