Square Foot Gardening Thread

[Life is Good!]

After working with the same beds now for 12 years, I've kept a log of what went where. The rotation schedule is based on the English model of crop rotations: So here's the list:
Carrots
Beans
Tomatoes
Peas
Cabbage
Corn
Potatoes
Squashes

The next year, shift the plants down one - so where beans were, the carrots go. Where tomatoes were, the beans go. Where peas were, the tomatoes go. Etc.

Because I've kept the same beds (love chicken compost!), the plans simply rotate every eight years. So I'm planting where I did in 2007. Man, I'm old and have lived here a long time!

 

[Beekissed]

I'm very interested in the upcoming year. Anybody making plans yet?

I am! Going to try Back to Eden method(http://www.backtoedenfilm.com/ )this year and will do SFG in that, also will be companion planting. Lot's of plans for some things I've never planted before and having perennial veggies I've never grown before. I will be able to grow many veggies with that method that have never been successful here before, due to the heavy clay soils that resist amendments.

Also hope to do BTE in my orchard as well. Have already started some hard pruning of old apple trees that have never been pruned, just have five more to go and those will require a chainsaw and ladder.

 

[gotthefever]

Yes, you have discovered rasied gardening! Brilliant! I can't wait to start this spring. No weeds, Easy watering, pests repelled! I can not wait to do this. So many beautiful repurposed options....endless.


I hope my chickens will be on board and help with my evil plans. Mwa ha ha ha.

-A

 

[LindaB220]

Will your chicken s be able to go into the orchard? Cool if so.

 

[Beekissed]

Will your chicken s be able to go into the orchard? Cool if so.

Yep! The layer of chips in the orchard is recommended to be around 16 in.deep...if they can put a dent in that, more power to them!

Now, the garden only starts out at 4-6 in. and I KNOW they can displace that depth of chips, so they'll never be allowed in there.

 

[Amberjem]

bulbs are planted...strawberry roots planted...seeds are in trays!! Ohh gardens waking up yeahh!!!

 

[FLMomRN]

Hi all! I hope this is a good place to post this.

I decided to make a raised bed garden and start growing our own vegetables. I researched online for what seemed like forever, including reading through posts here. Unfortunately, I'm a night nurse and often seem to leave my brain at work and start projects when I'm tired. I drew up my plans, obsessed over them for several days, and got to work. I knew I wanted to start with one 4'x8' bed for 32 squares. I came up with a brilliant idea to use the leftover panels from the metal roof we had put on our house. Cutting them was NOT fun. I framed it with 2x4s and it ended up being 22" high after working around the grooves in the roofing panels.

I made it 8'x4' on the OUTSIDE instead of inside the bed. After accounting for the 2x4s and the metal panels my interior dimensions are about 7'8"x3'7". Of course I didn't even realize until after I filled it, which took forever the way I did it. I even stained it since none of the wood touches the soil.

If I divide it into 32 squares now they are only 11.5"x10.75". I figured that won't work since it's already tight to begin with. I spent all day obsessing over how to make this still work for square foot gardening.
I've attached a quick sketch of how I ended up leaving it for today but any input or suggestions would be very much appreciated. I was planning to build several more identical beds if I did well this year with my first bed. Now if I build new ones they'll either not match or be off like my first one. I know that's no big deal to some people but I have a hard time letting go of silly stuff like that, and I'm upset that I made such a stupid mistake before even getting the garden started.

I was thinking I could do tomato and other larger plants in the four 20"x23" sections. I didn't put the string down the center of the 23" sections because it would have divided the large squares where I'd need to plant, so I figured I would just eyeball for the rest of the 12"x11.5" "squares."

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
~Cammie

 

[Raech]

If you wanted you could plant the bigger plants in the back depending on how the box is positioned. Or you could do peas, beans along the back side of the bigger squares with a trellis and plant lettuce, radishes, carrots or onions in the remainder of that square. The peas and beans have a shorter grow length than tomatoes and peppers since they thrive in the cooler weather, so you could possibly get more crop rotation out of that row. Just some more food for thought, the onions and carrots take longer to grow than peas and beans in my opinion but they don't take up much space and do okay with the shade from other plants so you get more out of that area. If you grow tomatoes make sure you string them up, so they don't fall across the other plants, I decided to do a separate bed just for my tomatoes and peppers this year for that very reason. Some of the smaller root vegetables can really be squeezed in between some plants, and can act as a divider for the squares to balance out the 23" areas, if you did a row of carrots, or green onions or radishes or a small lettuce line. It could drop the squares down to 20" but it would be easier on the math figuring.

Sorry if I added more food for thought.

 

[FLMomRN]

Thanks for your input! I love the idea of using root crops as dividers!

The bed faces south and isn't near any tall structures so if my brain is working correctly the tall plants should do fine in the back.

 

[abijoijoi]

hi! just googled 'vermiculite bag' and found your post - this is a great site. so, I know you live in PA and i'm in NH, but where did you find vermiculite in bags? I can't afford tons, either, but would definitely like to use the right things in my first 'Mel's Mix', lol. your gardens look just as I hope mine will, so happy to be leaving the giant tilling and weeding garden far behind me!

looking forward to your answer, and if you just want to send it to me, my email is [email protected].

happy gardening and chicken-ing! Abigail