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Over the years, we have been asked many amazing and common questions, so we created this Question and Answer section to help answer questions that people have about Square Foot Gardens.
Quick versions of each Q&A are based on full letters to Mel
that you can go on to read from each quick Q&A.
Click the "SFG Basics" button to the left
or buttons on the right to get answers on those topics.
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Click one of the topics above to get answers to questions asked about starting a Square Foot Garden
LOCATION
Sunshine and no puddling.
FULL TEXT
Q. Not enough sun to garden.
A. No problem, have a shade garden.
Q. My SFG gets too much sun here in the desert.
A. Here's an easy no-work shade remedy. (click on FULL TEXT)
Q. Guess where our town house SFG is located.
A. I'd put it by the pool - but - where?
Q. Why can't I use a wet area for my SFG?
A. Plant roots need air in the soil.
SHADE GARDEN
Q: I would certainly love to help with the neighborhood garden listing but - unfortunately, my backyard has too many trees, and there is no place I have found yet where I could put even a 3 x 3' square that gets at least 4 to 6 hours of sunlight. I do have a garden right now - it just doesn't get enough light to do well.
I have enjoyed reading the book and dabbling in the small and light-hungry area I do have. I have successfully grown some broccoli and a few beans that were mostly grown before the trees leafed out, and I even have a few Roma tomatoes. The slugs and snails have eaten just about everything else. I am now experimenting with the potted tomato plant on the patio idea. I would have certainly given up in complete frustration by now if I were trying to use conventional methods of gardening.
Thank you, Mendi
SHADE? NO PROBLEM!
A: Dear Mendi, Thank you for your letter and I would still like to find a way for you to help out with the neighborhood garden program. Because of your shade, that may be an advantage in that you could grow all types of shade crops, particularly herbs, flowers, and the non-sun loving veggies. A lot of people have a shade problem yet there are many many plants that can be grown in partial to full shade. Keep in mind anything with a large flower or a fruit crop requires full sun. The ones that do well in shade are most of the root crops, leaf crops, and small flowering flowers, and most of the herbs. So you see there's quite a selection there.
Think about you could have a shade demonstration garden.
Mel B.
TOO MUCH SUN
Q: Hi Mel, my name is Mike and I live in California , I think your method is just the best thing ever for patio tomatoes and my own fresh herbs, and I would like to expand into my backyard here in 29Palms. I need help with sunshades and such that maybe connected to the upright frames. We get probably too much sun. Any ideas? When are you back on PBS? I used to plan my week for your show, but can't find it now.
BIG SUN UMBRELLA
A: Dear Mike, One solution is a big sun umbrella, either the golf course size or your patio table size. I have even stuck one right in the middle of a 4x4 and tied the ends down to each corner. But a simpler way is to put up four stakes, one in each corner, and run a strong support material horizontally from stake to stake. This could be just cord run kittycorner as well as boxed in around the edges or I like to use our nylon netting, which we use for vertical gardening. You can find that on our product page of our website. Either one of these then forms a support for installing almost any kind of material to provide full to broken shade.
SHADE CLOTH
You could buy shade cloth at most nurseries or you could use just any kind of cloth like an old sheet. Pin it to the support cords with clothespins. The beauty of clothespins if the wind gets too strong the cloth will blow away but it won't pull down your whole structure and supports. Using the same sort of support system in the tropics we have built a bamboo framework and covered the garden with banana leaves. That gave the garden a nice festive look.
TOO MUCH WIND
Another problem if you have a lot of wind combined with too much sun is to install four strong steel fence posts one in each corner usually outside the box and then you wrap your shade cloth around your garden using those stakes as a support, that breaks up the wind as well as provides some sun relief. Think of it sort of like a tennis court.
WIND AND SUN
If the overhead sun was also too much, then of course you could put another piece across the top. This last method is especially valuable for anywhere in the country when you are first planting your garden and putting in young tender seedlings. Strong sun or wind will really hurt them. Since SFG takes up only 20% of the space of an old-fashioned single row garden, this is now possible
WHERE IS THE TV SHOW?
Now as for the TV show, it is sitting on a shelf waiting for some ambitious fan to get it back on either cable or PBS. We did make three hour-long videos from the TV show and they, along with a description, are available on the catalog page. Check them out, they are all edited into easy to follow subjects,
Best wishes, Mel.
