Well, I guess I will add my two cents worth, though ha' penny's worth might be more accurate. I don't really like the terms that are used most often because of misconceptions people have. Many people think square foot gardening is little square plots with diverse things in it and the plots have to be arranged all in neat rows. It doesn't have to be that mundane. Several responses here have said that, and I have to add my "that's right!" to it. I prefer small space gardening as a term. I also like layer gardening rather than lasagna gardening because there is a misconception that lasagna gardening is a set method of preparation that requires a sort of recipe approach. That all being said, small space gardening is what it is. There are basic principles that make it work well. Combining it with layer gardening, however, is a little tricky. One of the problems you run into is your layers. Some of us who have started gardening from scratch have no green stuff to put into a garden layer. In a new house inside a new subdivision? Yeah, I am. No trees! Where am I going to get brown stuff to put into a garden layer? And, if you do find the ingredients, the layers are not bioavailable and do nothing but act as mulch for a year or two. The added difficulty is planting things in those layers, or through the layers to the untreated soil beneath (which is what you are really doing that first year). The truth is that this method takes way too much time anyway. If you want to start fast and then add greens and browns to keep going, here is a good way I have used again and again. And this method actually speeds things up and adds a wonderful treat to your garden. Step one: become a grass murderer! Sorry, but you have to. Kill the grass in the bed you want to make. Removal is best, but back breaking, and if you have that hated weed, Bermuda grass, you will just get invaded from anything you missed. For that reason, you want to put down something that will choke the grass out well enough not to leave any behind. I like using a combination of newspaper and cardboard in the winter. Next put up your bed walls to contain your bed, being sure that you have the walls a little smaller than your newspaper and cardboard prep. This is because one of the most annoying things is to build your bed walls first and have grass survive at the very inside edge of your bed, sending runners all through your bed in early spring. Next layer the bed. I use the following, but the trick is to come up with your own that works for you. You will notice that I use a little more wood much than you would expect, but wait for it! There is a good reason. Starting with the deepest layers: Composted humus and manure sand wood mulch composted humus and manure top soil wood mulch Now, this can be planted as soon as spring hits (or immediately if you are growing some cool season crops). Now you need to do something that will break down all that wood mulch (remember I used two layers). I like to use King Stropharia mushroom spawn and put it in the garden. Okay, I know that sounds crazy, but it will make sense in a minute. King Stropharia is an edible mushroom and decomposer that works wonders. As it breaks down the wood, it releases nutrients to the soil and attracts earthworms. It also preys on nematodes. After your first season of gardening, you can cut all the dead stuff and put it in the garden. Throw in some more wood chips or wood mulch (hardwood works best in my experience) and the mushrooms will keep digesting and composting the soil. You then plant again the next year, leaving the layer of debris and mulch from the previous year on top and harvesting your mushrooms. The result is that you now have an active, living compost pile right in your garden that you can layer things on to your heart is content. If where you live is warm enough to grow the mushroom, I definitely say you should try it. I have heard that phoenix oyster mushrooms work equally well for setting up a space saving garden with layering.

Peas, radishes, lettuce, eggplant, green beans, carrots, potatoes, zucchini, and squash are all great for a square foot garden. Don't try to grow the peas, radishes, and lettuce (cool weather crops) during the hottest part of summer though. They won't make it. I live in zone 7 and planted mine (seeds) outside a couple of weeks ago in a cold frame... though, I've been leaving the lid open at night lately. As long as it doesn't go below freezing, your plants will be okay. If you're looking for something that will give you high yields, definitely grow zucchini and yellow squash. Green beans produce like crazy, too. I like to plant them a couple of times about three weeks apart to have a steady supply. Here is a link that might be useful: Modern Stead

Thanks, marzy! I've changed my mind about trying the Florida weave. I'm concerned that it might take a lot more monitoring to make sure it all stays enclosed. So, my second idea was to get cattle panels, and use those as row trellises, and just keep on pushing the vines back and forth through the openings. But, then I thought about the size of the panels (four feet high), and thought about how big indeterminates can get, and thought I'd have to stack two panels to get them up to 8 feet, which means 10 foot t-posts and monster supports so it won't blow over. A 8x16 foot space presented to prairie winds... yeah, that sounds secure! So, here is my new plan. I'm going to put the tomatoes in two rows of 10. There will be 5 arched cattle panels, making a long tunnel of arches. There will be 4 plants per arch; two on each side. This will give the benefit of 8 feet of growing height per plant, while presenting only 4x8 feet of wind barrier per panel. I haven't managed to figure how much space I'll have underneath each arch. If there is enough room, I thought that might be the ideal location for lettuce, carrot, and spinach crops. The shade that will occur during the hottest part of the year might enlarge the growing season. It's been raining all weekend, and we're due for more rain all week. *sighs* So it's going to be a while before I can get all my arches set up in the garden. There are supposed to be a couple of clear days this week, so I'm hoping I can get the three melon panels set up, since those are going out in the field, and not in the tilled up garden.

Does anyone In Houston build Square foot Gardens - ? Need a Garden built