Let's see.
I have 2, soon to be 3 cinder block raised beds. This year I'll be planting watermelon, cantelope, cukes, peppers, okra, tomatoes, beans. Now that's for the summer. I want to plant onions, carrots, and potatoes-in-a-bucket early spring. This fall there will be cabbage, mustards, brocolli, and fall beans. What I can trellis will be, using cattle panel framed by galvanized piping. There will also be flowers intermingled in the bed. I want to include a watering system but that will come later.
I also keep compost cooking all year in two trash cans with teh bottoms cut out. It's a relatively small operation as I live in the middle of the 'burbs, but very productive. I have incentive to produce more and better each year. My co-worker and I are the only two that garden in our office. So when we bring in our harvest, we let our co-workers be the unknowing judges.

we've always had a big garden, 40'x 60'. tiller, row it up, pull weeds etc. Somebody tell me exactly what a SF method of gardening is. New to this forum. But it sounds like something I'd like.
Patti

Square Foot gardening is a method based on small 4x4 foot beds (usually raised), where vegetables are planted in one foot squares, with the # of plants per square based on the space requirements of the plant (e.g. 16 carrots/sf, 1 tomato, 4 spinach). This way, you get more yield per square foot of garden space, and there aren't wide empty spots between rows that need cultivation. You can just concentrate on enriching the soil in the small beds, so your composting, weeding, rototilling etc. is reduced or eliminated.

Skipp: are your beds 4x4, or have you modified? Have you used Mel's recommended spacing, or are you going with wider spacing? Also, are you trellising either your cantaloupes or watermelons? I've thought about building a sturdy trellis with some old clothesline "T" posts I have, and one of those cattle panels... sounds like you've got a great garden!

Here is a link that might be useful: Square Foot Gardening

My beds are somewhat modified. Mainly becasue of space in my backyard. They are 2 x 6 which I actually made smaller when I raised the beds. I have just regular soil, ammended of course.

Hi!
This will be my second year with this SFG method. I did not have enough compost in my beds last year and the yields were not very good. In December, I added some layers of horse manure and shredded leaves and I am making more compost. I am hoping that this will greatly enhance my vegetable garden. I am going to try to concentrate on fewer types of vegetables, too. Root crops seem to be very popular with the rodent population here, so I will probably not try those again. The crucifers were popular, too.
I have 6 4x4 raised beds.
I am thinking of using 1 for strawberries, 1 for salads, 1 for tomatoes, 1 for eggplants and peppers, 1 for squash, and the last undecided (okra and tomatillos?). Peas will go in early and probably swap out with a summer crop. I will interplant some nasturtiums, marigolds, and catnip (with the eggplant).
I am also looking for a place to grow winter squashes and I will need some sturdier trellises than the nylon I used last year.

I have 2 raised beds which are 4 x 16 with 4 feet between them. The first year I did the beds I only left 2 feet--big mistake. By the end of the season I couldn't walk through there. So--I actually scooted one whole raised bed over 2 more feet the next spring. The hardest part was moving the soil. There is a conduit trellis frame that stretches across both of the 16 foot long south sides. I also have a triangle shaped bed that is equal to about 4 x 12 four feet out from the west end of the other two beds--if you can envision that (it had to be shaped that way to fit in the space I had). I have Mel's mix in all of them--I usually just add more compost every year and a little vermiculite every 4 or so years. I have grown watermelon, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, zucchini, summer squash, carrots, lettuces of all kinds, spinach, eggplant, basil, oregano, marjoram, parsley, cilantro, several different sages, thyme, sweet corn, peas, green beans, pumpkins, flowering sweet peas, zinnias, stattice, nasturtiums, marigolds, bell peppers, hot peppers, cucumbers, and probably a few more things that I've forgotten. All in all, my garden is very productive without too much work.
Here's part of it in late spring last year:

Great looking garden!

I am curious what your gardens are yielding, eg. how many blocks/person, does that grow enough to supply all your veggies for your family, do you put anything up, etc.?

