Square Foot Gardening Thread

[krcote]

I love Spring! Everything is so green and purple around here these days!

My hot poo box is looking good after all this rain.

Even the tiny chicks are enjoying the green!

Potatoes, beans/beets, peas, corn and lettuce/chard.

 

[CoyoteMagic]

Lilacs or Wysteria can't tell. It's really strange with ya'll having spring much later than us, lol.

Got to get pics of the garden, been spending all the time I could working on one of my tractors as the girls have started laying. Pretty blue, green and "chocolate" eggs!! It's doing really well after all the rain we've been having. Suppose to be near 90 by the weekend so 'maters will jump up a good bit. Heat and water=purty 'maters!! Only thing not popping up is my birdhouse gourds. May have to crack open a couple of others for seeds. Things went bonkers last year in all the heat!

 

[Kassaundra]

krcote, the hot poo box is looking great especially since it "isn't supose to work at all" but I really love how the girls are looking at it.

 

[jennh]

I have been having a terrible time with my back lately, so I'm going to do four 4 x 4 raised beds made out of cement blocks. That way I don't have to bend very far. I am going to place some blocks with the holes up so I can do herbs in them, and I can sit on the others if need be. Has anyone heard of this or done this?

 

[krcote]

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No, but I think that it is a GLORIOUS idea! Do take pictures for us! I am thinking that you may have a tough time keeping your herbs hydrated becuase cement is so porous? Maybe not?

 

[krcote]

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I know, I almost feel guilty that it is sitting right under their beaks and they can't have it yet

 

[CoyoteMagic]

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No, but I think that it is a GLORIOUS idea! Do take pictures for us! I am thinking that you may have a tough time keeping your herbs hydrated becuase cement is so porous? Maybe not?

YES!! When I lived in a trailer park and wasn't allowed to dig holes. My beds were about 1x1 cinder block. Get some of that potting soil with the water crystals in that will help stop the holes from drying out much. In the center of the square it was big enough for one tomato plant. I grew catnip in most of the holes. My Godbaby had bad colic and it helps. The rest we planted flowers in. One plant from one of those plastic 6 packs fits in the holes perfectly. Sunflowers grow well in them too!

 

[ChickyLaura]

OK, we finally have them in!!! What a cool project, and I couldn't be more pleased! I planned on tweaking the Mel's Mix, but actually followed it closer than I had intended. I found a large bag of vermiculite (finally), but I couldn't afford to buy tons of that stuff. We used mushroom soil, peat moss, rabbit manure, and a little chicken manure. I will be composting chicken manure this year to add to the boxes. Here's our SFG!

First box is onions, garlic, tomatoes, eggplant and (I think) beets. As you can see, the onions adore this soil and really, really have flourished. It seems we never have enough onions around here, so we really scored using the SFG method for these!

OK, this box we again have tomatoes - I am growing lots of paste tomatoes because I love canning the sauce! We use lots of it around here. We also have spinach, lettuce, and radishes. In regards to the tomatoes I am also growing one "green zebra" tomato plant, a "pineapple" tomato plant, and lots of varieties of peppers - chocolate, jalapeno, frying peppers, California Wonder, etc. I love the variety you can have when you grow your own garden.

This is a fun box! The back area is filled with asparagus. I love asparagus and can't wait until I can eat my own! The front area has kohlrabi - never had it but I will this year! Mustard greens, garden huckleberries, an "eight ball" zuchinni, another squash plant, plus I have a few open squares. I'm still thinking what to do here. I also have a Pineapple Tomatillo plant. Can't wait to try those!

In the box in the far back, I have various tomatoes and peppers, and carrots, and I forget what else we planted here. My kids know, but I forget. My husband added the mulch around the boxes, then we planted a dwarf bonfire peach tree in the middle, and some pansies. I have two large pots filled with the Mel's Mix, and I'm growing cucumber plants in them. We also planted two other fruit trees in our yard - one has three varieties of apples, and one has four fruits - nectarine, peach, plum, and apricot - those two trees are obviously grafted. Can't wait! I'm headed out right now to plant the two blackberry bushes I bought. Keep in mind we only have maybe 1/10 of an acre, but we are trying to make it work for us.

I have sat out here several nights recently with a glass of wine. I love it so much!

Edited to correct typos.

 

[ChickyLaura]

Here's one more picture from the bottom/front of our yard. Our property is on a slope. The bank behind the SFG area will be slowly turned into a huge herb garden, and I'm intending to build some sort of steps into the bank to access my herb garden. I planted a strawberry pot and will be putting that out in the garden today. I also planted 3 blueberry bushes, but I waited too long to plant them and they didn't make it.

Another project besides the herb garden is a huge grape arbor. Underneath half of the grape arbor will be a lovely chicken run!!! We are going to be installing a patio under the other half of the arbor with a grill so we can enjoy watching our birds.

From this picture, you can definitely tell we live "in town". The building on the right side is our garage, and the chicken coop is on the bottom floor of the garage. You can see the 2 other fruit trees on the left side of the picture.

Thanks for stopping by to "tour" my gardens!

 

[krcote]

ChickyLaura! I just love what you have done here! I too take wine out to my mostly still dirt filled boxes and unwind- it is a glamorous life I lead

Do tell me what you do with kohlrabi?