Square Foot Garden

This year one of my New Year resolutions is for my family and I to eat healthier and one way I plan to do this is by growing a vegetable garden.  I’ve decided to follow Mel Bartholomew’s template for a Square Foot Garden (SFG) www.squarefootgardening.com.  He has a very informative book called All New Square Foot Gardening that I am using as a guide to get started.  This is my very first attempt at gardening aside from a few pots of herbs in my kitchen window so I hope all goes well.

The principal behind a square foot garden is that you can grow just about any vegetable, fruit or flower in just one square foot.  Mel states that it is a very practical way for most people, especially those who don’t have a huge yard, to have a garden.  As I did research to start my garden I found that many places sold prefabricated raised gardens that I could have used, but I figured it would be much less expensive and more gratifying to build one myself (with the help of my hubby).  The pre-fab ones ranged from around $40 to upwards of $250.  I ended up spending around $8 for 2 – 8 foot 2″ x 6″ boards (which we cut in half) and a roll of weed fabric.  We already had 3″ screws and power tools.  We predrilled 3 holes in each piece of wood and screwed them together to make a box.  Afterward I stapled the weed fabric to the bottom.

Mel has also come up with the perfect growing medium (soil) to use in the Square Foot Garden; he calls it Mel’s Mix.  It consists of 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 blended compost.  The peat moss and vermiculite basically act like sponges to hold in moisture and the blended compost serve as the nutrients.  After you have combined all three of these ingredients and place them in your garden, you should place them in your raised bed.  With the perfect soil and the weed fabric under the bed, you are supposed to have little to no weeds in your garden.  Once you add the Mel’s Mix to the bed, you should section it off in one-foot section.  I used string instead of the lat boards that Mel recommended and so far it is working out ok.

Most of the vegetables I plan to grow in the garden I am starting from seed, but on one trip to Lowe’s I saw some broccoli and romaine lettuce transplants that I decided to use in a couple of my squares.  I bought the broccoli because it is kind of late in the season for me to start it from seed and I bought the romaine just to have something else already green in the garden.

I have also planted carrots, other types of lettuce, kale (I love to use in my green juices), and spinach from seed.  If you notice there are a few squares that are still empty, those I am saving for my summer crops, tomatoes, and peppers.  I have started those from seed inside my house and they are doing great.  When it gets warm enough and the transplants are large enough, I will plant them in the garden.  I am also going to have my herb garden again.  I have basil, oregano, mint and thyme.  I plan to grow those in pots as it warms up some.

I actually started the garden about 2 weeks ago and the seeds have already started to sprout and the broccoli and lettuce is growing larger.  I am sooo excited!!

I am really enjoying the garden so far.  I will definitely keep you posted on my ups and downs as I experience my gardening adventure.  If anyone has any suggestions or comments, I would be very happy to hear from you.  As I said I am a true novice to gardening and I can use any help I can get.

Renee