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Raymond, Alberta, CANADA
Location Info:Near Lethbridge
Gardener:Noel & Lori
Garden Size:Five boxes: 4X4 AND 3X3.Wooden boxes built up 18 inches off the ground and depth is 8-11 inches of soil mix, compost, vermiculite and peat moss.
Grid Material:WHITE TWINE
Aisle Width & Materials:
Vertical Frames:BEING MADE
Types of Plants:STRAWBERRIES, VEGGIES AND FLOWERS
Specialty Features:ALL OF OUR GARDENS ARE RAISED 18 INCHES SO THAT MY WIFE DOES NOT HAVE TO BEND ... DUE TO SPINAL SURGERY, OUR CHILDREN HELPED CREATE THEM AND CHOSE THE PLANTS, WE ALL HELP WITH WATERING AND HARVESTING.... THE BEST FEATURE IS THERE ARE VERY FEW WEEDS !
Contact Info for Visits: E-mail: madlozza_telus.net
Visiting Restrictions: None.
Web Site:Not yet.
Other Information: Our gardens are raised 18 inches so we don't have to bend...perfect height for kids helping ....no more fear of stepping on tender plants
How did you get started:Heard about it years ago....found the web site... now we are addicts!
Advice for those starting SFG:Get growing without delay! it makes so much sense.
Best thing about SFG:We just love it ! we have only had 6 weeds all summer...it is great for senior gardeners too , grandma loves hers!
Worst thing about SFG:The season is too short where we live!
Raymond, Alberta
Sidney, British Columbia, CANADA
Location Info: Sidney, BC Canada, near Victoria on Vancouver Island (south-west coast ofCanada)
Gardener:Jennifer
Garden Size:144 sq. ft.4 boxes
Box Material and Depth:Split n Stack concrete blocks
Depth: 16
Grid Material:String
Aisle Width & Materials:2, gravel
Vertical Frames:2, metal tripods
Soil mix: Topsoil with lots of compost & leaf mulch
Types of Plants: One bed all herbs, many different salad greens, leek, chard, shallots, kale, peas, scarlet runner beans, nasturtiums, and in each of the 4 outside corners, box balls and lavender to give it more formality. I also grow mint, tomatoes and annuals in pots that sit on the edges of the beds.
Interesting Facts about the garden: The beds have a micro-spray irrigation system installed. The concrete around the beds warms up the soil and provides a comfy place to sit while weeding or planting. No crouching.
How did you get started:Picked up a book years ago 1981 edition of Mel Bartholomews Square Foot Gardening at a garage sale
Advice for those starting SFG: Start with good soil.
Best thing about SFG: Its like making a quilt. Theres an esthetic appeal to it which plants will looks best near one another. Love mixing veggies and flowers. Easy to weed.
Worst thing about SFG: People watching you lay out the grid and then drop single lettuce seeds in little holes. They think you are eccentric.
Sidney, BC
Location Info: Ottawa, Ontario
Gardener:Cindy
Garden Size:12 X 20 (feet, for all you Americans out there)
Box Material and Depth: No boxes, just lines in the dirt
Grid Material:Nylon netting from Lee Valley Tools
Aisle Width & Materials:Aisles are about 14 inches wide, and "paved" with concrete blocks about 2 inches in depth that came from a chimney we dismantled.
Vertical Frames:Six. Made from galvanized electrical conduit.
Types of Plants: spinach, tomatoes, carrots, parsley, thyme, basil,
sage, beets, joi choi (like bok choi), cucumbers, zucchini, acorn squash,
pole beans, bush beans, wax beans, edible pod peas, scarlet runner beans, lettuce (several varieties), swiss chard, radishes, marigolds, garlic, onions, broccoli, dill, sweet green peppers, jalapeno peppers, sunflowers, and . . . I think that's it.
Interesting Facts about the garden:
Garden Specialty Features: a little fence to keep soccer balls out.
We're totally organic, no pesticides or herbicides, and we use recycled water for watering as much as we can. We're used to Zone 3A gardening, so being in Zone 5 has been a bonus!
Contact Info for Visits:
How did you get started:My husband had the book for years, but we'd never tried it. Since we were starting from scratch in a new house/yard we moved into a year ago, we decided to give it a go.
Advice for those starting SFG: Keep it small at first, unless you have a LOT of time on your hands. Ours is too big, really, considering the yields you get with this method.
Best thing about SFG: Great for pest control and naturally suited to easy crop rotation.
Worst thing about SFG: What is the worst thing you can say about SFG ?: Some plants are too crowded by others in neighbouring squares. We used the seeding per square recommended in the book. I would do fewer seedings in some squares next year.
Ottawa, Ontario
Location Info:Near Vancouver, British Columbia.
Gardener:Steve
Garden Size: 4x8, 4 boxes.
Grid Material:Venetian blinds.
Aisle Width & Materials:2 feet, interlocking paving stones.
Vertical Frames:7-foot chain link posts.
Types of Plants:Many types of vegetables, marigolds.
