Hi rainedaywoman - Have you checked out the Sq. Foot Gardening forum here yet? You'll find answers there to most all your questions I think. Good luck with your garden this year. Dave Here is a link that might be useful: Sq. Foot Gardening forum

Don't worry. If you run out of room, just pull out the under-performing plants and forge ahead. One zuke is more than enough for a family of four for fresh eating and it'll start producing long before it gets huge. You can always succession plant -- so when the one zuke gets bigger and production starts to taper off, the replacement is getting big enough to flower. There's also a climbing zuke that likes growing in containers, but I haven't tried it. When I lived in California and had a small patio, I gardened square foot style. Most everything grew with precision and exactly as the books and web sites say. In Alabama? I think there's steroids in the dirt. I get monsters here. I experimented with small melon plants last year, and Minnesota Midget really does live up to the description but all the melons ripened at once and then the plant died. I got 5 4-5" melons off a tiny little plant with a couple of 4' vines, though. This year I am trying a reportedly smaller zuke plant (cocozelle) and smaller winter squash varieties. I have lots of room but the BF doesn't eat many veggies and I need smaller portions!

Your stuff really looks great - plants, landscaping, lounging cat, etc. :) I do not do sfg or raised beds so I will not pretend to be an expert on the subject. But I do have a few observations. 1.) Appears that you have one inch thick dimensional lumber. Will one inch thick dimensional lumber hold up to outward pressure of twelve inches of wet soil or will sidewalls eventually bow outwards? One inch thick boards will also tend to warp/curl outward when the inside surface stays wet and expands and the outside surface stays dry and contracted. What about soil expansion when the soil freezes in winter - will expansion wreck your boxes? 2.) Every sf garden I have ever seen personally, the owner has planted transplants and/or seeded too closely because they are trying to get as much out of the space as possible. This impacts quality of produce obtained. Be sure to follow guidelines on plant labels and seed packages regarding plant spacing to achieve the best results. With your nice beds you should be trying to achieve quality over quantity. 3.) Cabbage for example: Of course it depends on which varieties one plants, but mine can easily take up four square feet (2 foot by 2 foot square) per cabbage plant. Brocs and caulies do not need as much as cabbage but they can still use a lot of space. In the future you may want to go back to planting cabbage, etc. in the main garden to save space. Try bok choi/pak choi in your sfg instead. 4.) Taters look great. I see no problem mixing varieties. They do seem a bit tight regarding plant spacing. Remember to acquire your seed potatoes early and simply store them yourself if need be until you are ready to plant them out. 5.) Regarding celery: All veggies are cheaper to buy, that really is not the point. Celery, like all your homegrown veggies, tastes much better and stronger when grown in your own garden and picked at the proper time. Store-bought celery is almost tasteless, so you will be in for a pleasant surprise when you harvest your own. Plus yours will not be harvested when still immature, and will not be bathed in chemicals and preservatives. The celery is great for canning, and the leaves are great for drying. 6.) Eggplant is great but it is an acquired taste - look for wonderful recipes on the web. Did not like it as a kid, has never been a favorite of mine as an adult, but it has grown on me and I keep planting more and more each year. This year I planted 24 plants consisting of six different varieties. 7.) Do not forget green/bunching onions. They would do great in your sfg. A few kohlrabi as well, if you like them. Trellis cukes and grow pole beans in main garden to save space - go vertical when you can. You could even put in a trellis or two in the back of some of your sfg beds, but they may ruin the nice clean appearance you have. 8.) Watch the watering - do not overwater the raised beds. Let surface dry between waterings and if you are, DO NOT use lawn sprinkling system to water the raised beds - that is too much water for veggies plus constantly getting foliage wet will foster disease/pest problems. 9.) Take notes about your observations and your successes and failures. This can take discipline and may seem silly at first but you will not regret it next winter when you are planning your layouts for next season. You do not need to write a novel - just some quick notes will be good enough. Your photos can be a great reference as well. 10.) Your last picture showing all the beds is a wonderful picture! Take pictures from the same position several times over the season to see the changes that take place. Nice work! Good luck and happy gardening. -Tom

I usually give marigolds their own square, since they tend to get big in a SFG; and then I'll plant just one, since those are precious squares! The only time I'd intersperse them is if I'll be harvesting something like lettuce or radishes before the flower plants get too big. Lynn