Has anybody tried this method of gardening? Square Foot Gardening
http://journeytoforever.org/garden_sqft.html
It looks perfect for the garden I am planning to start soon in my new backyard. I wonder if anyone had feedback on this method, suggestions, or further resources.
I am brand new to gardening and armed only with a desire to live sustainably.
Square Foot Gardening
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hedgewitch
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Re: Square Foot Gardening
Thats's all it takes mandzMandyz wrote: I am brand new to gardening and armed only with a desire to live sustainably.
I've been hearing a lot about this type of gardening just recently - yet it's no new concept by a long shot.
I haven't tried it and I don't know anyone who has either so I can't help at all really.
The only point I can see to this method of gardening is if you're short of space and/or time. Unless I'm missing the point altogether - which isn't unheard of
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Andy Hamilton
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I think it started with this book
I have a square foot of earth in my garden amongst all the concreate (landlords idea) so I will be using one sqaure foot
Aparently it works quite well, although I have never seen it action.
I have a square foot of earth in my garden amongst all the concreate (landlords idea) so I will be using one sqaure foot
Aparently it works quite well, although I have never seen it action.
First we sow the seeds, nature grows the seeds then we eat the seeds. Neil Pye
My best selling Homebrew book Booze for Free
and...... Twitter
The Other Andy Hamilton - Drinks & Foraging
My best selling Homebrew book Booze for Free
and...... Twitter
The Other Andy Hamilton - Drinks & Foraging
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oddballdave
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Re: Square Foot Gardening
Yes, I use it a lot. There are a number of tricks to making the system work.Mandyz wrote:Has anybody tried this method of gardening? Square Foot Gardening
http://journeytoforever.org/garden_sqft.html
It looks perfect for the garden I am planning to start soon in my new backyard. I wonder if anyone had feedback on this method, suggestions, or further resources.
I am brand new to gardening and armed only with a desire to live sustainably.
Recommend you get the book - or at least borrow it from the library.
And there is a yahoo group. But put 'square foot gardening' into a search engine there are lots of sites of people who use the method.
Dave
Thanks.
Only, I think I've decided to not try it with this garden...
It's an awkward situation. I only expect to be here for another 3 years, so I don't want to start too many long-term garden projects. I'd love to put in berry bushes and such, but it's simply not worth the investment (time or money) here. Plus I'm try to keep cognizant of the fact that we need the house and yard to have good retail appeal in a couple years. There is also a lot of perrenials established and I'm not inclined to uproot much of that, though we are trying to re-landscape what was left to overgrow with the last few houseowners.
I began this gardening project with larger expectations, but DH has rightly reminded me of our situation. So, for now we're sticking with what we can do easily with the yard we have and I'm planning on companion planting with a mix of veggies, herbs and flowers. Should be interesting...
Only, I think I've decided to not try it with this garden...
It's an awkward situation. I only expect to be here for another 3 years, so I don't want to start too many long-term garden projects. I'd love to put in berry bushes and such, but it's simply not worth the investment (time or money) here. Plus I'm try to keep cognizant of the fact that we need the house and yard to have good retail appeal in a couple years. There is also a lot of perrenials established and I'm not inclined to uproot much of that, though we are trying to re-landscape what was left to overgrow with the last few houseowners.
I began this gardening project with larger expectations, but DH has rightly reminded me of our situation. So, for now we're sticking with what we can do easily with the yard we have and I'm planning on companion planting with a mix of veggies, herbs and flowers. Should be interesting...
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oddballdave
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Overgrown area?Mandyz wrote: It's an awkward situation. I only expect to be here for another 3 years, so I don't want to start too many long-term garden projects.
<snip>
I began this gardening project with larger expectations, but DH has rightly reminded me of our situation. So, for now we're sticking with what we can do easily with the yard we have and I'm planning on companion planting with a mix of veggies, herbs and flowers. Should be interesting...
Strim it to the ground.
Cover it with a mulch sheet.
Grow things in the biggest tubs you can find, grow bags, half barrels.
Use the principles of Square foot Gardening.
There is no need to build raised beds, or make any other permanent changes. Make a hybrid of Square foot and Container gardening.
HTH
Dave
We were just planning on digging into the ground.
Backyard is sod on a slope.
I did this already for a small herb garden on the slope as soon as we moved in. I had a whole bunch of herbs in pots that used to sit outside at our townhouse. They seemed to want more space and we planned to do a garden this year, so I just tore up the "carpet" of sod (very easy to do), loosened the soil and planted. The herbs appreciated it. They grew much better and we had a good harvest of parsley by the end of the summer.
This year we'll actually add compost and such to the soil...
Because of the slope we can't really use puts and such. We will try to even out some of the garden spaces. But it's a lovely south-facing sloped yard, perfect for gardening. It's such a waste when it's grass that needs mowing. (I'm still pushing to replace the grass with something else like wild thyme). My original plan was to tear up the *entire* slope for gardening, but now we have a dog who needs at least some area to run up and down. There's a short area that's flat at the bottom (and shaded by neighbour's tall wood fence) that she likes.
Here's a rough approximation of what I have to work with. (Thumbnails)
The top one where the tree used to stand is difficult to show because it's a flat spot at the top of the slope. (Just before another short slope). The garden on the right is where I started herbs. It extends a little further to the right, but is hidden behind the tree. (I sat on neighbour's fence to get some height for taking these.) It will be expanded to roughly mirror the garden on the left.
Aside from a couple gardens already around the side of the house and in front that we are fixing up, this is what I have to work with for veggies and herbs.
Backyard is sod on a slope.
I did this already for a small herb garden on the slope as soon as we moved in. I had a whole bunch of herbs in pots that used to sit outside at our townhouse. They seemed to want more space and we planned to do a garden this year, so I just tore up the "carpet" of sod (very easy to do), loosened the soil and planted. The herbs appreciated it. They grew much better and we had a good harvest of parsley by the end of the summer.
This year we'll actually add compost and such to the soil...
Because of the slope we can't really use puts and such. We will try to even out some of the garden spaces. But it's a lovely south-facing sloped yard, perfect for gardening. It's such a waste when it's grass that needs mowing. (I'm still pushing to replace the grass with something else like wild thyme). My original plan was to tear up the *entire* slope for gardening, but now we have a dog who needs at least some area to run up and down. There's a short area that's flat at the bottom (and shaded by neighbour's tall wood fence) that she likes.
Here's a rough approximation of what I have to work with. (Thumbnails)
The top one where the tree used to stand is difficult to show because it's a flat spot at the top of the slope. (Just before another short slope). The garden on the right is where I started herbs. It extends a little further to the right, but is hidden behind the tree. (I sat on neighbour's fence to get some height for taking these.) It will be expanded to roughly mirror the garden on the left.
Aside from a couple gardens already around the side of the house and in front that we are fixing up, this is what I have to work with for veggies and herbs.