What I don't get about the sq. foot gardening is the site says it lowers your water usage. My experiences with raised beds is it takes more watering. The more I look at sq. foot gardening the more I want to try it though.
Square foot gardening...has anyone used this method??
- Thread starter Nuggetsowner:)
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I planted this way for over 20 years. I used the back of my house next to the building itself. It was about 3 feet by maybe 30 on two sides.
I planted many tomatoes and peppers and zukes, eggplant and many others. I could get over 6 tomato plants in a 2X2 square. I never had a loss in production, in fact I got so many tomatoes that I had to give them away, I didn't know about freezing back then.
I found that you used less water, I used grass clippings to keep the weeds down, I was not schooled in all the bugs and deseases and never got any. Ignorance is bliss.
I once got a tomato worm, yuck.
I loved it so much I am planning on doing it this year.
I will cram as many tomatoes as I can, safely, in my new raised beds.
Every time I spread out my garden it does poorly so I am of the belief that the more confined the better.
I have a new house now and since I moved here I have ten times the room with just about the same yield so you do the math.
Maybe they need the security and the shelter of each other to shade themselves, who knows, all I know is that, and I called it postage stamp gardening, it really works.
I planted many tomatoes and peppers and zukes, eggplant and many others. I could get over 6 tomato plants in a 2X2 square. I never had a loss in production, in fact I got so many tomatoes that I had to give them away, I didn't know about freezing back then.
I found that you used less water, I used grass clippings to keep the weeds down, I was not schooled in all the bugs and deseases and never got any. Ignorance is bliss.
I once got a tomato worm, yuck.
I loved it so much I am planning on doing it this year.
I will cram as many tomatoes as I can, safely, in my new raised beds.
Every time I spread out my garden it does poorly so I am of the belief that the more confined the better.
I have a new house now and since I moved here I have ten times the room with just about the same yield so you do the math.
Maybe they need the security and the shelter of each other to shade themselves, who knows, all I know is that, and I called it postage stamp gardening, it really works.
patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
It lowers your water usage relative to growing 'conventionally' in raised beds. (because you are watering less area, and because the soil is more sheltered against drying). It *may* lower your water usage relative to in-ground gardening, too, *if* your natural soil is very free-draining.1acrefarm said:
You do not actually have to use raised beds at all for 'square foot gardening'. However you do need pretty good soil wherever you're doing it, or soil amended to be pretty good. Otherwise, yeilds suck.
Pat
jjwlhelf
Sprout
I do not use the SFG method exactly like discribed in the book (I own it, by the way), but use the concept in my garden. We have raised beds made out of tires (http://www.tirecrafting.com/). I figure each tire is equal to about 3 squares and plant accordingly. By the way, we have horrible soil and LOTS of moles, so we put chicken wire, doubled and overlapped so the holes are smaller, under the beds to keep them out. These have worked great for us. My soil I built using the Lasagne Garden method, and I have great yields. My garden, though smaller, yields more than my three neighbors who have much larger gardens. My tomatoes, especially, do much better, and I plant them 6 inches apart.
The book on tire crafting is great! We actually got to meet the author several years ago and tour his yard (where all the pictures are taken). It was fun and very educational. He has a lot of information jammed into that little book. I highly recommend it! We also use the composter design, and find it works very well--much better than my neighbors composter, and they spent a lot of money on theirs. Ours was free for the little bit of work it took to cut the tires.
The book on tire crafting is great! We actually got to meet the author several years ago and tour his yard (where all the pictures are taken). It was fun and very educational. He has a lot of information jammed into that little book. I highly recommend it! We also use the composter design, and find it works very well--much better than my neighbors composter, and they spent a lot of money on theirs. Ours was free for the little bit of work it took to cut the tires.
rebbetzin
Garden Addicted
In theory, you use less water, because you have a limited amount of soil to moisten. At first you are only using a few tablespoons of water per square.1acrefarm said:
I have switched in the past couple of seasons to using Miracle Grow Mosture Control Potting soil in my gardening. I am slowly replacing all the native soil with the moisture control soil. I can't believe the difference it has made!! Whenever I plant or transplant something in the garden I use this stuff and I am so happy with it!!
Our native soil is so alkaline, if you put vinegar on it it fizzes!!
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Nuggetsowner:)
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I have enjoyed reading all the information! Thanks and keep it coming! I have so far built and planned out 4 -4 X4 gardens. I have already planted my potatoes in other containers and will hopefully be able to plant my gardens very soon!
I've been going hog wild with the sq. ft. garden and have really crammed in my plants. My neighbor came over and said, "Wow, your plants are really close together." I was fine with this. Then he said, "Your corn is really REALLY close together!"
Never have had a single experience with corn I'm not sure if I greatly overdid it. I actually put 4 stalks in a single square... is that going to be really bad?
Remember, I've never grown corn before.
Never have had a single experience with corn I'm not sure if I greatly overdid it. I actually put 4 stalks in a single square... is that going to be really bad?
Remember, I've never grown corn before.
Cassandra
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You had me scared to death!ams3651 said:
I planted some tomato & pepper plants close together. But I thought I had a good reason. I was allowed to pick at a friends garden last year (I brought him a six pack and got to take home as much as I wanted to bother picking
) and he had some tomatoes & peppers planted in the same bed. They were the biggest tomato & pepper plants I had ever seen! Some well over six feet tall! And they were just gobs of tomatoes & peppers on them.So, shoot I figured I would give it a try. But I found a couple of other places that said it was ok to plant them together. We might be talking different peppers, though. (I planted bell peppers)
Cassandra
patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
Gee whiz. Four corn plants per square foot?? Wow.Nifty said:
Um, sure, it should be ok as long as you thin them down to 1 per square foot
It is helpful, when trying a new plant, to inspect other peoples' directions e.g. seed packet instructions or if you really want to cram them in then something like Mel Bartholomew's book, so as to be able to learn from *their* mistakes rather than insisting on reinventing the wheel yourself.
LOL
Go thin your corn, Rob
Pat
