Square Foot Gardening Still a Popular Strategy

From the Wenatchee World (WA).

"A compact garden that produces lots of food — that’s the concept of square-foot gardening.

Let’s shorten the name to SFG. Coined by author Mel Bartholomew more than 20 years ago, it’s basically dividing raised beds into foot-sized increments and growing a quantity of vegetables or flowers in those small spaces.

The author states, “A square-foot garden takes only one-fifth the space and work of a conventional single-row garden to produce the same harvest and is easy to maintain so the garden stays neat, weedless and uncluttered all season.”

Within each square, several small plants, such as leeks or lettuce, may be planted, and for large veggies such as cabbage and cauliflower, just a single plant. Tall and vining plants go vertical trellised against the north side of the bed, minimizing space while maximizing production.

Kathi Scheibner of East Wenatchee tried SFG because her regular garden spot was getting shaded by neighbor’s trees.

She’s sold on this alternative and says, “The raised beds are tidy and small and can be tended near the house in a sunny spot.”

Scheibner checked out Bartholomew’s book from the library to get started three years ago. Later, she bought the newer 2006 edition and found she liked the earlier version better. “It had more information about vegetables and had a section in the back with specific information on each one. The newer version has more information on flowers.”

Her husband Wyatt built the two beds, each measuring about 3 by 8 feet, which provides plenty of veggies for the twosome. She includes a square or two for flowers or herbs to attract pollinators.

Rather than following the book’s recommendation to mark the squares with permanent strips, she made a grid using twine, but may go to permanent dividers since she likes this method of gardening.

As an early crop (such as lettuce) is harvested, the square can then planted with later warm weather crops.

“I questioned their method of planting one tomato (plant) in each square before I tried it,” she comments. “I doubted it would work because of my experience with big, overgrown tomato plants that had always produced so well. I followed the SFG directions to remove any side shoots on each plant so each had only one ‘stalk’ that I tied to a trellis. I was amazed that although I didn’t get as many tomatoes per plant, I got as many or more per square foot of garden space. Each plant seemed to put more energy into tomatoes and less into foliage.”

She likes growing tomatoes and cucumbers on trellises, and lettuce, carrots, beets and onions in the front squares. She found a 5- or 6-inch grid of nylon mesh works well as trellising for the tall plants, and is big enough to put your hand through easily.

This time of year, she prepares for gardening by gluing seeds on 1/4-inch strips of paper towels, using a mix of flour and water or nontoxic school glue at the recommended seed spacing. Then, at planting time, she just buries the 12-inch lengths of seed tapes at proper planting depths.

At the end of the season, their raised beds are rejuvenated with vermicompost (earthworm castings) and composted chicken manure. Scheibner recommends annual logging of each vegetable’s location, in order to rotate crops.

Fresh vegetables, easy to contain and pick, all in a small space ... no wonder square-foot gardening is popular."

There's also vertical gardening, wide row gardening, direct-planting in potting soil bags, upside-down gardening...all manner of short-cuts to food production in limited space or with limited abilities.