I am going to try SFG this year. Does anyone have any advice for a 1st timer?

Hi Green Apple,
If you do a FORUM SEARCH and type in the words
SQUARE FOOT GARDENING, you should come up with several posts on this very subject..
There's a bunch of us that love that concept...

Also, if you do a FORUM SEARCH and type in COMPANION PLANTING, you'll come up with some more ideas' on the same type of concept..

And I'm pretty sure you'll have a few members come thru that will also lend some more hands into this post...

I'ts one of our most favorite subjects..
**well, besides TOMATOES and COMPOSTING **
Oh wait a minute, those were mine..hehehe..
They all go hand in hand..

Stick around, there's alot of very nice gardeners here who just love to garden and talk garden..
You'll really enjoy yourself here, ALOTTTTTTTT!~

thanks! I will do that.

What veggies do you like to grow?
That helps alot when figuring in a plan
to lay out plants too..

It really works, get the book by Mel Bartholomew!

Tom

I love this method of gardening. If you get his latest book it has the square grids in it that you can photo copy and plan out each of your garden squares. I am getting ready to start my plans for my squares this week. It truley is the easiest and most enjoyable gardening method that I have found.

We finally invested in building a raised bed this last fall out of composite lumber. I am really excited to get to start the SQF style of gardening. Will really enjoy reading how everyone on this board like it too.

Hi Neighbor!

I'm in Illinois so I guess we're like neighbors, but I believe you're a lot further south and a lot warmer than I am since I'm near St. Louis.

Green Apple, I've tried square foot gardening before and it's really very easy. All you have to do is build a 4'x4' box frame out of wood using 1"x6" or 2"x6" lumber, but you can make it deeper if you want by using 1"x8" or 2"x8" lumber. DO NOT use treated lumber! Also, you can make the box frame smaller or larger if you would like, but I wouldn't make it any wider than 4' because it will be too hard for you to reach your plants or take care of them. Always make sure to rotate your corners when building your box so you end up with a square instead of a rectangle. I always put my box frame directly on the ground with landscaping fabric under it to help control the grass or weeds. However, you can dig up and remove the grass under your frame if you don't want to use the landscaping fabric, but that's a lot of extra work.

Now you're ready to fill your box with a mixture that consists of 1/3 compost, 1/3 coarse perlite or vermiculite, and 1/3 peat moss. You don't need any soil and you don't have to use any chemical fertilizers because the peat moss and vermiculite or perlite will keep your soil mix loose and help retain moisture in your box. Your compost will supply all the necessary nutrients for excellent growth. Next, you build a grid on top of your box frame or you can make the grid a little smaller so that it fits inside your box frame and lays directly on the soil mix. It should look like a window frame with 16 panes.

Now you're ready to plant 16 different kinds of seeds (e.g. flowers or vegetables) in each box by following the recommended spacing requirements for each plant. I always mark the spot and make a shallow hole, then I put 1 or 2 seeds in each spot and cover the seeds, but DO NOT pack the soil mix down and DO NOT over-plant! Keep it watered as needed by following the watering requirements for each of the different plants, but DO NOT over-water. It won't be very long until you'll be reaping the fruits of your labor. It's so exciting!

Whenever any of the plants or vegetables are finished all you have to do is add some new compost and then plant something different in that spot. I know how to do this, but it's a whole lot easier to do than it is to explain. Happy planting!