Are you looking for a compact, orderly, and easy way to grow crops at home? Square foot gardening (or SFG for short) may be the solution.
As the name implies, the method involves planting in sections a square foot in size, mapped out with a grid in a raised bed. It was started by Mel Bartholomew, an American engineer and gardener, who released a book all about it in 1981. Sure, that’s a good few years ago now, but the approach is still a brilliant way to start a vegetable garden.
Charmaine Peters, a vegetable-growing expert from Arden, says the method is ‘an extremely efficient way of gardening’, and great for home gardeners with limited space. It also makes weeding and watering your garden more manageable, she adds. We’ve gathering expert advice on how to get started with square foot gardening.
This method is great for creating a neat and orderly look
(Image credit: BIOSPHOTO / Alamy Stock Photo)
How to set up your raised bed for square foot gardening
You can use twine to create your grid
(Image credit: Dave Bevan / Alamy Stock Photo)
First, find a sunny spot. Jen McDonald from Garden Girls says, ‘Fruiting vegetables, like tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, and squash, require six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Lettuce, arugula, and greens require four to six. Herbs need at least two to four hours per day.’
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Then, add your soil mix. ‘Ensure you have well-draining, fertile soil that is suitable for the plants you want to grow,’ says Autumn Hilliard-Knapp of Perfect Plants Nursery. ‘Consider amending the soil with compost or other organic matter to improve its quality.’
Next, create a grid of squares with metal, bamboo, wood, or string stretched horizontally across the bed to serve as a visual tool, Charmaine instructs. ‘This will help you plant your seeds the right distance apart.’
rosemary, lavender, and sage), tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, and cucumber.
‘Seedlings may look the same in the early stages, so labeling the squares will help you identify the crop,’ says Charmaine.
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‘You can also create a garden map as a handy reference to know what seeds are planted in each square,’ Charmaine continues. ‘Remember to have a clear point of differentiation, since the square shape may make it difficult to apply your map otherwise.
‘You should also consider planting taller crops, such as tomatoes or trellised cucumbers, on the north side of your raised bed to prevent them from shading shorter plants,’ she adds. ‘This ensures that all plants receive sufficient sunlight for optimal growth.’
Once planted, water your garden as needed and make sure to pull weeds and remove any dead or diseased plants regularly, says Autumn.
FAQs
‘The drawback to this method is if you want to plant things like watermelon, corn, and squash, you are limited in the amount of space,’ says Jen McDonald from Garden Girls. For these larger plants, you’ll want to do one plant per two square feet with room to vine over the edge, or add a trellis for vertical growth, she suggests.
says Autumn Hilliard-Knapp of Perfect Plants Nursery notes how close plant spacing can make it easier for pests and diseases to spread. ‘Regularly inspect your plants, and promptly address any pest or disease issues,’ she advises. ‘Consider using natural pest control methods or companion planting to deter pests.’
Anna Ohler, the owner of Bright Lane Gardens nursery, says, ‘Square foot gardening methods can also be applied to certain landscape projects, as long as you’re looking for a tidy and orderly landscape design.
‘You would apply the same general rule – separate your garden into grid squares, then plant a certain number of flowers or plants in each square according to their planting guidelines. This is very helpful when planting annual flowerbeds that require a large number of flowers per section.’
If you are growing perennials, plan to remove any physical gridlines once your plants are in the ground, she suggests. ‘Any twine or stakes left behind could inhibit a plant’s ability to grow out.’
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Source: homesandgardens.com
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