Garden Medley

Square foot gardening was popularized by Mel Bartholemew. The idea is that you can garden more efficiently than the traditional methods allow.

A standard square foot garden layout starts as a 4×4 foot square. Depending on your space you can make several of these, with a 3 foot wide path between each square bed. The paths allow you to care for the garden without compacting it by walking on it, so the soil remains relatively loose.

Most people create boxes to hold the soil above the level of the rest of the ground. This is not an absolute necessity, but it is very common.

You can make your own soil mix, but the basic is about a third compost, a third peat moss and a third vermiculite.

The name, of course, comes from the division of each section into four square foot sections. Each section is planted with an appropriate number of whichever sort of vegetables. The focus is on giving each plant the room it needs, so they are not generally planted in rows.

Watering is done efficiently. You focus the water on the base of each plant rather than using a sprinkler. This can save quite a bit of water. Many use sun warmed water from buckets rather than hauling a hose about.

You can do some light pest control by planting marigolds or other plants that pests tend to avoid. This can greatly limit your need to use pesticides in your garden.

As you finish with individual plants you can pull them out and fill the hole with more compost before planting the next.

Square foot gardening is great for anyone who wants to make the most of the garden space they have. It’s a bit of work to get started but very efficient once it’s up and running.