Square Foot

You all have seen our back yard - it is pretty big. I have wanted a garden but there is so much other fixing up or organizing or cleaning to do that I have't gotten around to it. Also I don't want to take the time to put a garden in the ground and then determine that we want the storage shed put there. Then I would have to move it. What to do?

So this winter I decided to put in what they call a Square Foot Garden. That is where you build a border that is usually 4' x 4'and then add a special mix of compost, soil, vermiculite, etc. The dimensions can differ but if you have access to each side of the garden a 4' x 4' is ideal. If you position it against a wall or fence then the ideal width is 2' x 4'. After building the border a weed barrier is placed on the ground first and then the garden is assembled on top. Then you divide your border into 1 foot lengths and mark the "squares" onto your soil. There are directions about how many plants can be put into each square - usually 1, 4, 8, or 16 - depending on the variety of plant. Peas can be planted 8 per square but not evenly spaced. They are planted down the middle of the "square" so that eventually you can put up a frame for the peas to crawl onto. I ran out of pea seeds so I filled the last 2 1/2 squares with some spinach.

This method of keeping the soil moist seemed pretty cool but was quickly abandoned because it seems that I like to go out and water the garden myself.

So I planted and watered. I watered and watched. I peeked and prayed. Until just a few short days later I could see that the plants were growing. Yes! Now my garden looks something like this:

I will keep you posted on my success with

Square Foot Gardening.

Maybe you'll even get to taste the fruits of our success

- if you time your visit just right!