Specialty Features:Watering via drip lines connected to timed underground lawn sprinkler;wire frame with bird net covering permanent vertical frame of chain link posts.
Contact Info for Visits:Web site photos only.
Visiting Restrictions:N/A
Web Site:No personal Web site
How did you get started:In 2001 my Father, then 83 sent me his favorite gardening book Square Foot Gardening from his home in Colorado.Conversion of my garden took parts of two seasons.Next year will see some of the boxes elevated.
Advice for those starting SFG: Preparation is all-important. I suggest that you get all materials together including tools before making a day of it.Once the physical structure is in, the real fun begins.This proved to be a great family project for us.
Best thing about SFG:SFG is a very effective way to control the outdoor environment.I have spent only moments weeding.The soil makes all the difference (you can plop in a seedling in seconds), but so does the sense of order gained with the grid system.
Worst thing about SFG:Because of my busy schedule I had to forgo the watering method.When my life is too busy, the garden takes care of itself.
Kamloops, Vancouver, BC
Location Info: Near Kelowna in Southern B.C. in the Okanagan Valley.
Gardener: Willene
Garden Size: 8x4, with 1 box made of wood attached with deck screws, depth 12".
Grid Material:plastic rope and nails.
Aisle Width & Materials:2X8 wood, no aisles, but 2' pea gravel around it
Vertical Frames: none
Types of Plants:garlic, marigolds, green and yellow beans, corn, broccoli, grape, cherry and regular tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumbers, lettuce, radishes, carrots, onions, cilantro, red peppers, jalapenos.
Specialty Features:
Contact Info for Visits: E-mail: leneperez_yahoo.com
Visiting Restrictions: Must be by advanced e-mail.
Web Site: n/a
How did you get started: Have hard and rocky soil and wanted to do raised beds.
Advice for those starting SFG: Keep the bush beans and corn away in a separate box - they're shading and taking over the broccoli's spot!! (I'm going to be doing a separate box for those two crops nest year)
Best thing about SFG: No weeding!! Every seed seems to grow - not so much waste and time spent thinning. Looks like a painting.
Worst thing about SFG: I didn't discover it sooner.
Winfield, BC
Location Info:Near Winnipeg
Gardener:Angela
Garden Size:20 ft by 40 ft and 16 Boxes
Grid Material: Metal
Aisle Width & Materials:3 Foot 2X6's and ¾ gravel
Vertical Frames:10
Types of Plants:Strawberries, Veggies, Flowers
Specialty Features:None
E-mail: amondor10_shaw.ca
Visiting Restrictions: I welcome anyone to my garden that is interested in the SFG method. I hope to learn from everyone that visits.
Headingley, Manitoba
Location Info: St-Hubert It's in the province of Quebec, South East of Montreal. A suburb of MontrealSt-Hubert Quebec
Gardener: Yves & Marie
Overall Size: Equivalent of 7 4x4 blocks
Number of Boxes: 1 1x[24x2] + 1x[8x2] + 1x[8x4] + 1x[5x3] + 1x[2x3]
Box Material and Depth: 2x10 beams
Type of soil mix: 1/4 original soil (previous owner) + 1/4 new enriched soil + 1/4 peat moss + 1/4 compost
Aisle Width & Materials: Using 18 inch garden tiles, single and double rows.
Vertical Frames: None yet, will be using recycled "Gazebo" corners soon.
Grid Material: Blinder straps
Types of Plants: Tomatos, Zucchinis, Radishes, Brocoli, Salads, Peppers, Mint, Basil, misc herbs ...
Specialty Features: "Fence" Garden, using the fence for vining
Contact Info for Visits: E-mail: yves_cheznousse.com
Visiting Restrictions: After 7PM only, contact before hand ...
Web Site: N/A
Interesting facts about your garden:
How did you get started:
Bought a house, wanted a garden, hence, squarefoot garden. :o) Actually, I was looking for a good way to get started on the internet and stumbeled on Square Foot Gardening (never saw the TV Show). After reading, it was clear that it was the way to go for a neophyte.
Advice for those starting SFG: Start small
Best thing about SFG: Easy to get going, pratically no maintenance.
Worst thing about SFG: Can be hard if you are too ambitious (we started whole hog with the equivalent of 7 4x4s + Composting bins so ... it took a toll on us. On the other hand, it's done, the garden is good for 10 years, just need to give it some fresh compost each year and it'll do fine).
Oh yeah: Geotextile tarps are awesome. You should try them. Prevents you from having to weed. Cover garden with tarp, staple it on top, then cut holes for the locations where you're going to plant something. No weeds -- and it keeps the soil warmer.
We planted tomato plants and Zucchini plants in June, this is what they look like in august. We have a few salads and herbs in the front row -- they are doing pretty good.
The two composting bins have removable front panels so we can easily mix the compost and water it. The unplanted square shows how our modules look like without any plants. Since we wanted to avoid weeding at all costs, we put a geotextile tarp on top of all the squares to prevent weeds from growing. It does a great job because we haven't had to weed the garden yet.
Small Herb squares next to the house.
St Hubert, Quebec
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