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Square Foot Gardening

help me lay out my first square foot garden!

15 years ago

hi there,

i'm trying out my first square foot garden this year in sometimes sunny berkeley ca. i have already built the following beds: (1)3x3 (2)3x2 (1)2x2 and would love some help with planting ideas. i'd like to plant the 3x2s with three tomatoes trellised in one row of each box and something in front (basil, peppers and what?), and the 2x2 with lettuces, arugula, radishes and maybe carrots. also i'm hoping to put in one zucchini, one green bean, some chard, kale and herbs. the 2x2 box would be in a shady spot and the others in afternoon sun against a warm wall.

any ideas?

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Comments (2)

maryea
15 years ago
Wow! Sounds like you already have your ideas? I am trying to plant a cutting garden . I have choosen the flowers but I am at a total stand still. I realy want this to be neat and tidy and love the square foot garden concept but I do not know how to move forward. Does any one have a template?
caseyv
15 years ago
I like to throw in some marigolds and borage with my tomatoes. Companion planning literature claims that tomatoes love carrots. They're good companions apparently. Consider the front row of your tomato boxes (3x2's) containing a marigold square, carrots, and borage. Basil is also a good companion.
The zuke will take over any of the grids you've mentioned unless you train it up a trellis (I've not been successful here) or let it spill out onto the ground. I "let" mine spill out. ;) It doesn't look pretty, but I picked 2-3 zukes every other day during the peak season.
If you're bean is not the bush variety it will practically trellis itself. I'm convinced that beans must be a weed somewhere in the world!
In general just orient the boxes so that the trellis is on the north side and you can plant based on the stated heights on your seed packets. Lettuce, arugula, radishes, carrots, chard, and some herbs can go on the south side of the grids.
Good luck and have fun!
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