Before you get started creating your new garden, there’s a few things to keep in mind: 1. Especially blooming companion plants, like marigolds. We also gave you a brief update half way through the season as to how things were going. More Gardening Tips First, we’re going to assume you’re using Mel’s Mix as prescribed in the All New Square Foot Gardening book which is, by volume, . A lattice is laid across the top to clearly separate each square foot. Typically about 1 square foot sections are preferred. We say “about 1 square foot” because the thickness of a garden bed board will make the growing area of your garden just under an increment of 1 foot; but not to worry, your plants will never know the difference. The Square Foot Gardening System. Square foot gardening is a simple method of creating small, orderly, and productive kitchen vegetable gardens. The premise of square foot gardening is simple: You divide your space into square feet and plant a certain amount of plants (depending on the size of the plant) within each square foot. You can plant pretty things in here too! More Square Foot Gardening Resources: You can read more about square foot gardening in All New Square Foot Gardening by Mel Bartholomew. (2) Here’s how to get started on your own square foot garden bed in a few easy steps: How to Start Square Foot Gardening. Check out our step-by-step tutorial below and find out how to make your own square foot garden. Size it up Square Foot Gardening – What It Is and How to do It. It was invented by backyard gardener and engineer Mel Bartholomew. It is simply a guide for you to know where to plant. According to the originator of the concept, and the author of Square Foot Gardening, Mel Bartholomew, it’s best to place 4 plants per square foot. Use this calculator to find the square footage, square yardage, square meters or acres for a building, home, garden or construction project. Mark out a one foot square grid system. You can do this with stakes and string, wood slats, or simply decorative stones to mark the “lines”. List of veggies and herbs and the ideal plant spacing Once you have had your square foot garden for a while you will learn what sizes plants grow too, then you will be able to plant just about anything and know what spacing to use dependant on their final size. Square Foot Gardening yields 100% of the harvest of a traditional garden in 80% less space, and with a mere 2% of the work. With his technique, almost any homeowner can grow her own food. If you’ve always wanted to grow your own vegetable garden but have been turned off by the idea of spending countless hours stooped over endless rows of vegetables, square foot gardening may be the perfect solution for you. If you've been following our blog, you'll recall that I built our first square foot garden this spring. and carrots are being grown. Square Foot Gardening Mistakes – Learn from Ours First! Square-foot gardening is an intensive gardening technique that makes efficient use of small garden spaces. Is it a dance? Beds are between 6 and 12 inches deep which gives the plants plenty of rich nutrients, while maintaining good drainage. Planting 4 Per Square Foot. Square-foot gardening (SFG) is one of the more popular ways people are growing their own food these days. Succession planting. To make plant spacing easier, many gardeners will make a plant spacing grid. This concept of gardening is a lot of fun to do and easy to get the whole family involved in! With the square-foot gardening method, you plant in 4x4-foot blocks instead of traditional rows. Your square foot garden should last several years without changing the soil, just by adding new fresh organic soil or compost. Water lightly, like rain, every other day, but only in the mornings (plants that are wet at night will get fungus and die). Different crops are planted in different blocks according to their size; for example, 16 radishes in one square foot, or just one cabbage per square foot. With the square-foot gardening method, you plant in 4x4-foot blocks instead of traditional rows. Over the years the SFG system has evolved into a precise set of rules: Create Deep Raised Beds: Typically 4 feet by 4 feet, with a square foot lattice placed on top to visually separate the crops. Actually it's almost the opposite, because when you have a sq ft garden layout, it's rather easy to sit down on the job. An empty square is an invitation to plant! Square foot gardening is appropriate for almost any garden vegetable that you can think of and makes growing and caring for vegetables easier than you could ever imagine.