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Comment by Patrick A. Goss SC Zone 7a on April 15, 2012 at 6:52pm

I haven't posted anything for some time here, but I have to let people know about a cool web site I found about six months ago. It's called growveg.com. It has a really cool garden planner that you can use to figure out where to put your veggies each year. It allows you to create a to-scale diagram of your garden and you can choose to create your garden plan using row, or plan it using the square foot method. You input your zip code which allows the site to determine your USDA growing zone. The site then sends you automatic e-mails letting you know what veggies you should be planting outside or starting seeds inside based on what you put in you garden plan. It is really cool and it is pretty cheap. $12/yr. if I recall. I encourage everyone to check it out. I have been rather impressed so far. It even lets you restart the same plan the following  year and when you go to put your plants in the plan it will let you know wheather you had the same family of plant there the previous year so that you can rotate your crops.

 

Check it out, it really helped me out this year.

Comment by Vicky Myers on February 15, 2012 at 11:42am

Deanna I'm just joining in here but that gray stuff you have is probably powdery mildew nasty stuff. It grows on the outside of plants, looks ugly and can eventually kill the plant.

Comment by Vicky Myers on February 15, 2012 at 11:37am

Leah square foot gardening is basically using footage like one square foot and planting inside that square instead of rows. You can plant way more plants/food that way. Use the spacing guide on the seed packs but you can fudge and plant them closer. The idea is also to just let the leaves touch as they grow so that the plants shade the ground under them to help with water retention and to keep weeds from sprouting. So if you have  a ft square you can plant lots or radishes or carrots but say 2 pepper plants and so on. Or use 4 squares for a zuc or tom. Plus if you have a raised bed all set up like the one pictured you can harvest and just add a bit of compost and quickly get an other batch growing. You also aren't walking on the planting beds so never have to till again.

Contributing Gardener Comment by Charlie Patin Z8 TX on February 8, 2012 at 8:05am

@Leah, Check out the post by Kelley just below and you'll get an idea of what Sq. Ft. Gardening is all about. 

Kelley, that is beautiful.  You're doing it right.  I don't do Sq. Ft. gardening exactly but will post a few pics of what I do that's very similar. 

Also, have any of you heard of "Keyhole Gardening".  Here is a link about it.  www.debtolman.com 

Comment by leah martin on February 8, 2012 at 4:15am

I'm not clear on what square foot gardening is.  Can you  define this for me please?

Many thanks!

Comment by R. Lee Jacintho on July 4, 2011 at 6:50am

Lowe's also has a setup for sale but i didn't like the dimensions.  Plus, the price is prohibitive!

Comment by R. Lee Jacintho on June 29, 2011 at 6:11pm

Just saw this on QVC web site     http://tinyurl.com/63dm2c7

Comment by Lissa J. Bitton on May 30, 2011 at 1:03am

Everyone who walks by my front square foot garden comments on how organized it looks - we'll see as this is my first try at square foot gardening!

Comment by Paula Allen Zone 5 on January 1, 2011 at 7:48pm

Nice pictures Kelley.  I just love that rain barrel the flowers make it look even better. 

Comment by Kelley Stoneking on January 1, 2011 at 7:28pm

I've been square foot gardening for 2 years now, and I love it.  I live in town, and have a standard-sized yard; however, I didn't want to take up too much space with a traditional garden and all the work it entails (I want to enjoy my summers off, too).  This method is perfect! 

I have two 4' x 6' raised beds that I built myself.  I placed them on the south end of my yard where they'll get sunlight all day.  I have a wooden rain barrel under my downspout, which I use to water (see picture below).  I also put a spigot near its bottom in case I ever get the gumption to run a soaker hose.  :)

I used clothesline rope "threaded" through u-shaped nails (staples) to make my grid.  Then, I enclosed each box with Mel's idea of electrical conduit (very cheap) and plastic netting.  Since I have 6 cats, this keeps them from using the beds as a litter box, and it also keeps out the few deer we have wandering the neighborhood.  There's a picture below of my garden early in the summer so you can see the construction of it all.

I use the vertical method on the "back" side for cucumbers, beans, snap peas, and even zucchini.  I like the idea of rotating the crops and getting more than one harvest of certain vegetables (lettuces, spinach, radishes, etc.).   My harvests are more than enough for my daughter and me.  In fact, the first year, we were able to share the bounty with some neighbors.  This past year, though, not so much--weather didn't cooperate (and personal issues made me less-than-enthusiastic about doing anything.  :(  Better now, though.  :))  But I did grow potatoes and they were WONDERFUL!!!  A picture of one especially good harvest from this year is also below.

I would highly recommend this method for someone who wants less work, more produce, and maybe has limited space in which to work.  If you do start a square foot garden, though, look to the future; situate it in such a way that you COULD add more boxes if you want to--and I think you'll want to.  :)

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