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Dear alan,
Snow in the garden
Well, we have been graced with our first snow up here in the mountains of Eden, Utah. If you are close to winter wherever you may live, then it is time to get your garden cleaned up while the afternoons are pleasant and being outside still feels like a gift.
You will want to start by pulling out what was killed off by the frost and prepare to protect the cool weather crops still growing. Keep in mind that the summer crops like tomatoes, peppers, petunias, squash, all will die very quickly at almost the hint of a frost. Read more...
Here are some tips from Mel for fall clean up:
Cut off plants at the bottom of the stem with clippers, put the remains in the compost pile and tidy up that square even if you are not going to replant it.
All the cool weather crops including pansies, lettuces, spinach, Swiss Chard, parsley, and many of the root crops still grow right through the cold weather if given some protection on a cold weather night. More information...
32 new and excited SFG teachers
 I have never taught such an excited and motivated group of people. They held an election for Class President, Vice President, and Secretary/Treasurer to lead their class onto great things in the future.
The emotions ran high as each person told how meaningful SFG has become to them and of their plans to take it out into the world both at home and abroad.
We are pleased to welcome into the ranks of Certified Square Foot Gardening Teachers the following graduates of the Eden Class of ’09:
Wanda Pyles, Celia Tyler, Ken Alley, Elaine Michaels,
Alan Knaub, Kimberley Knaub, Susan Gray, Debbie Morris, Lisa Gidley, Patricia A. Meyer, Steven Straiton, Paula Gore, Paige Shadden, Grant Shadden, David Heal, Tricia Pace, Karen McFarland, Karen Judy, Kendra McDaniel, Paige E. Tomson, Marsha Garner, Tracy Y. Hales, Rodney J. Ross, Brenda Ross, Kathy Neal, Nancy Clarke, Ken Clarke, Julie Whitis, Laura Jo Richins, Don Richins, Sharon Burkinshaw, & Amanda Howells.
Congratulations Everyone !
We hope this inspires you to get up and get certified. This 09-Eden class came in from Iowa, Florida, Texas, Utah, Eastern Canada, Washington, Arizona, Idaho, West Virginia, and North Carolina. No matter where you are, if you can find a way to get up to one of our symposiums it will be more then worth the trip.
These Symposiums are an exciting new venture for the SFG Foundation and we are expecting great results from all of these certified teachers. To think it all started in 2005 with 12 students up here in Eden, then 18 in 2008, 22 in Ohio in 2009 and now 32 in Eden. We still have a bunch to go in BC Canada in 2 weeks.
Please note: These symposiums are not for those who want to learn Square Foot Gardening for their back yard, but for people that have already learned and practiced SFG and now want to teach others this simple easy method. Pre-requisites for the class are having read the All New Square Foot Gardening book and implementing in your own SFG the new improvements and no longer using the old methods from the original book.
News from British Columbia
 Our October 23rd and 24th two day symposium has a great head start and with everything we have learned from the Ohio and Eden events is looking to be quite a show stopper. Mel will be teaching with one of the 08 Eden graduates; Teri McLean who actually lives in BC, they will be joined by Harry Adams and Dave Weatherill of Vernon BC. Harry is the principle of Silver star elementary School and last spring he single handedly organized and ran a very successful SFG event and lecture series.
Then Harry introduced Dave, who quickly earned Mel’s admiration when he was given the grand tour of Dave's Family hardware store, Briteland. We are proud to be able to use his store as an Official SFG HQ. They are located at 3208 28th Street, Vernon, BC. Reservations for the Symposium can be purchased at Dave's store locally or on our website. Click HERE. We have limited seating and only 15 remain as of today.
Dave Weatherill has been able to organize the mixing and distributing pre-bagged Mel's Mix up in BC. He also worked with local companies to produce and sell wood kits and boxes at his store. He has also worked with several local groups to provide SFG for many great charitable causes. What a way to seize the day and create amazing results Dave!
So come on up to British Columbia as this is our last symposium for 2009. You can click HERE to get general information, and HERE when you are ready to sign up!
Become a Certified Teacher at Home
 If you can't find the time to travel to a Symposium please don't forget we have a Correspondence course available for purchase on the website. Click HERE. Our newest Correspondence Graduate is Diane Morris from Ohio. We are pleased to have another great teacher helping to “spread the word” as Mel likes to put it. We have several more just waiting to have their entry applications graded and approved. We will announce them in coming additions.
Congratulations Diane!
What’s Ahead ?
Don’t forget that five of the '09 Ohio Graduates have volunteered to hold and run a symposium in their state, in 2010. Several others have since announced their intentions also. We expect to have 6 to 9 symposiums around the country and hopefully near to you in the coming year. Tom from Kentucky keeps writing and calling, saying, “Give me a date, give me date!”Then there is the Brigham Young University in Hawaii where Mel taught a few years ago that might be able to arrange a 3-day Symposium there. Who wants to come to that one?
Do You have Deer eating from your SFG?
 The response has been very encouraging and we sold out of the last 10 almost overnight. Unfortunately most of our testers just wanted a head start on their spring gardens so we will not get feed back until March really. We are excited about this product and are looking for some feed back as quickly as possible to see how well they stand up to deer and other critters. All the other remedies or deterrents have never really worked as well as a physical barrier. We want to get some field results this fall.
So we have a special request as of this newsletter. We would like to find 2 or 3 volunteers who live in Deer country to participate in testing the critter cages against the decimation that can happen overnight by the intrusion of a deer into your Square Foot Gardens. These will not be listed for sale on the website you will need to e-mail us at
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
with your story and why you should be one of our lucky 3. We do ask that you pay for the cost of materials and the shipping.
More Success in SFG!
Another one of our 08 - Eden Graduates Bob Markey organized and ran a very successful summer gardening project for the Youth in New Jersey this past August. We received the following News Clipping and photos from Bob please read their story below.
YMCA Youths Learn SFG at Summer Camp
 The Rahway YMCA Square Foot Garden Campers were a big hit at Rahway Center Partnership’s Farmers Market on August 13. The YMCA SFG Campers are a group of 8 to 10 year old youths who helped produce then harvest a Square Foot Garden this summer during their summer camp in Rahway, New Jersey. The campers grew organic produce and sold their produce at the local Farmer’s Market located at the Rahway Train Station Plaza.
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