Emilee’s Square Foot Gardening Plan

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16 Responses

  1. Matt says:

    Your tomato cages seem so easy to build. Please send me information as to the specific materials that you used and retail stores that I can obtain it at.

    Thanks!

  2. Emily says:

    It’s a great idea to plant cool-veggies early in the spring, then pull them up to plant summer veggies. Certainly square foot gardening gives you the most bang for your buck. Be sure to divide your space into squares and follow the plant spacing suggestions.

    My only advice for first-timers is to start small, keep your expectations low, and enjoy the process!

  3. eunice says:

    Hi,

    Just a quick question. This is my first time planting a vegetable garden and wanted some ideas as to what is best to plant (of course I would like to plant things I like) since is already June and I live in MA. I already have rosemary, cilantro, spinach and lettuce that I put in a planter. I have eaten most of the lettuce (cut and come again method and a lot of the spinach). I have decided to start small. The spot I chose is 4′ by 6′ and I am planning to plant peppers, move my tomatoes who already have flowers to this spot as well, cucumbers and maybe more lettuce. What do you think? I love the gardening plan here but my space is too small for all of it. Any advice for a first timer greatly appreciated.

  4. Emily says:

    You follow the plant spacing directions on the back of the seed packet, but ignore the row spacing. /plant-spacing/

  5. Kim says:

    I just stumbled upon your website and LOVE it! Thanks for all of the tips and information this is just awesome! I’m planting a garden (first one in over 10 years!) and I really like your square foot garden technique. I do have a question and I hope this isn’t dumb but how do you weed and harvest your garden when all of your plants are so close together? Should I assume the diagrams you have posted allow for space between plants??

  6. Carolyn says:

    love that idea for the tomato cage. I got some tomato ladders enroute to try this year.

  7. Emily says:

    I just did some quick research and updated my potatoes information. Let them sit until a crust is formed, a couple of hours to one day. I also realized that you should let them sprout first, so you know you’ll have 2-3 sprouts per piece.

  8. Emilee says:

    I have cut my pototoe seeds and I am wondering how long do I let them sit and form the crust?

  9. Emily says:

    I have rotated, but not because of disease–mostly because I’m always trying to find a better garden plan! I did read about this, and rotating your potato crop will reduce the chances of disease. If you have healthy potatoes, it may not be such a concern. But if you have a diseased crop be sure to rotate, and don’t plant tomatoes there either!

  10. michelle says:

    I had a great potato crop in my SFG box last summer. The box was 12 inches high to give the potatoes more room. I had no idea that I could not grow them in the same soil from the year before. Emily, have you planted potatoes in the same square or do you rotate?

  11. Hilary says:

    Ok, and I know you’re gonna think I’m stalking you but I decided to compost starting last fall. I turn it weekly, and we did it all winter (we livein CA so it wasn’t frozen, it was just a little cooler than normal). It was GREAT by the start of spring. I added it to my soil and things are AMAZING now.
    Of course, I’m adding it to pre-existing soil so it’s made a really big difference. While I don’t LOVE turning it I have done it weekly and I just use it for a workout instead of the gym on thursdays. 🙂

  12. Andrea says:

    I love those tomatoe cages! We aren’t planning on growing any tomatoes because our neighbors produce enough to feed a small country, but they sound like a great idea for other climbing plants!

    Also, I may suggest moving the potatoes to a trash can! I could not find room in my garden plan, and they sounded rather difficult to keep adding dirt to them when my raised beds are only 6″, so I came across this article which is pretty helpful

  13. Emily says:

    I’m pretty sure just one–she gives them 4 squares for each plant. Normally I would recommend 6-9 squares–but that’s because most supports don’t do as well and you get that huge plant lying all over your garden.

  14. Hilary says:

    Wow, it’s cool that you answered all her quesitons. I’ll haev to send in mine…

  15. Whitney says:

    Wow! Nice work! Quick question – is there just one tomato plant in each of those squares/cages?