Square Foot Gardening

As the weather officially begins to warm in the northern US, many of us are eager to start planting our flower and vegetable gardens. We've spent all winter fantasizing about the perfect set up, picking out plant varieties, and mapping out a garden plot, and it's finally safe to start planting without the fear of frost.

When I was in college, I had a project that required us to map a 1/4 acre garden that would supply enough produce to sustain a family of four for a year. During that project, I came across a concept known as Square Foot gardening. This is a method that was developed by Mel Bartholomew in 1981. Supposedly, it is more cost effective, saves water and time, and far less weeding is needed. It's being used worldwide by both beginner and experienced gardeners. Like other raised bed gardening methods, it can be applied in spaces where a conventional garden would not be suitable, like in rooftop gardening, or if there just isn't enough space in your backyard to dedicate to a larger garden.


How it Works
First, lay down weed barrier in a four by four foot square on level ground. Then, build a frame out of untreated wood, bricks, concrete blocks, vinyl, or any other durable, food safe material. Again, this is just a four foot by four foot square. Next, fill the box with this formula of soilless media provided by Square Foot Gardening Foundation:
1/3 coarse vermiculite
1/3 peat moss or coir
1/3 compost
Finally, you can mark out a grid using any material you prefer; yarn, wood slats, or I imagine masking tape would work just fine. The material will need to hold up all growing season.

Now, you could make this setup much larger. However, it's suggested that a four foot width be kept in order to make reaching the plants in the middle easier. The depth should be 12 inches or deeper to allow roots plenty of room to grow.

There are several guides online like this one by Bonnie Seeds as to how many of each plant can be grown in one grid square. For example, 16 radishes could be grown in one square, or four lettuce plants, or one cabbage. Plants like cucumbers can be trellised, and varieties of tomatoes that stay small and bushy could work in this setup.

If a highly organized garden is your thing, or if you'd just like to grow vegetables in a simple raised bed setup, Square Foot Gardening may be just the solution you've been looking for.

-Rose