Down and Dirty, you're making me hungry. I grew up with a big garden, so I learned to love almost all vegetables and fruits, but a grocery store is not a garden.

This'll be my first year square foot gardening, although I've usually had something growing in some way every year. The yields were often disappointing, primarily because of insect damage. I'm hoping that with this method, I'll be able to concenetrate on keeping them under control.

There's a flower bed on the south side of my house, so I just plunked down some plastic edging around two 3X5 areas and dumped exactly the recommended amount of peat moss, vermiculite, and compost in there and stirred it around. If this works well I'll invest in more ingredients and make three more of these beds. Compost is the difficulty; I've made some, but it's hard to make a lot or make it quickly due to lack of green matter.

I have seeds of chard, carrots, spinach, cucumbers, tiny canteloupes and sugar snap peas coming in the mail. I might pick up some tomato plants or whatever else they have in the garden centers later too.

I'm also going to put a strawberry patch in the back yard and grow the sugar snap peas along the fence, but these won't be in square foot format.

This is our third year SqFt gardening. Our first bed is shaped like Idaho, do to the limited space we have. Built with cinder and garden blocks it has three SqFt blocks one of 3X12 and two about 3X7 each. It is filled with the mix from Mel's book. I'm not much of a gardener, but what a delight, plants growing by leaps and bounds. Salad greens, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, and more, and all this with very little direct sun light. Our garden was shaded(overhung actually) with Gen. Vallejo's stinking olives and a mangy pine about 100' tall, all on our neighbor's land.

Well we have great neighors, the trees are gone. We built a second bed. Still we've not had full sun, but lots of light. The new bed is 5X8 with 18" rows of squares on the long edges. one of the wide rows has strawberries and the other is of this and that until the soil warms for tomatoes.

The 3X12 bed is 24 squares of asparagus and 12 squares of mostly perenial herbs. One of the 3X7 blocks is fallow awaiting the next batch of compost and spring. Our last average frost date is 3 weeks away. The other 3X7 block has sweet and red onions, Bok Choy, and Sugar snap peas.
This is my first post to this site though I've lurked a couple of months.
Michael

Down & Dirty,
What do you use for your grid material?

All my beds are modified, partly to suit terrain, partly to reduce construction costs, as a 4x16 bed uses ~40 ft of edging, the equivalent set of 4x4 beds uses 64ft, with another ~6-8ft difference if using (wider) cinderblocks.

N/S: length runs north to south,
E/W: length runs east to west

My main vegetable beds are
4x14 N/S: original bed, 3 cross trellises of 3' tall welded wire, garlic patch on southern end, shalloths and herbs in holes of large cinderblocks. Dug deep, clay from bottom used to build uup downhill edge, and filled with compost.

4/16 N/S - second bed, southern end was double dug, northern end was layered and smothered later that same year, used only 4" thick cinders. two smaller trellises and one very tall one straddle the bed, behind hte tall one is my collards and various others that appreciate a lot of shade.

I notice no differnece between the double dug and deeper older portion, the smothered upper portion, or the very deep original bed provided they've all gotten a fresh layer of compost.

Newer beds (just coming into prime, they take a full year to settle in):

3x9 N/S (Grows annually with movement of a potato ring on its north edge also used to compost garden castoffs)

4x10 E/W: trellised down the middle for tomatoes and swuash, peppers on the south side, cool weather crops behind.

4x~30 E/W. Main fence of garden on south edge, used for trellising louffa, drying beans, and cukes. Asparagus bed is against the fence on one end, which also turns into a patch for pumpkin and melons I like but don't trellis well. Squash set to fill the spaces between the pomegranite seedlings set at intervals about 3' from the fence.

Closer to the house I've got several 3x beds along three sides of the backyard (facing south) and E and W sides of house (about 100' of length). Fence is used to trellis prettier beans, gourds, etc I can pick from inside the fence with pure ornamentals in key spots and difficult areas, with a mixture of herbs, more attractive veggies, and ornamentals filling the spaces of the beds. Scarlet Emperor runner bean looks like an ornamental (beautiful red flower) until you reach behind the leaves to pick the pods. These are planted in a sqft pattern until reaching the purely ornamental zones near gates and the main path to the house.

This is my first time posting to this site, although I have been reading and trying to absorb all the info. I have always done the traditional row gardening, approximately 30 X 50'. I am always disappointed mainly the weeds and the insects destroy it before we get much of a harvest. I normally plant tomatoes, squash, zucchini, green beans, peas, peppers, onions, okra and radishes. My neighbor has his garden area right next to mine, which he never weeds or does any preventive measures to keep the insects out. He is happy with whatever he gets, which isnt much :(

After reading the information from this site I purchased the Cinder Block Garden book and I think I am going to try making a couple of beds out of cinder blocks this year. I have just a couple of question though.

1) should I move the garden away from my neighbor. Maybe on the other side of the yard. I have 3 acres to plant in so space isnt a problem.

2) What kind of prep do I do on the ground? Do I spray with Roundup or cover with weed cloth before I put the soil into the beds? When should I start the beds????

My husband thinks I have come up with another hair brained idea so I am really hoping this works so I can say "I told you so" :)

Thanks for the info.
KP

Hello!

I have always made an attempt at some type of SFG for many years. First garden (about 5 years ago) was 4 4x4's made with landscape timbers. Did ok, but was always battling the woodland creatures. Didn't do much to help soil, just ripped out the sod, spaded the ground a little, and started planting.

Couple of years ago, tore out the timbers, and made one 4x8 out of 2x6's with a trellis. still used existing soil, but added some bagged manure. seemed to help some. Still fed the woodland creatures-very low in harvest and high in disappointment.

This year, planning a whole new garden. 2 4x4's with a 1x4 between them, and 2 2x6's behind those. Will build the beds out of 1x8 rough cut lumber and fill with Mel's Mix. Also planning a fence to keep out the animals (as much as possible!) Aisles will be 3 foot wide, with a 3 foot wide perimeter. Whole garden will be 15' x 21' including walkways. Will plant mostly tomatoes, peppers, carrots, assorted salad vegies, broccoli, and maybe some strawberries.

This years garden should be very good, thanks to Mel's book, the SFG website and of course this forum! Can't believe how much knowledge I have found here!

TheBug

1) I prefer not to be a sweaty drippy mess right next to the neighbors, and you never know what they might spray.

2) Just use layers of cardboard or newspaper as a sprouting barrier before filling the beds, it won't rot until after its done it job smothering whats underneath.

Sorry Skipp, I haven't checked this board for a while. I went over to my local Savers (thrift store) and found a 4 foot wide 6 foot long 1 inch vinyl miniblind for 2 bucks. I used the brass brad connectors you get at stationary stores to make grids with them. It worked great and they've held up well. (I assembled all of these on the day Elizabeth Smart was found alive, so everytime I look at the grids it reminds me of her, since I was glued to the radio outside while I was making them.)

My garden is going to consist of (24) 4' x 16' beds and probably a few more after that, that I am currently double digging (wish me luck!). I will be adding compost and manure, and mulching with either very old hay, or pine needles from the nearby woods. I will be growing(the numbers are the different varieties I plan to grow of each type): corn-2, beans-2, squash-3, cucumbers-3, lettuce-1, carrots-2, broccoli-1, wheat-1 (a little bit of an ancient variety I got from the goverment, more to save seed than to use), rice -1 (in a swimming pool!) onions-2, melons-3, watermelons-3, sweet potatoes-1, potatoes-4, sugar peas-1, tomatoes-3 or 4, blueberries-3, chichiquelette (sp?) huckleberries, peppers-4, sorghum-2, okra-2, and garlic-1. Also hoping to grow strawberries. There may be more, I can't remember, LOL.

This is going to be my very first SFG this year. I have three 4x4's and 1 4x8 and planning to put in one more of each. These are line up next to each other running E/W. I also have two beds that are about 3x3 that I made from the pervoius owners sand box. Also from that bos is a roughly 3x6 strawberry bed. I'm planning on putting popcorn in the two big beds with winter squash either on the ends rambling since there is room there or if I get it done I will trellis them along one side of each bed. The small beds are getting tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce, carrots and other regular things. Planning on putting in some marigolds and nasturtiums in a few spots.
I'm really hoping my trellising works out with the tomatoes this year. My biggest problem with them has alwasy been support.

I'll be cursing in July, but it was beautiful here today, so of course I was out in the garden. I added on to my strawberry bed so it will be about 6x6'. It's somewhat lasanga-d with some fresh manure and scraps on bottom, then layers of topsoil and finished compost. I'm also building a U-shaped bed around a stump, with a plum in a tub on top of the stump. This bed will be for my melons and summer squash.

I also put in another bed, about 8' long, and 3' most of the way, then tapering at one end. This will be for tomatoes, cukes, and probably peppers, eggplants, and okra, if there's still room (the bed will extend the other way another 8'. I'm planning a long, narrow bed to use up the remaining space, probably about 2'x10'. I'm thinking it will be mainly for cutting flowers this year (and to attract pollinators), and I may put in my perennial herbs there. The job for tomorrow is to haul slash wood out of the corner and dig it up for potatoes - blue and Yukon golds.

My peas broccoli and cauliflower are doing well, and my carrots are coming up. I also found some volunteer lettuces from last year's beds, and transplanted them, so should be in salads in a few weeks.

Outside of the garden proper, I'm sheet composting and will be tilling in OM for a 4x30' bed for 3 varieties of corn and sunflowers, with watermelon, pumpkin, and wintersquash rambling through them. Should make a nice screen until I can get a proper fence built along the alley.

This'll be my first year with SFG.... heck my first year gardening, period!

My bed is an old mushroom-growing tray, 4' x 6' x 8". We have plenty of electrical conduit around at work that I can make my trellises out of, and I can also pick up peat and spent mushroom compost as well - man I love working on a mushroom farm! ^__^;; All I really need is the vermiculite/perlite/zeolite - whichever performs the best, I guess :-B I've picked up my seeds and am almost ready to start winter-sowing. I've never gardened before - mother's one and only attempt was a total disaster, and I grew up in condo communities and apartments where everything was done by landscapers. I always have terrible garden envy and this year I'm gonna try to do something about it. SFG sounded like the perfect method for a garden-n00b like me :D

Is mise le meas
-==- Katzedecimal

I've done raised beds before, but am new to this area and feel this year will be one grand experiment. What I'm trying is a 3' wide bed, 70' long. I started last fall with a mixture of leaves, compost and some amended topper. The green onions are doing well through the cold winter. I placed my compost box in the row and as it fills, I move it down the row and spread the contents. This requires the least amount of shoveling. By the way, it is built on a clay soil. So my plan is to build up the raised bed with the leaves and compost and hopefully I'll have good success. I'm starting all the seedlings indoors.

This is my first year trying Square Foot Gardening. I have 3 4'x12' beds and 2 4'x4' beds that will include spinach, squash, pumpkin, corn, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers (sweet and hot), onions, beets, bush beans, peas, carrots, various lettuces, strawberries, broccoli and turnip, with a few herbs and flowers sprinkled in between. I'm just switching over to this method from smaller-scale container gardening; this is the first year in a house with enough space for a "proper" garden! I'm really excited about the possibility of all of this working! Also, I am winter-sowing everything, further cutting down on effort and cost. This is a great forum, thanks for all the advice so far!

Beth

Well, family issues led to poor attention and never finishing planting, which in turn yeilded a decidedly less than exciting spring showing. I couldn't even replant as we had a dry May followed by the driest June on record (~.08", or to put it as Jacque might, I think the only rain measured was when a grasshopper sneezed on the airport rain gauge). New seedlings in those conditions had no hope. But hurricane Emily threw a couple of rain bands this way as she barreled thorugh the Gulf, so I've gotten the seed packets out and am preparing for a late summer / fall crop.