TOWNHOUSE GARDEN LOCATION
I live in a little Townhouse that doesn't have much room for a garden. When I first heard about the idea of planting a Square Foot Garden from a link on Thanksgiving Point Gardens website. I was intrigued and began building boxes and so forth. I only wish I had found and bought the book before doing so. Our first boxes were 12" deep, made from 1x12 and filled with a garden soil. It's growing fine, but I think next year we will dig out the top 6" and replace it with Mel's mix. Our garden near our back door doesn't receive much sunlight, so we decided to build some 1x4' planter boxes to put tomatoes, peppers, and so forth in, and place these on the roof of our carport. This time we built the boxes out of 2x6 and plywood and filled them with Mel's mix (we had the book this time). We're very pleased with the book and the growing method and are excited for next year when we can start growing spring crops earlier in our awesome Square Foot Gardens.
CONCRETE REINFORCING WIRE
Q: Anyway, I have a question...I can't seem to find wire-reinforced plastic. We bought concrete reinforcing wire before finding the book, and it is a little heavy for making small plastic cages. I suppose we could buy lighter wire and rolls of plastic, but we figured it would probably cost about the same amount and be easier to just use "instant greenhouse" material. Could you please point me to a good source for this?
Thanks in advance, Jason from Provo Utah
BOOK OUTLASTS PRODUCTS
A: Dear Jason, Thank you for your letter. The wire-reinforced plastic (instant greenhouse) mentioned in the book has not been available for ten years. When I wrote the book in 1981, I never dreamed it would still be the number one gardening book sold in 2003. So, we have outlasted several products that are described in the book.
EASY CAGES
You can make a wire cage covered in plastic as shown in the book on page 164 and use it for the same purpose. That was made with just any size opening scrap fencing wire so you could make one to fit the entire box. Watch out for the wind as it becomes a sail. I do not recommend concrete reinforcing wire for ANYTHING.
6 INCHES DEEP
It sounds like your gardening plans are right on track. You could, indeed, take out the top 6 in of garden soil and replace it with 6 in of Mel's mix or you could just cut the boxes in two so you now have twice as many boxes. You could also leave one 12 in deep to grow long carrots and potatoes but that would mean you wouldn't be rotating your crop and that it is not good.
NEW IDEA !
I WANT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT THAT CARPORT SFG. We put the gardens on top of the roof in Haiti to protect them from GOATS but you have an idea that will astound and amaze everyone in an apartment complex or without much sun. Please tell us in great detail how you built, placed, watered, cared for etc, AND TAKE SOME PICTURES. Can you imagine how many people all over the country, no, all over the world that could benefit from your idea ? My next question is where were you last Saturday ? I was in Provo giving a class at BYU and had a wonderful group of people from all over the world that will now take SFG around the globe and they could take your solution with them. It's not too late; we can send them a description of your carport top garden so please get back to us. Did you need to get permission from the landlord or should we not even bring that up ? How do you get up there to tend, water, harvest, and admire your garden ? Will any incoming flights to Salt Lake City want your telephone number? Pretty soon you will be in trouble with the FAA because the pilots will be flying so low to see what's ready for harvest. You can see now just another BIG ADVANTAGE OF SFG. CAN YOU JUST PICTURE A CONVENTIONAL OLD FASHIONED SINGLE ROW GARDEN ON TOP OF YOUR CAR PORT AND SOMEONE GETTING UP THERE WITH THEIR ROTOTILLER EVERY SPRING TO WORK THE SOIL?
I'M GOING TO PASS YOUR LETTER ON TO OUR MAN IN PROVO, SCHIPPER CLAWSON, who may want to contact you. Want to come up to the mountains next Saturday? Be my guest at our next training session in Eden.
FALL GARDEN
Another thing you might want to do later this year, so you don't have to wait until next spring is to plant a "spring" crop this fall (see page 95). You can plant all the same things in the fall that you can plant in the spring and actually it works better because the soil is warm and the seeds germinate fast. Then as the weather cools the plants grow and mature.
Best wishes, Mel B.
LOCATION -Puddles
Hi Mel, my name is Kathleen from Portland, Maine. I've thoroughly enjoyed your book, and am glad to see you're back from sabbatical.
Q: In my back yard, there is an area which is generally wet and does pool with water in the spring and during long periods of rain. I note that your comments about location specifically say not to use such a site for SFG, but I'm wondering why? I was hoping I could put a garden there and actually take advantage of the water available.
By the way, I also noticed that you've done some kind of garden(s) in Maine. . . anywhere in the Portland area?
Thanks for your great work, and for taking the time to read this.
