How to Build a Square Foot Garden Frame
Square foot gardening is an efficient way to grow vegetables, fruits and ornamental plants. A useful rule for planting in square foot gardens is to ignore row spacing and use plant spacing instead. A 4-by-4-foot square garden contains sixteen 12-by-12-inch sections. These 12-by-12-inch sections are the square feet that make up the garden plot. For instance, carrots are spaced 3 or less inches apart. This means that you plant 16 carrot seeds in a 12-by-12-inch section (http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/plant-spacing/). Tomato plants require a larger area to grow so you space them 2 feet apart. That means that two tomato bush-type plants will fit in a 4-by-4-foot square garden. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- 4 2-by-4-by-8 untreated boards
- 8 metal wood joiners
- 8 metal corner joints
- 48 fencing staples
- Garden twine
- Saw
- Safety goggles
- Gloves
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
Instructions
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1
Cut the 2-by-4-by-8 boards in half. This will make eight 2-by-4-by-4 boards.
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2
Attach one corner joint to the end of a 2-by-4-by-4. Butt the end of the next board against the jointed end and fasten them together with screws. They should for a wide "V" shape when secured.
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3
Repeat this process with the remaining boards.
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4
Screw the unattached ends of two of the "V" shaped boards together to make a square. Repeat this step with the other two "V" shaped boards.
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5
Stack the squares on top of each other. Secure them together by hammering metal wood joiners beside each corner. If you wish to disassemble the bed later, leave the joiners sticking out enough so pliers can grasp them firmly.
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6
Measure the top boards, marking every 12 inches with a pencil.
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Nail one fencing staple on each 12-inch mark. The rounded staples are safer than leaving long screws poking out of the boards.
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8
Tie garden twine to each staple on one side.
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9
Run the twine from the first staple to the one directly across the planting bed. Tie the twine securely to the staple.
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Repeat this process for the remaining staples. The end result should be 16 12-by-12-inch squares.
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11
Fill the square foot garden with a friable, organic matter-rich potting soil. Choose a light mixture that retains moisture but drains well.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Instead of building two stackable, 4-inch-tall boxes you can build using boards with 8-inch widths. Experiment with depths and materials.
Use screws so the boxes can be taken apart and cleaned for winter storage.
Use only untreated lumber for gardens that contain edible foods.
Avoid stepping in the garden, as this will compact the soil, making it difficult for the plants to grow.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit Jupiterimages/liquidlibrary/Getty Images
