what about this Square Foot Garden

[David1949]

I was out with the wife on Saturday and after getting of the train we cut through a street of terrace houses with very small front gardens. A gentleman in one of these houses had two 4foot x 4 foot by one foot deep boxes in his front garden full of veg so i stopped to talk to him and he told me about a thing called the Square Foot Garden he is using this method for him and his wife so they have veg all year round as space is tight. I could not believe that he was able to get all that veg for the two of them all year round i never heard of this method of gardening and have not seen any talk of it on the forum so is anyone on the forum useing this method as i would like to know more about it.

[veggiechicken]

Here you are David http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ing_44388.html. Lots of enthusiasts here and I'm sure one of them will be along before long

[Samurailord]

Hi David

I have just started to use the Square Foot Gardening method this year, and have planted my first bed on my plot following the rules.

The bed is larger than 4x4, and has only been in existence for less than four weeks so I can't really give a full opinion, but so far I have got 5 x brussel sprouts, 5 x purple sprouting broccoli, 5 x curly kale, all in their own square, 2 courgettes (covering a total of 3 squares), 5 peas and 4 french beans in two more squares, three savoy cabbages and one chard, each in their own square, 16 lettuce four to a square, 16 onions in one square and four leaf beet in one square (although with hindsight these should really have had one square each). All of these were existing seedlings transplanted in, but I have also sown two squares of 4 pak choi, two squares of 9 spinach and one square of 9 turnips.





Overall I think that this is a great way of getting plenty of variety of crops in a a small space. I think I will definitely be using it again next year.

One major plus so far is that by interspersing the planting I seem to have confused the pests - the rest of the plots on the allotment have been hit hard by the cabbage whites, but my three savoys are out in the open and haven't been touched at all as yet.

Andy

[Bigmallly]

It's been my most successful bed this year due to the mixture of veg & flowers that attract beneficial insects. I am so impressed, I am doubling up next year...........Plus a bonus.........I didn't need to use any netting (I think the beasties get a little confused in the jungle).

[David1949]

Sounds really good way to plant veg i cant believe that i never heard of this before i will look into it more . As different crops need different fertilizer how do you get around that

[Bigmallly]

I didn't follow any rules, just a bed of soil & well rotted manure, divided into squares. Put a sprinkling of Fish Blood & Bone in each planting hole then left them to it. To be honest I am a fairly lazy grower when it comes to fertilizers, pH etc...........hangs my head in shame.....

[Two_Sheds]

I have got 5 x brussel sprouts, 5 x purple sprouting broccoli, 5 x curly kale, all in their own square

Andy, I can't remember how big your "squares" are? PSB and brussels are big plants (easily 2ft wide, sometimes 3)

[David1949]

I have 2 raised beds one with cabbage in it and the other with turnip in it after i harvest them ill start with one raised bed and try this square foot gardening and see i get along with it.

[taff]

is it worth sectioning off a couple of squares and changing the soil int here for sandy type stuff to grow carrots? that way, you can keep the rest of the soil manured/fertilised generally....
or is that a stupid idea?

[Samurailord]

Andy, I can't remember how big your "squares" are? PSB and brussels are big plants (easily 2ft wide, sometimes 3)

Hi TS

These are all in larger squares, 1 foot by 1.5 foot.

I have grown these at home before and they went more up than out.

Andy

[David1949]

I'm growing my carrots in a container in compost and there doing very well i filled a container to-day with compost and planted some Swiss Chard seeds i have never eating Swiss Chard before so i am looking forward to harvesting them.

[veggiechicken]

Here are some Chard ideas for you to whet your appetite! Chard recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

[Bigmallly]

Because I manured my SFG bed, I kept carrots & parsnips away from it.

[David1949]

Here are some Chard ideas for you to whet your appetite! Card recipes | Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall | Life and style | The Guardian

Thank,s The recipes look,s very yummy

[David1949]

All my raised beds and some containers are filled with a mix of compost + weed freed soil from the garden centre. Also i have 6 containers just filled with compost that i grow my potatoes in as potatoes was my first entry into gardening i only used compost. Next year i will use a mix of compost + weed free soil to grow them in. As for fertilizer i use grow more