Square Foot Gardening

Me and my 2015 Square Foot Garden (Photo by GG)

 Square foot gardening is a relatively new method of backyard gardening. It is becoming more widely used by many gardeners because of all the benefits it has compared to victory garden style rows. These benefits include:

·        Maximizing space by planting closer together, meaning you will get a larger harvest

·        Your plant roots benefit because they are getting more oxygen because you have no need to walk in your garden which compacts your soil

·        The organization of the garden that makes it pleasing to the eye also makes it easier for crop rotation to make sure each plant gets the nutrients it needs

Square foot gardens are most often in raised garden beds sectioned off by the square foot. I sectioned mine off by using string and a staple gun but you could use wooden slats or rocks to mark off your Square foot sections. Ideally you don’t want your garden to be wider than 4 feet; this is because average reach is about 2 feet across from both sides. A 4 foot width will eliminate the need to walk on it so you won't compact the soil. If you want to maximize your kid’s involvement in your square foot garden I would recommend sticking with a 2 or 3 foot width so they can reach across for weeding, watering and harvesting.

When planting a Square foot garden take time to research companion planting, for example: Kale and onions are companion plants which means they take different nutrients from the soil, and the scent of the onions repels pests from the kale.

 

The layout I Mostly followed when planting.

Another thing to consider when planting a square foot garden is how many plants can fit per Square foot which ranges from 1-16 plants. For example you would put 1 zucchini per square foot, and 16 onions per square foot depending on the variety of the onion.

Day 30!

For more information on companion planting, growing juicy tomatoes and great potatoes Click Here!