Square Foot Gardening is the practice of planning small but intensively planted gardens. The phrase “square foot gardening” was popularized by Mel Bartholomew in a 1981 Rodale Press book and subsequent PBS television series. A full-length companion DVD, Square Foot Gardening (2010), was recently released in collaboration with Patti Moreno the Garden Girl. The practice combines concepts from other organic gardening methods, including a strong focus on compost, closely planted raised beds and bio-intensive attention to a small, clearly defined area. Proponents claim that the method is particularly well-suited for areas with poor soil, beginning gardeners or as adaptive recreation for those with disabilities.
Nothing is quite satisfying as growing one’s own vegetables, but most of us either do not have the space for a vegetable garden or the time (or energy) to manage a large plot. However, according to the originator, Mel Bartholomew, The Square Foot Garden is a unique method, which produces 100% of the harvest in 20% of the space without all the hard work of single row gardening and has many other advantages: –
- Can be done in as little as 4 feet by 4 feet, (or as large as you want). Some people do a simple 2’x2′ garden box on their patio or balcony.
- Your existing soil doesn’t matter because you don’t use it. Start with an ideal soil mix that is weed-free and requires no tilling.
- Uses much less water; only about 20% compared to conventional gardening.
- No fertilizers or pesticides to handle – it’s all natural.
- The planting method requires no thinning and very few seeds.
- All the hard work has been removed in the Square Foot method – only the enjoyable part remains.
- Can be started in any season.
- Produces 5 times the harvest of a conventional garden.
- Can be done by those with physical limitations. Square Foot Gardening is the ideal method for someone in a wheelchair; it uses very little space and can be raised to sitting height by setting it on any table where the wheelchair can be maneuvered right up to it.
- Makes a great family project, all ages can participate – kids love to garden, especially if there isn’t too much hard work! Before you start – pick an area that gets 6-8 hours of sunshine (light) daily and that does not puddle after heavy rain; is clear of trees and shrubs where roots and shade may interfere and site it close to the house for convenience.
Think in squares: lay out 4 foot by 4 foot planting areas. The length is not as important, but a recommended size for your first time is one frame 4 ft x 4 ft x 6/8 inches deep. Since you never walk on or depress the growing soil, don’t make the frames any wider than 4 feet (2 feet, if only one side is accessible). Any wider makes it too difficult to reach in to tend the plants. Frames can be made from almost any material except treated wood, which has toxic chemicals that might leach into the soil.
Before filling your box you should dig out any weeds. If you have grass, you can either dig it out or cover it with two layers of cardboard. It’s best to dig out the grass and then cover the earth with either a weed barrier cloth or one layer of cardboard. Forget all about your existing soil it doesn’t matter how bad it is as the soil mix goes on top – you are building up, rather than digging down. The perfect soil for the SFG should have a light texture making it is easy to work with and easy for plants to grow in, have all the nutrients and trace elements that plants need and excellent drainage and water retention. It is important to use well-blended compost that consists of at least 4-5 different ingredients so the plants will have all the nutrients needed for healthy growth. Homemade compost is best, but different types can be purchased and mixed together. A trowel full of compost is then added to each square to replenish the nutrients before replanting.
Mel recommends a mix of 1/3 Peat Moss, 1/3 Vermiculite and 1/3 Compost. Due to erosion of peat bogs you could use a substitute for peat, such as compressed coir bricks. In Third World countries where peat and vermiculite are not available, they use straight compost. It is very important that you use the finest quality compost you can find (preferably your own). Now fill the frame with this mix; you will only be doing this once, thereafter you will be topping up with compost only.
On top of each frame place a permanent grid that divides the box into one foot squares. The grid is the unique feature that makes the whole system work so well; without the grid you will not utilize the space as efficiently as possible – each square foot can be replanted with a new crop as soon as the old one matures and you never plant too much of one crop, avoiding the “all-at-once” harvest that we used to have in single row gardening. Grids can be made from nearly any material; wood, plastic strips, old Venetian blinds, etc. Use screws or rivets to attach them where they cross. On a 4 ft by 4 ft frame, the grid divides the frame into 16 easy-to-manage spaces for up to 16 different crops. Leave the grid in place all season.
Depending on the mature size of the plant, grow 1, 4, 9, or 16 equally spaced plants per square foot. If the seed packet recommends plant spacing be 12 inches apart, plant one plant per square foot; if 6 inch spacing – 4 per square foot; if 4 inch spacing – 9 per square foot. If 3 inch spacing – 16 per square foot. Plant one or two seeds in each spot by making a shallow hole with your finger. Cover, but do not pack the soil. Thinning is all but eliminated. Seeds are not wasted. Extra seeds can be stored cool and dry in your refrigerator. Don’t over-plant; plant only as much of any one crop as you will use. This 4 ft. X 4 ft. box will grow more than a conventional garden
that is 8 ft. by 10 ft.
Water only as much as each plant needs. Water often, especially at first and on very hot dry days, If possible, water by hand (uses a lot less water) with a cup from a sun-warmed bucket of water. Warm water helps the soil warm up in early and late season. Harvest continually and when a crop in one square is gone, add some new compost and plant a new, different crop in that square. Nothing tastes quite as good as home-grown potatoes but the method for growing them in the Square Foot Garden is slightly different from an ordinary vegetable plot. Remove the soil from one square. In the bottom, put about 2 inches of pure, homemade compost, the best you have – this is for the roots. Put your seed potatoes on that and cover them with about an inch of compost. Then, once or twice a week as the plant sprouts through that layer of compost, you cover it again with more compost and keep covering it as it grows. Once the potato reaches the top of your square, then it is either time to stop and let all the new potatoes form or you could increase the height of that box with more timber – making sure the new frame sits inside the original. Increasing the height works well for leeks and celery, where most people want the white part of the plant.
Many people are skeptical that plants will grow well in only 6 inches of soil but if you start out with a perfect soil most, if not all, plants will grow very well. Plants send down roots for two reasons firstly, to search for water and nutrients secondly, as a support system – if everything they need is in the first 6 inches they don’t need to go any further and if they need support, you can provide a trellis or frame as you would in an ordinary vegetable garden. The beauty of The Square Foot Garden is its simplicity and adaptability. The frame can be placed anywhere – garden, patio or decking; it can be adapted to suit any gardener – the elderly, disabled or children; anything can be grown – vegetables, flowers, soft fruits.
These days we are bombarded with phrases such as ‘fully traceable’, ‘carbon footprint’ and ‘food miles’; instead of wondering how long ago your vegetables were harvested, you will know – five minutes ago, from your garden.
We would like to thank Mel Bartholomew, Karen Bastow, and The Square Foot Gardening Foundation for their help in the production of this article.
Sources: trc.dost.gov.ph,squarefootgardening.org;Photo: greenerlifes.com