Square Foot Gardening Plans

In square foot gardening, gardens are grown intensively in a compact space. The concept became popular in 1981, thanks to the efforts of Mel Bartholomew, who publicized it through a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) television series and books. The two most important things which form the core of this type of gardening are, to use less space and organic methods for cultivation. Thus, due to the use of organic composts, the gardening method can be termed as 'biointensive'. People who are new to gardening can start off with square foot gardening. It can also act as one of the 'adaptive recreation' methodologies used for treating disabled people.

Square Foot Garden
The first square foot garden was prepared using an open-bottom box for holding the soil in a limited space. The area of the garden is further divided into squares by means of a grid. These squares served the purpose of incorporating a variety of different plants in the garden. Various plants have different space requirements. The space requirements of the commonly grown crops is given below.

• Tomato: A tomato plant along with herbs such as basil, oregano and require the whole square area for their healthy growth.
• Strawberry: Four strawberry plants can easily grow in a square.
• Radish: As many as sixteen radish plants can be accommodated in a square.

After popularizing the concept of square foot gardening through the first edition of his book, 'All new Square Foot Gardening', Mel Bartholomew spoke wrote about controlling weeds in the second edition. He introduced a technique of using 'weed barrier'. A weed barrier has to be used beneath the box in which the cultivation is done. The weed barrier is filled with a special mixture known as 'Mel's mix', which contains sphagnum moss, vermiculite and compost in equal proportions.

Square Foot Garden Plan
The plan for a square foot garden includes preparing a 4 feet by 4 feet soil bed. The bed should be divided into sections measuring one square foot each by means of a grid. A pathway wide enough for a person to walk around the garden should be prepared. Twines or sticks are used as grids in the garden. As stated earlier, different plants use different area for growth and thus, the square is divided into appropriate number of squares. However, for plants like cucumber, frames are installed in the squares which aid the plant in growing vertically. For growing tubers like potatoes, the square is provided with a side that one foot tall. The plantation is done on the surface of the soil bed.

Maintenance and Care
The plants grown in a square garden use the nutrients that is present only in the raised bed, and not from the soil beneath. Hence, little amount of compost is needed to maintain the fertility of soil.

Benefits
Square foots gardens provide a lot more benefits than the conventional gardens which utilise more space, efforts and time. Following are some of the benefits of square foot gardening.

• The soil in square foot garden is lighter in texture and richer in nutrients. It reduces the expense on fertilizers. Since chemical fertilizers are not considered at all for this type of gardening, the 'soil health' is also maintained.
• The 'culture' or soil used for growing plants in a square garden holds more water and watering has to be done manually. Thus, water is not wasted in this method of gardening.
• Vegetables are planted closely in such a garden and hence, weeds don't get enough space to grow. This sorts out the problem of weeds automatically.
• The concept of 'companion planting' is incorporated in square foot gardening; it means that the plants are grown close to each other. This helps control pests and diseases in an organic way.

Square foot gardening is a nice way to enjoy gardening. It has proved to be a successful way of gardening in a wide range of topographies and climatic conditions; from arid deserts to cramped spaces in urban areas for indoor gardening. Thus, square foot gardening is not only economical and easy to maintain, but has wider applicability and it also adds to the beauty of your backyard.