![]() There are many square foot garden planting guides available online for free or you can learn more by picking up a copy of Square Foot Gardening at your local book store or library. For example, one square foot could hold a mixed combination of 16 radish and carrots. Crops with similar square foot growing requirements can be combined for more effectiveness. Square foot gardening can also be combined with organic gardening techniques such as succession planting, intercropping, cover cropping, and companion planting. ![]() What may seem like a meticulous task at first will save you time in the long run. When planting from seed, great care should be taken to not over plant two or three seeds per hole are usually sufficient. Although it is not necessary to plant the recommended maximum number of plants, you should never exceed the recommendation. Every square foot has a maximum number of each crop that can be planted in it. For example, in one square foot you could either plant nine turnips, 16 carrots or one eggplant. ![]() Within each square of the grid, crops are planted in a pre-defined pattern. You can do this easily by using garden twine and tent stakes, or if you’re feeling industrious you can make a more permanent grid using lumber. Prior to planting, the garden is first divided into one foot by one foot squares. In the bestselling book Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholomew recommends an even mix of 33% of each ingredient however these are only recommendations and need not be followed to a T.Īlthough the soil mix is very important, what ultimately defines a square foot garden is the layout. The ratio at which these ingredients are mixed can be adjusted to fit your garden and your budget. This mixture of ingredients provides the perfect balance of nutrients, water holding capacity and soil aeration that densely planted gardens thrive in. The most common medium is a mixture of compost, coco coir and vermiculite. First, in order for vegetables to be planted densely using the square foot method, your soil must be heavily amended or even replaced with a nutrient-dense growing medium. The technique borrows heavily from earlier sustainable agriculture methods such as French intensive planting and biointensive agriculture, but it is designed for the relatively small backyard vegetable garden.Īny garden space can be converted into a square foot garden by following a few simple steps. Unlike row planting, square foot gardening involves creating small but densely planted gardens with the goal of maximizing yields from smaller spaces. I’m speaking of the square foot gardening method a system that was developed by civil engineer Mel Bartholomew in the 1980s. An example of square foot gardening at The Garden Kitchen in South Tucson, where Brandon Merchant teaches classes once a month.įortunately, there is an alternative to row planting that will not only save you time, but will also allow for increased yields while reducing the need for weeding and the amount of water required to keep your garden healthy.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |