Container and square foot gardening

Container and square foot gardening

Square foot gardening is eminently suited for container gardening, patio and roof gardening, backyard gardening, organic gardening, herb gardens, vegetable gardens, flower gardens and more. Square Foot Gardening is an ideal way to grow vegetables. It is a raised bed, no dig system which is economical in more ways than one.

Square Foot Gardening is growing "a lot" in a small area. You don't have to have acres of land -- just a small space 4’x4’. Square foot gardening is based on the idea that no one needs more than a 4 foot by 4 foot garden space to raise enough vegetables for one person for one gardening season. You will come to understand that you really need to plant only enough seeds for the number of plants you actually need. You won’t be planting entire packets of seed just because you feel a need to empty the packet. Square Foot Gardening is a technique of intensive planting developed by a retired civil engineer, Mel Bartholomew, in the 1970's. Mel describes the technique in his book, Square Foot Gardening, as "a system of laying out, planting, and maintaining a productive, attractive garden in any amount of space.

Leave three feet between each container to make access easier. Leave the roots alone and be careful not to bruise the stem. Don't plant oreganos, mints, lemon balm or bee balm with other plants because they will overgrow everything.

Plant the seeds and water gently and slowly without allowing water to stand or puddles to form. The surface must remain damp until the seeds have germinated. Planting can be freeform and spacing determined by individual plant size. Use graph paper and draw your garden to scale. Plants that normally take up yards of space as runners, such as squash or cucumbers, are grown vertically on sturdy frames that are hung with netting or string to support the developing crops. Ones that grow deep underground, such as potatoes or carrots, are grown in a square foot section that has foot tall sides and a planting surface above the ground, so that a foot or more of framed soil depth is provided above the garden surface rather than below it.

Grow bags are another way that you can take advantage of the limited space in your home or apartment. Grow bags aren’t necessarily a new idea, as people throughout the world use inexpensive plastic bags filled with soil to grow crops. Grow bags are perfect for plants such as tomatoes, courgettes and aubergines. If space is really restricted don't forget the herbs. Grow bags are the right shape and light enough to be carried around easily.

Plants can also be grown in tyres, old metal pots such as buckets, watering cans or even a colander! Old shoes and boots (especially wellington boots) can look very good and baths or the shell of a broken vacuum cleaner, dustbins, old wheelbarrows, plastic food tubs and even old toilets can be used. Plants at the bottom can suffer from insufficient light and too much water, so rotate the pots regularly and include plenty of crocks to improve drainage. There are also tower pots with sections that can be made up to a range of heights.


container and square foot gardening