The best thing about gardening is that there is a garden for everyone. Whether you live in the suburbs on a quiet tree lined street, the rural countryside with acres of land or in a city and your sunshine comes in through a window, there is a garden option for you. Container gardening is the obvious choice for city dwellers but in fact, can also be a great option for those who have lots of room for their garden.
When you think of container gardening, you think of pots on a window sill or patio. But it also refers to something called square foot gardening. Square foot gardening refers to a type of gardening where raised beds are used.
The dimensions start at either 1 x 4 square feet all the way up to 4 x 12 square feet, depending on what size you want to start with. You can have many beds or just one. This type of gardening can be done by novices and experts alike. Anyone can follow a few simple steps.
The first step in square foot gardening is to pick a location for your garden. It is recommended that you choose an area of your yard that gets about 6-8 hours of sun per day. Also be careful to choose an area of your yard that will not puddle after a heavy rain. As these will be raised beds, where you bring in fresh soil, you do not have to concern yourself with what soil is available at the site you choose.
The next step is to build a box for your garden, using non-treated wood. It is recommended that your box not exceed 4 feet across. For example, you can have a 1 x 4 foot garden, all the way up to 4 x 12 foot garden. You want the box to be small enough for you to be able to tend the garden without disturbing the soil. With square foot gardening, you place your beds with a 2 – 3 foot wide walking aisle between them.
Make a permanent square foot grid on each box. This can be made of wood, or white plastic clothesline, but must always be made with non-treated materials.
The next step is to fill your boxes with the recommended soil mix: 1/3 blended compost, 1/3 peat moss and 1/3 coarse vermiculite. Plant a different flower, vegetable or herb in each square foot. It’s that easy! You’ll soon learn the ease and fun of planting and caring for a square foot garden!
