Hey all! I've decided to start a thread dedicated to the biggest movement in gardening, Square Foot Gardening (SFG for short). Mel Bartholomew is the leader of SFG movement and has written a few books titled as such. SFG is all about growing more in less space with less work, pretty ideal if you ask me!
My interest in SFG came about at the beginning of last year's growing season. We had just bought our first house in late February and were focusing much energy in getting the inside livable and planning for our wedding in September. I knew I wanted to have a garden, but had very little time to dedicate to thinking about the process. So I went with what I knew from my childhood. We tilled up a 20' x 40' area and set to work making rows. I hadn't had the time to start anything indoors, so I kissed those seed packets and said "Whatever grows, grows. Better planning next year." Being that we live in New Hampshire, this is a scorned behavior. "Your tomatoes will NEVER produce!" "Your cantaloupes will be the size of golf balls!" We endured these types of comments but persevered. Some things did better than others, but in the end we had a very good crop for eating, preserving and giving away. However, each day when I set out to water the tiny seedlings that had sprouted, I watched the water roll off of the various mounds and rows, pooling in the pathways where I stood. I watched weeds growing in those pathways faster than any of my plants. Well, of course they were... they were getting most of the water! I stood there letting my mind wander... "There HAS to be a better way" is mostly what I came up with. When speaking with a fellow gardener at work, I mentioned my (what I presumed to be excellent) pea crop. He laughed at my yield per row and suggested I borrow his SFG book. I read it cover to cover in one night. After my enlightenment, I cursed my inefficient garden for the remainder of the season and vowed to change my ways next year. Well, it's now next year. In this thread I will post my challenges and successes of SFG. I invited you all to join me on this thread to post pictures, ask questions and generally share in this adventure. Wish us luck!
Below are pictures from our garden from last year. Like I said 20' x 40' row style with good yield and copious weeds. Endless, endless hours spent weeding.
We built our boxes from rough planks. We ended up with 6, 4' x 4' and 6, 4' x 8' boxes. We placed them over the existing garden space and graded it out. We used the soil from grading to fill the boxes. Then we planted grass seed and spread straw on top. We will add more volume to the boxes yearly as the compost piles allow. In the last picture, you can see the outdoor sink my husband built me out of all recycled materials. I had the idea of washing my veggies outside where I can return the used water to the garden via hose. I love how it turned out.
We did all this yesterday. I wanted to get the potatoes, onions and greens in today. It is snowing today interestingly. I love New Hampshire.
My interest in SFG came about at the beginning of last year's growing season. We had just bought our first house in late February and were focusing much energy in getting the inside livable and planning for our wedding in September. I knew I wanted to have a garden, but had very little time to dedicate to thinking about the process. So I went with what I knew from my childhood. We tilled up a 20' x 40' area and set to work making rows. I hadn't had the time to start anything indoors, so I kissed those seed packets and said "Whatever grows, grows. Better planning next year." Being that we live in New Hampshire, this is a scorned behavior. "Your tomatoes will NEVER produce!" "Your cantaloupes will be the size of golf balls!" We endured these types of comments but persevered. Some things did better than others, but in the end we had a very good crop for eating, preserving and giving away. However, each day when I set out to water the tiny seedlings that had sprouted, I watched the water roll off of the various mounds and rows, pooling in the pathways where I stood. I watched weeds growing in those pathways faster than any of my plants. Well, of course they were... they were getting most of the water! I stood there letting my mind wander... "There HAS to be a better way" is mostly what I came up with. When speaking with a fellow gardener at work, I mentioned my (what I presumed to be excellent) pea crop. He laughed at my yield per row and suggested I borrow his SFG book. I read it cover to cover in one night. After my enlightenment, I cursed my inefficient garden for the remainder of the season and vowed to change my ways next year. Well, it's now next year. In this thread I will post my challenges and successes of SFG. I invited you all to join me on this thread to post pictures, ask questions and generally share in this adventure. Wish us luck!
Below are pictures from our garden from last year. Like I said 20' x 40' row style with good yield and copious weeds. Endless, endless hours spent weeding.
We built our boxes from rough planks. We ended up with 6, 4' x 4' and 6, 4' x 8' boxes. We placed them over the existing garden space and graded it out. We used the soil from grading to fill the boxes. Then we planted grass seed and spread straw on top. We will add more volume to the boxes yearly as the compost piles allow. In the last picture, you can see the outdoor sink my husband built me out of all recycled materials. I had the idea of washing my veggies outside where I can return the used water to the garden via hose. I love how it turned out.
We did all this yesterday. I wanted to get the potatoes, onions and greens in today. It is snowing today interestingly. I love New Hampshire.
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