How to Make a Square Foot Vegetable Garden

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Square foot gardening started being widely publicized by Mel Bartholomew in his book, "Square Foot Gardening," in 1985. He posits that gardening can be done organically and intensively using his method. He suggests we build boxes, fill them with his special organic mix, mark them off into grids of 1 square foot each and begin planting. This sort of gardening can be varied to suit flowers and vegetables. The boxes can be raised to make wheelchair gardening possible.Square foot gardening can be used in many ways, but for the purposes of just getting started, read on to learn to set up a vegetable garden.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

Materials to make a box 4' x 4' x 6"
Strips of wood, string, plastic for marking the box into a grid
A good soil mix, enough to fill the box

Choosing a Location for your Garden

Step1

Choose a sunny location, one that gets at least 6 hours of sun daily. It can be on a deck, a patio or in an existing garden, but pick a place close to your house for your convenience.

Step2

Do not cover roots of trees.

Step3

Keep the box out of wet or swampy locations in your yard.

Building a box

Step1

Butt the boards together by rotating the ends to get a square. Start with a small box because it is the easiest. You can make one smaller if you wish, but 4 feet by 4 feet is an easy size to work with.

Step2

Use marine screws to screw the ends together.

Step3

Place the box in the sunny location you have chosen.

Step4

Fill the box with a good soil mix.

Step5

Make your grid with string, strips of wood or plastic, making sure each square is 1 square foot. Use screws to fasten the grid. If you wish to make it a permanent bed, do not use string.

Planting your Square Foot Garden

Step1

Choose vegetables, herbs or flowers for your square foot garden.

Step2

Use 1, 4 9 or 16 plants per square foot depending on the eventual size of the plants.

Step3

Use seeds sparingly. If you are using transplants, install them by leaning over, not by walking in the garden.

Step4

Water by hand, so you don't disturb your seeds or seedlings.

Step5

Rotate your crops. When your basil leaves are tiny and tender, pick them off. As the plant gets larger and more woody, remove it and replace it with another herb or vegetable.

Tips & Warnings

Working several square foot gardens is easier if you separate the beds by 2 feet or 3 feet.
You are not limited to squares. If triangles or octagons fit your design ideas better, use those. Just remember to separate into square feet for gardening purposes.
Never walk on your garden bed.