Do you enjoy your own home-grown vegetables and flowers but can't do the hard work
needed to get the garden ready to plant? Or, maybe you don't like weeding and hoeing?
Maybe just getting down to the ground is a painful chore.
Square Foot Gardening may be the answer for you. The Square Foot Gardening system
is easy to do and can be set up in any sunny space and in many different configurations
to meet your needs.
The basic component of Square Foot Gardening consists of a box, the sides of which
are each four feet long. They can be constructed of 2x6 scrap lumber. If six inches
is too low to the ground for you, the height of the Square Foot Gardening system
can be elevated so there is little need for stooping and bending.
The 4'x4' box lays on a ground cover to prevent weeds from growing up into your
small garden. The ground cover may be plastic, discarded pieces of carpet, cardboard,
or even layers of newspaper. The box is filled with equal portions of vermiculite,
peat moss, and compost. (It is recommended that the compost consist of a blend of
three different types or brands of compost).
Each box is then divided into 16, one-foot plots. Each plot will grow a separate
vegetable or flower crop. A divider can be wood strips or even string. Since plants
often have different space requirements, go to
www.squarefootgardening.com for recommendations
about how many of each crop to plant in a square-foot space.
Watering is even simpler to accomplish. Research indicates water that has been heated
by the sun then applied to the base of the plant will encourage more growth than
does sprinkling with cold water. To water a Square Foot Garden, you’ll need only
a bucket of water, warmed by the sun, and an eight-ounce plastic cup. Your Square
Foot Garden plants will probably require watering only once a week.
The only other tool needed for your garden will be a pair of scissors for pruning.
When the crop is harvested merely add some new compost mixture to the old soil.
It’s ready to plant a new crop.
So easy!
And besides fresh vegetables and flowers all growing season, what are the benefits?
- No rototilling.
- No hoeing.
- Saves water.
- Few or no weeds.
- Few tools.
- Simple to do.
- Lots of fun for kids or the whole family.
For more information:
www.squarefootgardening.com