Sq ft 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.

This is one of the easiest ways to garden. It makes gardening a pleasure for those who are frail or handicapped.

So grab your pardner (or a spade) 1..2..3.. and lets 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.

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 string into roughly 12-inch (30cm) squares.

This size seems to be not too big, not too small, but just right... sorry 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.

Per square you can plant one cabbage, or two cucumbers, three marigolds, or four lettuces, 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.

Here's more information about similar gardening methods to square foot gardening:

No Till Gardening
Lasagna Gardening
Straw Bale Gardening
Raised Vegetable Garden

Return to top: Sq ft Gardening
Home page: No Dig Vegetable Garden