Regards, Kathleen
PLANTS NEED AIR
A: Dear Kathleen: Thank you for your letter and I could understand the desire to make use of that water for keeping your garden moist. However, a garden soil should drain well, yet hold moisture. Think of the ideal as being like a sponge and any extra water will drain out of a sponge after it is saturated. Yet, it retains quite a bit of moisture for the plant roots to take up whenever they need it. The roots actually need air to grow in and when they are submerged for long periods of time they will rot and die. Now that sounds confusing at times because some plants grow in water and certainly we have hydroponic gardening where the roots grow in water, but those are water roots, different from the type of roots that need air and grow in the soil. In addition, if the water stays there too long, it can also become stagnant and totally devoid of air which would definitely kill the plants.
RAISE YOUR GARDEN
However, here is one idea and that would be to raise your garden up and yet have the water available to wick up through something like sand to your garden soil. What you could do depending on the area and the depth that the water puddles is to locate a garden box there, but make it perhaps 12 inches deep and fill the bottom 6 inches with sand and the top six inches with Mel's Mix. This would present a slightly different situation and there the water would wick up through the sand to wet the soil where the roots would be growing yet not submerge them. That might work, but I wouldn't put all your faith in that as a solution.
WHY DOES YOUR AREA PUDDLE?
Another idea would be to allow that area to drain and to do that you would have to find out why it puddles. There is apparently a layer of clay there or rock that is preventing the water from draining out. If you can't physically channel it out so it will run off and drain by itself, then it is possible to perhaps dig some holes in the area the size of a post hole for, example, about 6 to 8 inches in diameter and then once you go down a foot or two then fill those holes with sand so that the water would then drain down through that layer of clay. Without physically being there to look at it, it is kind of guess work trying to think of ways to try to solve the problem.
MY MAINE PROJECTS
When I was in Maine I did several projects up in Bath and further north in Damariscotta. One was with a children's handicapped institute and another was working with Habitat for Humanity and putting Square Foot Gardens into new houses. Also, I was on one of your popular TV shows at noontime from a restaurant that has a garden used for the restaurant produce. That was located in a town I've forgotten the name of, the just south of Portland. You might be able to guess the name of the restaurant because it was quite famous.
Good luck with your garden and please let me know what you decide and how it works out.
..
LAYOUT
Think squares - not rows.
Q. How can I get rid of perennial weeds?
A. Use weed killer, dig them out, or smother them with landscape fabric or cardboard.
Q. Your SFG method looks great - I will start next year.
A. Don't wait, start one 4x4 now!
Q. Would SFG on raised beds in a greenhouse work?
A. 2x12 beds are perfect for greenhouse SFG's
Q. What information does a beginner need to start with?
A. Study the website, watch the intro video and get the book.
Q. I have the book and the video - what else do I need?
A. That is enough to start with, but also study our website.
Q. Why is SFG acceptable to so many people?
A. Because it is so simple and easy to understand.
Getting Rid of Perennial Weeds
Q: Hi Mel, my name is Keith and I am from New York. I think your book, web site and method are just great! I really hate the heavy equipment, over producing row method and I would like to remove weeds. Any suggestions on removing a perennial root-spreading weed? Could I just mow this down and cover with landscaping fabric and mulch? I really don't want to use something like Roundup. I think the weed was originally a ground cover, Snow on the Mountain is it's common name. This is the non-variegated type that grows taller. We just bought the house last fall and the previous owners had mowed it all down, but it's already back this year.
Thanks!
Keith
Using Weed Killer vs. Smothering with Landscape Fabric
A: Hi Keith, Many thanks for your nice comments about SFG. Those perennial weeds are tough to get rid of and they sometimes grow underground some distance to get established again. The beauty of some of the weed killers is that they go right down the plant root to kill it all. BUT, I understand when you say you don't want to use strong poisons. I don't blame you and I don't use them myself. We like to describe SFG as GARDENING NATURALLY.
IMPROVED SFG METHOD
One thing to keep in mind is that you won't be growing your SFG in your existing soil (therefore no contact with the treated soil if you use a landscape fabric barrier) since you are going to use only Mel's Mix above ground (I HOPE). That's just another big plus of the new and improved SFG . Sounds like a soap commercial doesn't it ?
WEEDS BE GONE
Back to the weeds, I would mow them down and then cover the ground with a landscape cloth. That works better for tough perennial weeds than newspaper or cardboard. The cloth seems to work pretty good. If you put it down both under your boxes and the paths or aisles you can see if it is working in both places. Another idea, depending on how many boxes you have is to add a plywood bottom so if the weeds still come back, you just pick up your boxes and try something else.
