Square foot gardening
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2008-05-08T19:45:36Z
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Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/209.81.119.34|209.81.119.34]] ([[User talk:209.81.119.34|talk]]) to last version by Rorybowman
{{Refimprove|date=August 2007}}
[[Image:Square Foot Gardening Book Cover.png|thumb|right|150px|An updated book published by Mel Bartholomew in Feb. 2006.]]
'''Square Foot Gardening''' is the name of a book by Mel Bartholomew and the associated method, which he has helped popularize. The original book was published by [[Rodale Press]] in 1981, leading to a [[PBS]] television series from 1982-1986, various classes around the world, a [[web site]] and a second edition published in 2005. It combines and concepts from other [[Organic horticulture|organic gardening]] methods, including a strong focus on [[compost]], closely planted [[Raised bed gardening|raised bed]]s and [[biointensive]] attention to a small, clearly defined area. Proponents claim that the method is particularly well-suited for areas with poor soil, beginning gardeners or as [[adaptive recreation]] for those with [[Disability|disabilities]].
==Basic Method==
[[Image:SquareFootGardening.gif|left|A basic, 4x4, 16-unit "square-foot garden."]]
The original square-foot-gardening method used an open-bottomed box to contain a finite amount of soil, which was divided with a grid into sections. To encourage variety of different crops over time, each square would be planted with a different kind of plant, the number of plants per square depending on an individual plant's size. A single [[tomato]] plant might take a full square, as might herbs such as [[oregano]], [[basil]] or [[mint]], while most [[strawberry]] plants could be planted four per square, with up to sixteen [[radish]]es per square. Tall or climbing plants such as [[maize]] or [[Common bean|pole beans]] might be planted in a northern row (south in the southern hemisphere) so as not to shade other plants, and supported with lattice or netting.
The logic behind using smaller beds is that they are easily adapted, and the gardener can easily reach the entire area, without stepping on and compacting the soil. In the second edition, Bartholomew suggests using a "weed barrier" beneath the box, and filling it completely with "Mel's mix," a combination by volume of one third of decayed [[Sphagnum]] "peat moss", one-third expanded [[vermiculite]] and one-third blended [[compost]]. For [[accessibility]], raised boxes may have bottoms to sit like tables at a convenient height, with approximately 6" (15cm) of manufactured soil per square foot.
==Rationale==
In this method, the garden space is divided into beds that are easily accessed from every side. A 4' x 4', 16 sq ft or 120cm x 120cm, 1.4m² garden is recommended for the first garden, and a path wide enough to comfortably work from should be made on each side of the bed, if possible, or if the bed must be accessed by reaching across it, a narrower one should be used so that no discomfort results from tending the garden. Each of the beds is divided into approximately one square foot units and marked out with sticks, twine, or sturdy slats to ensure that the square foot units remain visible as the garden matures.
Different seeds are planted in each square, to ensure a rational amount of each type of crop is grown, and to conserve seeds instead of overplanting, crowding and thinning plants. Common spacing is one plant per square for larger plants ([[broccoli]], [[basil]], etc.), four plants per square for medium large plants like [[lettuce]], nine plants per square for medium-small plants like [[spinach]], and sixteen per square for small plants such as [[onions]] and [[carrots]]. Plants that normally take up yards of space as runners, such as squash or cucumbers, are grown vertically on sturdy frames that are hung with netting or string to support the developing crops. Ones that grow deep underground, such as potatoes or carrots, are grown in a square foot section that has foot tall sides and a planting surface above the ground, so that a foot or more of framed soil depth is provided above the garden surface rather than below it.
The beds are weeded and watered from the pathways, so the garden [[soil]] is never stepped on or compacted. Because a new soil mixture is used to create the garden, and a few handfuls of compost are added with each harvest to maintain soil fertility over time, the state of the site's underlying soil is irrelevant. This gardening method has been employed successfully in every region, including in deserts, on high arid mountain plateaus, in cramped city slums, and in areas with polluted or high salinity soils. It is equally useful for growing flowers, vegetables, herbs and some fruits in containers, raised beds, on tabletops or at ground level, in only 4 to 6 inches of soil. A few seeds per square foot, the ability to make compost, to water by hand, and to set up the initial garden in a sunny position or where a container, table or platform garden may be moved on wheels to receive light is all that is needed to set up a square foot garden.
==Benefits of Square Foot Gardening==
*'''Much less work.''' Conventional gardening requires heavy tools to loosen the soil, whereas in this method, the soil is never compacted and it remains loose and loamy. Weeding takes only seconds to minutes, due to the light soil, raised beds, and easily accessed plants. Harvests per foot of garden are increased due to the rich soil mixture, well-spaced plants, and lack of weeds produced when following Mel Bartholomew's method.
*'''Water Savings.''' The soil mixture that is advised has water-holding capacities, so that the garden needs water less frequently, and in much smaller quantities than when using other gardening methods. Water is also spared by hand-watering directly at the plant roots, so that there is very little waste and tender young plants and seedlings are preserved.
*'''Very little weeding.''' One benefit of this close planting is that the vegetables form a living [[mulch]], and shade out many [[weed]] seeds before they have a chance to germinate.
*'''Pesticide / Herbicide Free.''' Natural insect repellent methods like [[companion planting]] (i.e. planting marigolds or other naturally pest-repelling plants) become very efficient in a close space and thus, pesticides are not necessary. The large variety of crops in a small space also prevents plant diseases from spreading easily.
*'''Accessibility.''' A plywood bottom can be attached to the bottom of a box, which can then be placed on a tabletop or raised platform for those who wish to garden without bending or squatting, or to make gardening easy for wheelchair, cane or walker users.
== See also ==
Square foot gardening is especially compatible with:
*[[Raised bed gardening]]
*[[Companion planting]]
*[[Organic gardening]]
==References==
* {{cite news |author=Andrew Vowles |coauthors=Vern McGrath, Susan Todd |title=The Plot Thickens: Square-foot gardening offers bigger yields in less space |url=http://www.canadiangardening.com/howto/tech_sqft_gard.shtml |work=Techniques |publisher=[[Canadian Gardening]] (CG Online) |page=96 |date= June/July 2002 |accessdate=2007-08-06}} ''Note: Publication Information found in [http://www.canadiangardening.com/ads/cg_01.pdf 2002 Article Index] and is not available on-line with the article''
==Further reading==
* [http://www.allaboutsquarefootgardening.com/ All About Square Foot Gardening] Basic Building and Cost info for a Square Foot Garden
==External links==
* [http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ Square Foot Gardening, Official Site] This site has loads of free information and guides.
[[Category:Gardening]]
[[Category:Organic gardening]]
[[Category:Permaculture]]
[[simple:Square foot gardening]]