Has anyone had any success with square foot gardening?

I have a 3×3 and 2 2×2s from last year. It worked great.

I really have no tips except to follow mel’s directions. He did a great job of laying it out and explaining things simply. It’s all about the soil.

Yeah, I was having a hard time finding vermucilite… but I finally found it! Thanks…

What vegetables do you have?

I’ve done it for years, and I think Rodale Press has a book on it. I find it to be a quite rewarding and productive way to garden. You might also want to look at a book on Companion Planting. This is the theory that certain plants work together to help each other grow and to help repel insect pests and attract beneficials.

Tomatoes, muskmelon, cucumbers, green beans, watermelon, onions, carrots, corn, basil, peppers, lettuce, broccoli, peas, parsley, oregano, lavender, and mint. ’

I used 2×6’s for the 2×2’s, with a 3/8’’ piece of plywood on the bottom, plus handles to move around. The 3×3 is made with 2×8’s with newspaper on the bottom to stop weeds and grass. The 3×3 remains stationary. I used 1/2’’ EMT electrical conduit and pulling L’s to create a trellis, about 6’ high, on 2 sides for tomatoes, cucumber, green beans, and muskmelon.
Since the muskmelon(canteloupe) needs 2 square foot for one plant, I put in the corner of the trellis, so it had 2 feet of trellis to grow up, not one.

This year, I will be planting all of the same, with the addition of zucchini and eggplant. I also bought a blueberry bush, and will be building a 2×2 box, with handles, for that.
The blueberry bush, needs acidic soil, so should not be planted with the veggies I mentioned above.

The book I got on SFG was written by Mel Bartholomew. He explains everything in laymans terms, and even shows you the exact mixture of soils, which in my opinion, worked out great. He also explains how to compost, which is very important in creating healthy, rich soil.

Good luck and happy planting.

I’m inspired!

Just built my 4’ x 4’! Used 1” boards for the vertical. Seed & soil tomorrow.

woot!

Nice!!
Good luck.

Would you be interested in growing square watermelons?

I will!!! I just asked my husband last night if it would be ok to grow square watermelons.

I told him they’d be easier to cut :D

Actually, yeah. My gf loves watermelon (as do I). Will they fit on a 4×4? Do I need mesh instead of lines?

LOL

http://www.slashfood.com/2006/05/24/grow-your-own-square-watermelon/

Watermelon need 2 squares for 1 plant. I have a 6 foot high trellis on the north and east side of my 3×3 box. Last year, I planted muskmelon(which grows similar to watermelon) in the corner square where the trellis is, so I had 2 feet of trellis space to grow up, using only one square foot of the garden. It worked out well. Positioning of the trellis for vertical growing is very important, as you do not want to block out the sun from other plants as the vine takes up more space on the trellis. Because the melons do get very heavy, I would use a heavier mesh or strong twine and make sure you support your trellis from tipping over.

I also found it easier, while building the box, to use twine to make the squares, rather than wood. I drove screws into the top of the frame at every foot and just wrapped twine around the screws and knotted it at the end. It gives you almost an extra inch per square, that using wood takes away.

Cool. Yeah, I didn’t want to use wood lathe for the squares. I’ve got a bunch of extra clothesline from a previous life, so that’s going to do the job.

I’d have to figure out something different to make a mesh, I think because the clothesline will constantly stretch, but that’s a great idea to use a corner. Looks like I’m going to need some more wood.