Gardening Sweet Spots
By Donna Hessel
Growing your own vegetables and herbs is becoming more popular every year. Picking fresh produce from your garden to complement your food preparation is not only healthier, but also a source of “I did this” psychological fulfillment. Many of us, however, are moving to homes with smaller spaces for any kind of garden, and the thought of the amount of labor required to dig and prepare a traditional vegetable garden can be overwhelming. Square foot gardening is a perfect solution!
Not a New Concept
Square foot gardening was invented by Mel Bartholomew in 1976. He was born in 1931 and after graduating from college, serving as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army, pursuing a career at an engineering construction company he founded, and retiring in 1975, he joined the Environmental Center in Smithtown, NY and started the first community garden.
When the community gardeners lost interest in maintaining their gardens, Bartholomew determined that the garden design was the problem. In 1976, he introduced a design that was “easy, fool-proof…that would work in small spaces, require less work and would provide a high yield”—the square foot garden.
He published a book in 1981 that was still one of the top 10 best selling gardening books in 1996. He started the Square Foot Gardening Foundation in 1996. The Foundation helps individual gardeners achieve success and its grant program helps support local and global organizations. In 1982, Barthholomew started a PBS program called Square Foot Gardening that was broadcast nationally for six years; and he traveled nationwide demonstrating his garden method. He died in 2016 at the age of 84.
Benefits of Square Foot Gardening
The Square Foot Gardening (SFG) method is estimated to cost 50% less, and use 20% less space, 10% of the water, and only 2% of the work compared to single row gardening. Additional benefits include virtually no weeds, no digging or rototilling, less fertilizer and no need for heavy tools.
The guiding principles of square foot gardening are raised beds, good soil, regularly improved close planting and succession planting.
Raised Beds
If you enjoy bending over or kneeling to do your gardening, you can, of course, apply the SFG method to in-ground gardens with the same results. But if creaky joints are a problem and an aching back after completing gardening chores is likely, a raised bed (or beds) is much preferred. Raised beds should be no more than four feet wide so the middle can be reached easily. Four-by-four feet, or four-by-eight feet is typical. Beds need six to eight (or more) hours of direct sunlight. If the area you want to garden in is predominantly shady, there are still some things you can grow.
The depth of your raised garden can be a minimum of six inches if you want to grow compact herbs, plants and flowers. For deep-rooted plants such as eggplant or watermelons, the soil depth should be at least 12 to 18 inches. If you are planning more than one bed, leave at least a three-foot aisle between them so a wheelbarrow can fit through. Any square can be fitted with a trellis or support for vining plants such as beans, cucumbers, squash or tomatoes.
Good Soil
The classic square foot garden soil mix is made from 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 finished compost from several different sources. You can also use equal parts topsoil and organic matter. For good drainage, add one part coarse vermiculite or perlite, one part organic material and two parts soil. Fertilizer or compost can be added annually as needed.
Close Planting
The garden plot is divided into one-foot squares. Divider lines can be eyeballed, or dividers of wood, plastic or other materials can be used to separate the squares. For example, a four-foot by four-foot garden would have 16 squares. In one square, you can plant one extra-large plant, four large plants, nine medium plants, or sixteen small plants. Place plants close together to shade out weeds and maximize efficiency. There are many plans online for planting square foot gardens. I found this website to be particularly helpful: gardeninminutes.com/plant-spacing-chart-square-foot-gardening/.
Succession Planting
Succession planting means immediately following one crop with another, never leaving an empty space in the garden. When one square is harvested, the soil can be enriched and replanted. The best plan is to start with a quick growing or early season crop, then follow up with another; i.e., radishes to onions, lettuce to Swiss chard, peas to beans. Or, some of the same plant can be added every few weeks to maintain a supply. Selecting varieties of tomatoes with different maturity dates will provide tomatoes for several weeks.
Taller plants should be planted to the north so they don’t shade out the rest of the garden. It goes without saying to plant what you want to eat!
Take advantage of companion planting to add color, attract pollinators and keep insect pests a bay. Dill and basil protect tomato plants from hornworm. Marigolds help virtually any vegetable. Mint repels ants and sage repels cabbage moths. Zinnias attract ladybugs, which help to control unwanted insects.
Plants for a Shady Area
Don’t give up on square foot gardening if you have a predominantly shady area. Leafy vegetables and root crops are the best choices for a shady garden. Vegetables that produce fruits, like tomatoes, cucumbers or eggplant, need full sun. Watch out for snails and slugs that shady gardens attract! And, shady gardens still need plenty of water. Leafy salad greens like cool, dewy, early-season days. They can be succession planted in the spring and fall. Salad greens and cooking greens, such as chard and kale, need just three to four hours of sun. Cabbage and broccoli will grow in a half-day of sun and prefer cooler weather, but will take a little longer to form heads. Root vegetables need a half day of sun. Try beets, carrots, potatoes, radishes, wasabi or turnips. Carrots and potatoes can be harvested while small and sweet. Beet and turnip greens can be harvested for salads while their roots are forming.
Peas and green beans like cooler temps and about four to five hours of sun per day to produce flowers and pods. They produce for a longer time planted in a shady garden. Bush beans rather than pole beans are a better choice for square foot gardens. Don’t forget to add some herbs! Chives, cilantro, mint, oregano and parsley need just three hours of sun per day.
Tips for Selecting Raised Beds
The following web site is an excellent resource for exploring the type of raised bed that will work best for you: thespruce.com/best-raised-garden-beds-5323371. A bed about 30 inches high will eliminate having to bend over to work in it. After you have decided on the type of raised bed, you can either purchase one ready made, or make one yourself. There is a wide range of materials available for construction, including wood, plastic, metal, steel and polyethylene. Wood such as cedar or fir that is naturally weather-resistant will create a more traditional frame. Plastic and polyethylene make a more modern or utilitarian in bed. Many garden catalogs offer corner pieces that make it easy to connect boards, and there are many DIY plans available online. One caveat if choosing a wood frame: treated lumber and/or repurposed rail road ties contain chemicals that are dangerous to food production and should not be used.
Whether you plant a square foot garden in full sun or partial shade, the vegetables you harvest from it will definitely enhance your meals. A raised bed is also a great way to get kids interested in low-maintenance (little digging or weeding needed) gardening… veggies they can plant, watch grow, harvest and enjoy eating!
Article Resources:
“Square Foot Gardening”– The Root online newsletter – Summit County Master Gardeners
Mel Bartholomew – en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Bartholomew
squarefootgardening.org
thespruce.com/best-raised-garden-beds-5323371
