Lessons Learned from SFG.

[Bigmallly]

As the season is well under way, I thought it may be interesting to to see what lessons you have learned from SFG, I'll kick off with a couple.
1) One swede per square is plenty.
2) Don't grow high plants where you have to reach over to get to others........
3) Flowers amongst veg is a deffo.

[Suky]

Good thread.
1. Strawberries don't grow neatly overhanging the edge just 'cos you want them to.
2. You really can get more in a square than you think (except swede and cabbage).
3.It is much quicker and simpler to pop a new crop into a recently harvested square than to sow/plant a whole row.
4.Always have something ready to go in.

I have been very pleased with the results of SFG and plan to have a 2nd bed for it next year.

[chris]

Don't plant 5 PSB in one square

[oldie]

I only tried one bed as an experiment. Great for my carrots, onions, salad stuff but i would not grow any brassica, beans, courgettes or bush tomatoes in a sq.foot bed. I had to get rid of the spinach as it just shaded other things out.

[Croila]

Well I've got one SFG bed but I can't really compare it to "conventional" gardening cause I've never done any gardening full stop before May this year!

The things I've learned in the last couple of months, however, are:

1) Don't plant sweetcorn seeds in the shadiest corner of the box, particularly not the square that's totally overhung by purple sprouting broccoli. It's DARK! And they don't grow.

2) When said purple sprouting broccoli growth takes off at a rate of knots, try to time it so you don't need to put the whole bird barrier/cover over tiny seedlings in other squares.

4) Growing thyme and oregano in it is probably silly and a waste of space. I'm going to howk them out tonight and replace them with (I think) more peas and spring onions.

The lettuce, ruby chard, carrots, and spinach are going great guns in it though! :-)

[Patchninja]

I think it's a case of choose the variety wisely.

I have a friend that grows spinach that grows like a triffid, it tastes nasty and she can't give it away. I tried one called resistatout (for french grapes!) and it's very fast-growing and compact and delish. Shall deffo grow it again.

Have grown kale instead of cabbage so can pull off a few leaves as and when
and have found that very good.

I think fairly fast-growing crops are more suitable - things that spend half the year in the ground are perhaps best grown elsewhere.

Toms are doing ok.

Had good results with dwarf mangetout.

Those are my thoughts so far.

[Croila]

Bigmally, you've grown swedes?? That's neeps, yes, as opposed to turnips? The orange things that go with haggis?

I absolutely LOVE neep but my dad said they're very hard to grow to any substantial size, and nobody seems to know why they grow better commercially.

I'd love to hear how your neeps turned out, if you've grown them yourself!

[Scottishnewbie]

this is my second yeat growing neeps and they have been fine both years. trick is to leave them till we've had frost and then they are fine. ps - we are near cupar so scottish weather!

[Bigmallly]

Bigmally, you've grown swedes?? That's neeps, yes, as opposed to turnips? The orange things that go with haggis?

I absolutely LOVE neep but my dad said they're very hard to grow to any substantial size, and nobody seems to know why they grow better commercially.

I'd love to hear how your neeps turned out, if you've grown them yourself!

Swedes are coming on well, they are about 6" in diameter at the mo so should be a nice size in a few months when ready to pick. The fortunate thing is that I'm not doing anything special to them, just leaving them to their own devices. Out of interest, the variety is "Best of all".

[Croila]

Ooooh thank you both! Right, I am going to try neeps.

Can I ask ... Did you both grow them from seed, or did you buy a neep plant anywhere?

[Bigmallly]

Ooooh thank you both! Right, I am going to try neeps.

Can I ask ... Did you both grow them from seed, or did you buy a neep plant anywhere?

Mine were grown from seed.

[minicrank]

A one metre square bed, covered in lace curtain/enviromesh is enough room to grow 5 huge and I do mean huge red cabbages (two of mine were over 6lb in weight last year) and this years crop are just as good. However I find it impossible to grow the following; courgettes - do you have any idea how embarrassing it is when your entire courgette glut is just three courgettes, or basil or any type of flowers - just can't get them to germinate !

[kingkano]

My first year with 4 raised beds - not proper SFG just divided into square feet.

My lessons are
1. Bush tomatoes (Roma) are a bit too vigorous if left to their own devices. If you can give them 4-6 squares then no problem lol. Next year I will grow them as determinate.
2. Brassicas are tricky, esp. if for reasons of protection you try to grow them in an area together. They get too huge from shading! Altho yield looks good. Next year spread them out a bit and hunt caterpillars instead Might just cover the cabbages.
3. Sweetcorn 1 per sq foot, with beans and pumpkins underneath grows awesome! But the squashes are prickly when picking beans
4. Dont grow lots of tall things together. Peas between sweetcorn and tomatoes was a hassle to pick and whatnot.
5. You can fit alot but watch for overcrowding.

Overall I am suitably impressed and will definitely continue with it. I much prefer planting say 2 squares of carrots than a row. Weeding has been easier, it all looks much nicer as its in my garden, and yields are high (higher than rows I think).

[chris]

I bunged an armpitted tomoato in (no idea what it is, most likely black cherry) - forgot about it, it flopped over, rooted from the stem and is growing happily and flowering now.. kind of like the lockness monster, it's taken up a sq to itself though...

[catkeeble]

What is SFG? I thought it was Sowing From Ground but then changed my mind when read some of the thread...