Square Foot Gardening

Anders · Post: # 89507Post **Anders** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:28 am

I just checked the new and improved book out from the library, and I'd like to know if anyone's had experience with this, It sounds really good, but I know that reality can sometimes be different.

MrFalafel · Post: # 89538Post **MrFalafel** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:17 am

I have been doing SFG in my allotment for a couple of years now. I love it. We've converted our whole allotment to boxes now. I don't have the new book though. What's changed from the old method?

Anders · Post: # 89636Post **Anders** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 3:50 pm

I am not familiar with the "old" method, but apparently the new book is supposed to be simpler, easier, etc. Probably the same general content and concept though. I was thinking of using milk crates with Polypropylene liners, so I can grow things outside, move them easily when need be, and also move them inside a greenhouse in the winter. The dimensions are very close to a square foot, so I was wondering if this would work well?

Hawthorn · Post: # 89646Post **Hawthorn** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 4:30 pm

MrFalafel wrote:I have been doing SFG in my allotment for a couple of years now. I love it. We've converted our whole allotment to boxes now. I don't have the new book though. What's changed from the old method?

I think now there are also instructions for 'growing upwards'. We plan to do this in our allotment.

Hawthorn · Post: # 89703Post **Hawthorn** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:36 pm

Also worth mentioning - the soil mix he uses is 1/3rd Peat......I may be wrong - isn't this like, incredibly bad for the environment, or am I imagining things

ina · Post: # 89707Post **ina** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:48 pm

Hawthorn wrote:Also worth mentioning - the soil mix he uses is 1/3rd Peat......I may be wrong - isn't this like, incredibly bad for the environment, or am I imagining things

You are not. Some folk take a bit longer to learn...

snapdragon · Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:56 pm

this is fascinating - I do wish I had a half - or a quarter of a clue as to what you're all talking about

Hawthorn · Post: # 89711Post **Hawthorn** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:58 pm

http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

Here's the official site snapdragon.

The basis behind it is that you can grow more crops in less space, because you lose the rows and the amount of space they take up.
You don't have to work with the soil, as you put a ready mixed soil in there.....I think it's peat, compost and vermiculite, though I may be wrong.
Less weeding out and less care.....because of the vermiculite, you need to water less frequently.

HTH

ina · Post: # 89714Post **ina** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 9:06 pm

You can do it with "natural" soil too - well, with lots of your own compost, of course. No need to buy vermiculite, and definitely no need to buy peat, and destroy the last few peat bogs we have!

snapdragon · Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:15 am

wooo I do have a dustbin full of ex-growbag stuff - which I suppose might be peat
and a small backyard who's soil is mainly rubble

I could make boxes against the garden wall - instead of all the pots!

righto shopping at the tip tomorrow then (for waste wood)

I do love these forums

snapdragon · Sat Mar 15, 2008 12:21 am

Ishers are great

Bonniegirl · Sat Mar 15, 2008 1:45 am

Hi Anders, we've recently bought Mel Bartholomews book too, so pretty soon we shall starting a new veggie garden using his principles. We've done the allotment,(fighting a losing battle with weeds) we've done raised beds ( made them too big) so now we are giving the Square foot gardening a go. I like the fellas sense of humour and what he says also make so much sense.

We're starting with one 4 x 4 ft bed divided into 16 square 'foot's (

)

Once we get going I'll show you mine if you show me yours!

Anders · Post: # 89923Post **Anders** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 1:03 am

Sounds awesome everybody! Yeah as an environmentalist I was concerned about the sustainability of the 1/3 peat mix, I was wondering if anyone had a better idea for a soil combination that would do pretty much the same thing as "Mel's Mix", but sans the peat. I have not looked into the cost of the vermiculite, but it seems important enough to warrant purchasing.

Hawthorn · Post: # 89941Post **Hawthorn** » Sun Mar 16, 2008 9:09 am

That depends really.

I reckon the vermiculite is there to cut down on watering. It holds water well. You could probably get away without it, however, it will be more high maintenance.

MrFalafel · Sun Mar 16, 2008 10:22 am

ina wrote:You can do it with "natural" soil too - well, with lots of your own compost, of course. No need to buy vermiculite, and definitely no need to buy peat, and destroy the last few peat bogs we have!

Sustainable peat is available. Also, for the SFG method, one buys peat once and never again. What is wasteful is the people who buy peat every season and work it into the topsoil only to have it leach away requiring the need to buy more peat. That is wasteful. Using peat once and then topping up with homemade compost is the best of both worlds: top quality soil with sustainable resources.