Square Foot Gardening

It's almost that time!!
Spring is finally around the corner! I've been waiting all winter to plant a vegetable garden, my first attempt last fall didn't turn out too great...but I got some experience and a feel for gardening and now I'm really exited for this season!

My mom got me a great book on Square Foot Gardening (SFG) for Christmas. You can find it here. The basic concept is growing more in less space. It's great for beginners like me because it's so easy to understand, easy to build, easy to plant, and easy to work!

It's fairly inexpensive because you're only building a 4x4 box, so you don't need to fill it with much, and won't be using a lot of lumber. And best of all it doesn't take up much space! One 4x4 SFG (16 square feet) will supply enough produce to make a salad for one person every day of the growing season. One more 4x4 will supply the daily supper vegetables. Or mix it up and plant a few lettuce varieties, and a few of your favorite veggies. You could, and should, plant 16 different crops!

Each square foot is planted with either 1, 4, 9, or 16 plants, depending on spacing needed for that plant. It's not necessary to plant in a row because you're still getting the right amount of spacing without wasting all that extra room in your garden. And since the garden is only 4x4, you can easily reach in from any side, so no need for aisles. The SFG is easier to maintain, easier to harvest, and prettier to look at. I'm really exited about planting mine!

Like I said earlier, I attempted last fall but it didn't turn out very great. It was fun at first and I got some great lettuce and broccoli out of it but then I neglected it and needless to say it died :(. This year I'm relocating it to a place that's easy to see from my kitchen window so that I can keep a better eye on it. I'll also be following Mel Bartholomew's book step by step. I highly recommend his book, it's super easy to follow, probably easier than I'm able to explain but I'll try!

So if you'd like to follow my second attempt at gardening, please do! I'll be posting all my steps, and you can find everything on the "Lauren's SFG" tab on the top of the page! Please leave me comments or questions! This is my first blog so any feedback would be appreciated!