Square foot gardening.

[elsie-scot]

Now I think we need some clever modding- our new friend Dallaran is from the south east and on his introduce yourself thread there is a nice, polite and informative discussion on square foot gardening!!
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...and_46455.html

Glad to see our thread has gone back to discussing SFG , , but what will we do without a expert who knows more than us all

[Jeanied]

Wooden spoon prize, Elsie!
I am still interested in finding out how one organises the succession in a square foot system - especially follow on cropping. I find it hard enough with a larger bed but it gets even more complicated with a smaller space.
And I get various pests and diseases (onion rot and rusts for example) which I think I need to rotate to minimise the impact.
I was interested in disease vectors. * said in a very small voice.

[Glutton4...]

I have to confess, when I first heard about 'Square Foot' gardening I thought it was a wind-up. I didn't believe anyone would want to just grow one square foot of everything. We live and learn.

[elsie-scot]

Wooden spoon prize, Elsie!
I am still interested in finding out how one organises the succession in a square foot system - especially follow on cropping. I find it hard enough with a larger bed but it gets even more complicated with a smaller space.
And I get various pests and diseases (onion rot and rusts for example) which I think I need to rotate to minimise the impact.
I was interested in disease vectors. * said in a very small voice.

Think someone has the book it may say something. I've been reading Joy Larkman and wathcing Geoff Hamilton, both on combining flowers/veg/fruit. Both seem to push growing healthy plants, replenising the soil as soon as something taken out. Growing plenty in modules to get good succession, they seem to say that a lot of things will sit well in modules. I still think you need to operate a rotation system of some type, especially if you have some problems

[zazen999]

I'll traipse back through and clean it up......I'll leave this for people so that they know it's been tidied up a bit.

OI!!! It's been tidied up a bit

There, that should do it

[Glutton4...]

OIY ZAZ! Does that mean you can read what we're typing before we post it?

[elsie-scot]

OIY ZAZ! Does that mean you can read what we're typing before we post it?

hope not she can see all my mistakes, and also those posts that you write then delete

[zazen999]

OIY ZAZ! Does that mean you can read what we're typing before we post it?

Only if we look really hard at the screen....and into your soul [Insert evil laugh here]

hope not she can see all my mistakes, and also those posts that you write then delete

Oh yeah, we can see those.....should we really wish to.

[anyway - no chatting - SFG only!]

[Jeanied]

I thought we were getting back to square foot gardening, not modding?
Sheeesh - what are you lot like?

[Suky]

Us, chat, what could you mean, we stick firmly to the subject, don't we everyone

[organic]

I love the 'authorized to set up their own teaching workshops' that Suky found. Authorised by whom? I'd love to be authorised (note my British spelling) to set up my own teaching workshop. I could make a fortune if I could just find somebody daft enough to pay.

I don't have the book to hand but I seem to recalle the SFG system is patented by its creator so you'd be authorised by him, at a guess. I don't know if he patented it anywhere other than the USA but I imagine he probably holds a monopoly on the system anywhere that recognises the US patent system.

I imagine the "authorisation" includes permission to use their course materials. I'm not planning to get into teaching it, though, so have never really looked into it.


As to rotation and the likes, I believe rotation is far more of an issue when practicing monoculture, something we tend to do on a small scale in traditional allotment gardening methods. Breaking your crops up into small blocks scattered around the garden monoculture is effectively avoided and so pests, diseases and soil deficiencies should be less of a problem.

My understanding of SFG is that by just planting your crops in a way that breaks them up a bit, replacing them with something new once it's harvested and continuing like that a natural rotation takes place. He does touch on it in his book, but it pretty much boils down to "don't worry about it, it'll take care of itself".

It's a very planning-free kind of gardening as far as layout is concerned. The planning focuses on first and last frosts and thinking first about the harvest you want and sowing/planting to get it.

For dealing with pests it takes a few approaches naturally. Companion planting happens pretty much automatically, as does rotation, and for things that won't be deterred like that, like birds or butterflies, individual squares are protected with small cages of wire, netting, mesh and the likes.

Again the approach pretty much boils down to "don't think about it, it'll take care of itself".

Being in my first season with it I can't comment from experience about how effective it all is, but I hear good things.

[pjh75]

Have only just go round to reading this thread all the way through... so interesting. All of the links to pdfs and websites are really useful. It's a bit late for me to try this now as I only have one empty bed which is destined for sweetcorn but I'll definitely be doing it next year.

[Bigmallly]

Being in my first season with it I can't comment from experience about how effective it all is, but I hear good things.

But you will be able to next year Organic................I am looking forward to seeing some pics later on in the year & discussing the pro's & cons. My SFG beds are coming on well & have still about another dozen to fill which will be easy.......

[jemma_charlie]

I did it in some of my garden last year and had mixed results.
This year I plan on doing it again but I need to water more. Although I soaked everything at least once a week the brassica's bolted really early, however, i did sow some psb really late in the summer and am picking it now. My toms did well as did runner beans and mange tout, sweetcorn produced 2 cobs per plant but not all cobs were full, I think this was down to the weather as the flowers opened really early.

[cazp]

Square Foot Gardening

Hello

I am thinking of trying the "square foot gardening" technique next year and am interested in hearing the real experiences of others who have tried this .

I am currently growing a variety of vegetables in containers. I have space in the garden for a couple of 4ft square beds but ealistically how productive can one or two 4ft square vegetable garden be? is it worth the expense and effort of setting them up, or am I better off in containers.

Any advice appreciated.