Wednesday, April 13, 2011

2011 Garden - Square Foot Gardening

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I bought Mel Bartholomew's book Square Foot Gardening, and it completely changed the way I am doing my Garden for 2011.  It uses the method of building 4 by 4 foot raised planter beds and you divide the beds into 1 by 1 "square foot sections".  This allows you to garden without ever having to walk on and compact your soil.  It also makes for easy weeding and harvesting.  I definitely recommend this book for someone that wants to try gardening, but doesn't want a big commitment.  You can start with just one 4 by 4 foot bed.   
http://www.squarefootgardening.com/

Below are pics of my new gardening area based on the Square Foot Gardening technique.  I have a total of six beds: 3 - 4X4 beds, and 3 - 4X8 beds.  I built my beds out of 2X6 natural cedar.  I outlined the entire area by reusing my concrete pavers from last years garden  The area covers about 24 feet by 21 feet.  The walkways between the beds are about 3 feet wide and are covered in pine straw which is nice and soft on the knees.  I filled them using the old soil from last years garden and a mix I got from Mel's book.  My mix was one half dirt from last year's bed, one half quality dirt/compost from a local nursery, vermiculite, lime, and 13-13-13 fertilizer.  I made my grids 2x2 feet instead of the standard 1x1 feet.  That saved a lot of time, and 1x1 grids just seemed too small for me.  I built the grids using mason string and deck screws screwed in the top of the beds.




5 comments:

Cindy said...

Hey Kris!

Great blog! I'm looking forward to seeing your photos!

I'm a GA intensive gardener too. I'm in Putnam County - have a pretty good-sized garden with all raised beds too. I'm zone 7B/8A. I used low tunnels over my beds last fall and grew all through the winter. I've pretty much finished all of last winter's beets, carrots and salad. Will be harvesting some broccoli and cabbage soon!

Cindy

Kris said...

Thanks Cindy, that is awesome. I can't wait for my cool season crops too! We planted a ton of snow peas, some carrots, radishes, broccoli, and lettuce. Hopefully I will have more pictures soon, trying to get everything organized.

Toni said...

Your SFG looks awesome Kris! I started SFGing 3 years ago. I really like it!

Best wishes for a plentiful garden!

Kris said...

Thanks Toni, I appreciate the feedback.

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