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Category Archives: Getting Started
Planting and Transplanting
Planting Seeds Here’s what you’ll need: Packets of seeds (I prefer to cut the corner of mine, and have them all upright in a tupperware) Pencil Garden plan Watering can Before you even walk out the door, make sure your garden plan shows where each variety will be planted, and how many plants go in each square foot. Now, head out to your garden with your hands full and your hopes high! Work methodically so you don’t lose track of where you are. Pick a square. Use your pencil to poke the right number of holes (16 plants per square … Continue reading
Posted in Getting Started, Plant
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Why Square Foot Gardening?
There are many different ways to garden, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. To begin, I thought I’d explain why, when I wanted to garden, I chose the square foot method. Easy Setup: The gardening bug hit me hard, but my husband has yet to catch it. I needed a garden I could plan, build, and maintain all by myself. I ordered my boxes from www.squarefootgardening.com, hauled peat moss, vermiculite, and bags of compost in my Ford Taurus, and put it all together with the help of a 15-year old neighbor girl. Space: Our lot is about 1/5 of an acre, and … Continue reading
Posted in Getting Started
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Designing Your Square Foot Garden Beds
Note: This post discusses planning and building your square foot garden beds. If your beds are already constructed, go here for information about planning your square foot gardening layout. As you choose a design and layout for your garden, there are several things to keep in mind: Location Sunlight–most plants need 8-12 hours of direct sunlight every day. So don’t put your garden on the shady side of the yard. Water–plants need water, and you don’t want to cart it around your yard. Be sure your garden will be reachable by hose, or near existing irrigation. Space–the garden will be … Continue reading
Posted in Build, Getting Started
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Square Foot Gardening Soil–How to Create Mel’s Mix
You may be asking “whose mix”? Mel Bartholemew is the author of All New Square Foot Gardening and the founder of the square foot gardening method. He recommends filling your garden boxes with a special mix, instead of dirt. Here’s the mix, how much it cost, and the benefits: Mel’s Mix 1/3 vermiculite 1/3 peat moss 1/3 compost (from as many sources as possible) This is done by volume. My garden beds were each 4′x4′ and needed 6″ of mix to fill them. 4x4x.5=8 cubic feet of Mel’s mix. I did three boxes, so I needed 24 cubic feet of mix, … Continue reading
Posted in Build, Getting Started
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Buying Seeds and Plants
I will admit, when it comes to buying seeds and plants I’m not that fancy. I haven’t yet ventured into the world of catalogs and heirloom seeds. I have gotten my seeds from several different stores: WalMart, Home Depot, and IFA (Intermountain Farmers Association). I have not found a huge difference in price, except for the American Seed Company. They tend to be really inexpensive, but when I spoke with the cashier at IFA she said they sometimes have a germination rate of 10% (only 1 in 10 seeds will sprout). In the end, this method uses so few seeds, if … Continue reading
Posted in Getting Started, Plant
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