Square Foot Gardening

mcpurple

mcpurple

Well-Known Member
i have no tips but i was interested in it awhile back and did some reading on it.
to me it seems kinda hard. i dont see my self growing large plants in a square ft garden.

i would be intetested in the grow if you do try it
 
dannyboy602

dannyboy602

Well-Known Member
thats what i was wondering?? and so what if the plants grow outside the box, do they get cut off? i have to do some reading. i heard the term but i'm drawing a blank as to what it involves. lol. stoner moment:)
 
Toolage 87

Toolage 87

Well-Known Member
dannyboy602 said:
thats what i was wondering?? and so what if the plants grow outside the box, do they get cut off? i have to do some reading. i heard the term but i'm drawing a blank as to what it involves. lol. stoner moment:)
Click to expand...
lol same here. I was thinking it might be no height restrictions but only width restrictions
 
Corbat420

Corbat420

Well-Known Member
Square foot gardening is the ART of being able to grow as much as possible, with as little space as possible.

#1: Use raised beds.
#2: Plant roots and risers in coresponding rows. AKA Carrots(root) | Letus (riser) | Radishes (root) | Cabbage (Riser)
#3: plant things that wont fight too much for space. Light and Dirt are of the same value.

Golden rule: Weed DAILY and Pull out weak plants to ensure strong plants thrive.
 
mellokitty

mellokitty

Moderatrix of Journals
my understanding of it (so far) is that you plant in rows of squares, like PIPboy says. so that in each square foot section, you plant 1, 4, 9, 16, plants in a square formation depending on how big a plant they are, leave a small space, plant another square.
the garden planner tool at http://growveg.com has a square foot planting option, looks like this:
http://www.cheapvegetablegardener.com/2011/01/growveg-vegetable-gardening-softwaresquare-foot-gardening-and-more.html

it seems like for small gardens, raised beds, etc., people are just using twine or wood strapping to separate their squares, this obviously wouldn't work in a bigger garden; i'm thinking more like 4 squares in a cluster with a walkway around each cluster in a grid pattern.

what i had in mind is to apply the method in a broader sense, kinda like the second pic on this page, minus the raised beds: http://justacloud.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/square-foot-gardening-and-healthy-eating/
 
Toolage 87

Toolage 87

Well-Known Member
oh that kind. Maybe buying and using 1 square foot pots would work for this if you want to grow in pots. This would also help keep each plant's roots in their own square foot area and lets you be able to move them around.

I might have to give this a try indoors but in my own version.
 
mugan

mugan

Well-Known Member
wow this looks really interesting, first time i have come across it, had to Google :) . seems like a grt idea,
 
Corbat420

Corbat420

Well-Known Member
my understanding of it (so far) is that you plant in rows of squares, like PIPboy says. so that in each square foot section, you plant 1, 4, 9, 16, plants in a square formation depending on how big a plant they are, leave a small space, plant another square.
Click to expand...
the Squares are just an outline for the "plots" in the garden. each plot gets 1 kind of vegtable or fruit, with small spaces between plots (thats what the Square rows are for, just a guide line..) so that the roots of each plot don't fight for space. it allows a person to grow more out of less dirt.

the Best method is to make Many small raised beds rather than large gardens, this gets more Bang for your Buck when it comes to workability, and thus better harvests. 3'x3' (1mx1m) is the recommended bed size as it allows you to work with the middle plot easily.

the Amish developed this in Europe a long time ago, and have been traditionally using it for 200+ years.

P.S: i forgot to add earlier. that non-bleached card board makes GREAT barrier for spacing your plants out. it makes a barrier for the roots and it will compost into the soil ;)
 
Y

yesssirrr

Member
Toolage 87 said:
oh that kind. Maybe buying and using 1 square foot pots would work for this if you want to grow in pots. This would also help keep each plant's roots in their own square foot area and lets you be able to move them around.

I might have to give this a try indoors but in my own version.
Click to expand...

That would be awesome! If you do it please post photos or a video :)
 
piney bob

piney bob

Active Member
Square foot gardening works best with plants like tomatoes, cucumbers and eggplants. Its all about taking advantage of vertical growth minimizing horizontal growth. In theory, though you may get the same amount of fruit from one large bush as three pruned plants, the fruit from the smaller plants will be much bigger, better, and more fully developed because the plants are allowed to concentrate on the development of those fruits without wasting energy on extra vegetative growth. This lady's greenhouse is a great example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJgA4n-sCE8
 
Redbird1223

Redbird1223

Active Member
I dont prune my plants, just try to plant things that will be the same size. Cages help. Some veggies still don't work with this practice like corn or squash but for the most part, I use far less water and fertilizers. I live in AZ so for example, in a 3x3 box, i plant bigger veggies like tomatoes and peppers in the corners to create shade for the herbs I plant in between. Small veggies like carrots or scallions can be planted more like 9-16 per 1 ft square. Companion planting goes well with square foot gardening. My boxes are 2x12's but you could use 2x4's if you like, the garden doesnt have to be raised. My mother in law's is a border in the ground, and she taught me. You want to decrease your workload (bending, tilling, watering, weed removal) and keep things easily accessible, so most people don't go past 4'x4.
 
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