Sq ft Gardening — Square Foot Gardening

What's sq ft gardening? Is it a dance? Actually it's almost the opposite, because when you have a square foot garden layout, it's rather easy to sit down on the job.

Sq ft gardening, or square foot gardening, is also called a box garden... and you've guessed it... it's all done in small squares or boxes.

This is one of the easiest ways to garden. It's perfect for beginners because it has very specific guidelines.

It's also great for small garden owners because it keeps the garden in little compact spaces.

And finally because it's simple and accessible to work with, it makes gardening a pleasure for those who are less agile, frail or disabled.

Sq ft Gardening - sowing seeds in a square foot garden

So grab your pardner (or a spade) 1..2..3.. and let's go square dancin'!

Doin' the sq ft gardening shuffle

But first a teensy bit of strenuous preparation. Build your garden first (the no-dig method naturally) using a solid boundary, such as planks, logs or tyres, around the edges.

Make your square foot garden beds long and narrow, or make a U-shaped bed, allowing for cultivation from either side without having to step on the garden. If your garden is against a wall, make it your arm's reach wide.

There are plenty of ways to mark out your squares or boxes. For example...

On the outside of the planks or edge, knock in short upright stakes. If they get a bit skewed sometimes, sort them out but no need to be too fussy. The inside is then divided by coloured tapes or twine into roughly 12-inch (30cm) squares.

If using tape or twine, it must be strong and thick enough so that it doesn't get lost amongst the plants. Light string tends to sag; strong twine is fine, but needs replacing yearly. Otherwise a little bit of the dreaded plastic in your garden wont hurt, such as vinyl strips, plastic clothes line or nylon rope.
OR...use wooden slats nailed to the edge of your raised box

Build 1ft square boxes or oblong boxes in multiples of 1ft. Then put these boxes side by side or in tiers.

This one square foot garden size seems to be not too big, not too small, but just right... thanks Goldilocks! Really these sq ft garden plots mean no wastage, and make it easy to use the minimum of seed, thus a minimum, if any, of thinning. They are concentrated little factories of delicious plants.

sq ft gardening growing concentrated lettuces

What to Plant with Square Foot Gardening

Per square or box you can plant:

one cabbage
or two cucumbers
or three marigolds
or four lettuces
or 4 parsley
or eight beans
or 16 carrots
... and so on

As with all gardens, planning your square foot garden should take into account the usual rules, like north/south aspect for sun, water availability, and prevailing wind.

And because this neat little box gardening method is so suitable for the less-than-agile gardener, make the site as near the kitchen or living room as possible so you can easily nip out for some garnish, a lettuce leaf, or spot of maintenance.

After harvesting one square, add a trowel of compost, maybe some mulch and rotate with different plants, You can see that sq ft gardening is not at all daunting as you do it square-by-square over time if necessary.

Most work can be done seated, though some people prefer to kneel. You can lean down from an ordinary plastic chair, but don't strain your back. You may find a low bench seat with back support the best. Use an adjacent light chair to help yourself to rise by putting a hand on its seat.