Q: I am teaching a Square Foot Gardening class at our local college. I am wondering what material and lesson plan I should use. Should I follow the book or do you have something more concise for a 1 hour class ? Thank you !

A: It sounds like a great project you're going to be involved in. Have you taught SFG before, and to what size class or what type of pupils and who will you be teaching this time - Master Gardeners, homeowners, seniors, etc. ?


Yes, you have my permission to download any of the material on our web site. I would suggest the following: perhaps the Homepage, just as a cover, and then the “What is SFG ?” page, the “How-to SFG” page, and under Mel's Column - the short version of the “Four Improvements” including the intro and summary. That would be a pretty good basic handout. Of course, you could include any of the other pages as well. It depends on your budget, and how thick you want to make their material. Tell them about the web site. and perhaps a listing of the other subjects so they can visit the site and download it themselves if they are interested, since you have only one hour.

Time moves very fast, although most students, unless they are experts, can grasp the basics of SFG in just that one hour, especially if you have some training aids. One of the most simple methods that we've suggested in the past is just a piece of cardboard from a large box, measuring 4 foot by 4 foot. One side is plain, the other side you draw the 12 inch by 12 inch grid on it with a broad magic marker. Then you can merely lay it on the ground and show them the difference when there's a grid there. Now it's a lot easier to see the spacing and the planting, emphasizing that each square foot is going to be planted with a different crop, either a flower, vegetable or herb. And the other training aid would be to cut 12 inch by 12 inch pieces of cardboard, and draw the grid and the dots, to show them the 1, 4, 9, or 16 plant spacing. You can then take those 12 x 12's and lay them down on the 4 x 4, and they'll get a pretty good idea of how to plant everything.  If you had time or could find a little extra time, I would strongly recommend showing them our introductory “How-to” Video. It's 30 minutes long, yet it tells everything, and it's up to date with a lot of new features that aren't in the book.

Let me know if there is anything else I could do to help you. I'd even be willing to talk to the class that night for just a few moments of introduction, if you could hook up a speaker phone so they could all hear. In the past, some instructors have wanted to order books and videos to sell or sometimes they just take orders for a later combined order. Call our toll free number: 1-877-828-1188 for a class discount. Those are just some ideas. I hope they are of help to you. Good luck with your class and do keep in touch.

Mel B.