In today’s episode I discuss Square Foot Gardening. This show is dedicated to all of the people that say: “I know you don’t like _____”. The truth is that personally I feel like after a few years any gardener can move past SFG but it certainly is a great learning tool and it really fits what some people like so I say whatever works – go for it!
NOTE: Listener J. Kaiser pointed out in the comments that I made an error when calculating square feet. I wrongly reported that a square foot is a square with sides .32x.32 . I’m not sure if I was trying to do Cubic feet (?) or if I simply carried a decimal that didn’t belong but anyway, yes a square 1×1 is 1 square foot. It didn’t affect really any of the content but I felt it worth noting.

I filled this empty space at my suburban home with a SFG just to say I tried it. It was a decent use of space.
- What is SFG – Essentially organizing a garden into 1×1 foot squares. Each square is not really a square foot that would be .32 x .32. The method (usually but not always) involves using a raised bed box and a soil mix that is made by the gardener. Pioneered by Mel Bartholomew.
- Several steps:
- Building the box. You build a bed – 4×4 is the recommended starter size. Usually treated lumber, 2×6 or 2×8.
- The Bottom - It can have a weed barrier on the bottom or not. Some people use nothing. Some use cloth, some use cardboard or newspaper. Bartholomew suggests using a “weed barrier” beneath the box. Personally with any raised bed I tend to try to kill off the weeds first and then put the box over with no barrier or to use a barrier that will break down like cardboard. If you have problems with moles or gophers you can put chicken wire on the bottom.
- Filling it - ”Mel’s mix,” a combination by volume of one third of decayed Sphagnum “peat moss”, one-third expanded vermiculite and one-third blended compost.
- Planting into it - A grid is placed over the top usually. Cutting the 4×4 bed into 4 columns and 4 rows. Each plant has a recommended population per square.
Beets: 16/sqft
Broccoli: 1/sqft
Cabbage: 1/sqft
Carrots: 16/sqft
http://www.essene.com/Vegetarian/PlantSpacingsInASquareFootGarden.htm
- Advantages: Good for beginners, children or people with limitted access. Gives gardeners a good guide on how to start. Easy and confidence builder. Forces intensive gardening within the squares. Less compaction. Can add accessories. No fighting weeds.
- Disadvantages: Cost is elevated. Forces segregation to a point. Space is not used well all the time. Tomatoes and zuchinni are hard fits. Takes gardener out of the garden. Dries out somewhat quickly.
- Sustainability is questionable if you have to keep replenishing it from outside sources. Here are some ideas to make it sustainable and more permaculturish:
*Refill it with compost you make on site.
*Use natural materials for bed borders such as rocks or cedar logs.
*Utilize the squares but as you learn mix it up. So each square might have multiple plantings with similar populations.
*Utilize the edges. If you do plant something large find a way to utilize the space below it.
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