IMPROVEMENT # 4: GRIDS, Full Text Version

When I wrote Square Foot Gardening over 20 years ago, I always advocated laying out a 12" x 12" grid for the garden. Then, in my travels around the country, I heard a lot of people say, "Oh, I do Square Foot Gardening," or "I have a Square Foot Garden"… but when I went to see them, they had no grid! 

TRUE GRID

Without the grid, the gardeners weren't following the true Square Foot Gardening system.  Some even put little rows in their beds or planted in irregular-sized clumps.  They didn’t realize all the advantages they were missing: they were not utilizing the space as efficiently as possible; they weren’t able to replace each square foot with a new crop as the old one matured.  I found many beds planted with an entire crop of the same thing rather than a different crop in every square foot.  This resulted in planting too much, resulting in the "all-at-once" harvest that we used to have in single row gardening.

In our introductory film, we show the people in our class how a 4’ x 4’ square looks without a grid and ask them, "How many plants could you plant there? How many different crops?"  They draw a blank because it looks like a small area that isn’t going to contain very much.  As soon as we lay down the grid, they suddenly light up and say, "Aha!  I see – 16 spaces, that’ll take 16 different crops! Depending on what I plant, there will be 1, 4, 9 or 16 plants in that square foot.  As soon as one square is finished, I can replant that square foot with the next crop without disturbing anything else around it."

There are many, many interrelated reasons for the "different crop in every Square Foot" rule.  They deal with nutrients used, limiting over-ambitious planting, staggered harvest, weed and pest control, beauty of the garden, and many more factors that result in a very unusual and innovative gardening system.

When you have no grid, your garden has no character. If you’re having visitors over, they may not even notice your garden if it's laid out in plain beds. But if it's a Square Foot Garden with very noticeable grids, they will say, "Hey, what's that in your yard?" 

GRID MATERIALS

In the past, I experimented with different materials for making grids. Sometimes I used heavy-duty white twine, but eventually it rotted and finally broke. The most satisfactory material was white plastic clothesline. But they both required driving a nail or screw into the wood frame. I tried laying down a broom handle in the soft soil to mark the grid, but that indentation faded very quickly.  I also used painted wood lath or molding strips. I even used wire fencing with large 6" openings, which I painted so the 12" spacing showed up. 

Then, when we designed the 3’ x 3’ gardens that we donated to Utah Elementary schools, we obtained recycled white Venetian blind material.  We cut it into 3-foot lengths and drilled a hole every 12". Then we found neat plastic push buttons to place at each intersection. They look terrific, last forever and are easy to clean.

When we started selling 4’ x 4’ garden kits at our display gardens, we had 4’ long vinyl material cut, and we made that into a grid kit, which can still be purchased.  The grid kits just snap together and lay down on your soil. 

DO TRY THIS AT HOME

If you don't want to purchase a kit, you can do the same with wood or plastic molding or strips. Every lumber store has 4’ long wood lath, which is very inexpensive, and, when painted, makes your garden look terrific.  Or you can buy Venetian blinds at a thrift shop for about $1. (Don't buy the very old ones with peeling paint.)  Cut them with scissors to 4’ lengths, drill a hole every 12," and connect with a small machine or plastic screw.

With a very visible grid, your garden takes on a unique character. It will not only look spectacular, but you’ll be able to visualize your planting squares. Without a grid, your garden is nothing.

Improvement #3:

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