I'll Start Next Year
Q: Hi Mel, my name is Robert and I live in Texas. I think your method is just great. I just found out about it yesterday and am really looking forward to getting the books and videos and trying it out next year. I printed the flyer that you have on your site to read through. It is a great flyer but I noticed that it is set up to print on a laser printer with 1/4 inch margins. Most of us average folks don't have a laser printer, much less a color laser printer. The margins on the inkjet printer are a little different. I don't mean to be critical, I love the site and all that you have on it. I just thought that if the flyer could be printed by more people, you might have more people passing them out! Hope you had a wonderful trip. Thanks,
Robert
Next Year May Never Come
A: Dear Robert: Thanks for your great letter, but don't wait until next year. Why not start just one box this year? The trouble with single-row gardening has always been it is thought of as a one-season crop. Yes, they do plant some early spring crops, but quite often that row is never replaced because there are too many weeds to hoe and too much other work to be done dealing with a large summer crop. And then by the time the summer is almost over, there are so many weeds and overgrown areas of the garden that a person just gives up and says, "Well, next year I'll make it different." But that never comes.
With Square Foot Gardening, everything is totally different. In most parts of the country, it is a true three-crop year: spring, summer and fall. The person never gets discouraged because there are no weeds to pull and no great amount of work to do, so you get triple the harvest because you have three full crops during each calendar year. We also encourage people to start small and if they are switching from single-row gardening or starting a garden for the first time, we suggest they start with just one or two 4'x4's, build them, add the Mel's Mix, put on a grid and start planting to gain experience. Start out with simple easy crops to grow and by the next season, they can plant different crops and by the next year they become quite confident and experienced with SFG.
I appreciate your comments about the printouts and I have to admit that I'm rather behind the times on all the computer workings. I rely upon some of our people to put things up so they are most useful to everyone. So, your comments are very apropos and current. I will pass them on and see what we can do to make this more user friendly because we certainly want people to be able to print everything that we have so they can help spread the word just as you have.
Thanks again for your letter and seriously consider putting in one box now for the summer and fall crop. Tell all your friends and neighbors about Square Foot Gardening and invite them to visit our website.
Q: Would gardening on raised beds in a greenhouse work? My greenhouse has a 2' x 12' bench on each side. They are 30'' high, so building a raised bed on each would not be a problem. Because the benches have plywood tops, I'm not sure if they would drainage properly? Please advise.
A: Why sure, you just build a 2' x 12' box out of 1'' x 6'' lumber, (I'd splurge for redwood) with or without plywood bottoms depending on the surface of your benches. Fill with Mel's Mix, add a grid and you're ready to start SFG all year long you lucky one. Just think, 2' x 12' on each side, that's 48 sq. feet or 48 different plants. Amazing isn't it?
Q: If I have both the book and the Introduction to SFG Video, do I need the Classic set of Videos before I start my garden? Is there any other info I need as a beginner?
A: I think you are all set and ready to go. You asked what additional information would help a beginner. I would say you do not need the set of classic videos yet, but study all the info on the web site and you should be in good shape.
Q: Why do you think SFG is so acceptable to so many people?
A: I have often said that SFG is so simplified and so easy-to-understand that it is an improved way to garden for just about everyone from weekend gardeners to Homesteaders, even small truck farmers. I'm also convinced that unless you live in an area of perfect natural soil, it is a lot easier and less costly in the long-run to start a garden with raised beds filled with a special soil mix, than it is to spend seven years (the average) trying to improve your existing soil.
...
BOXES
Build boxes to hold Mel's Mix.
Q: Should I drill holes in the bottom of my table top SFG?
A: YES -- One per square foot and each box corner.
Q: How to protect floor from dripping water?
A: Tilt tabletop garden and put bowl under drip
Q: Do you just ask them to cut the vinyl fencing shorter?
How tall is yours?
A: Use 1" x 6" side rails.
Q: Do I need drainage in my balcony boxes?
A: YES -- all boxes need drainage holes.
Q: Does the box need a solid bottom?
A: Not unless you are going to raise it or move it about.
Q: My son raised my tabletop garden onto cement blocks.
A: Very sturdy. What a great IDEA for others!
Q: Can I grow everything in a tabletop garden?
A: A SFG is the same on a tabletop as on the ground.
The plants won't get dizzy or air sick!
Q: Where do I put the 6" of Mel's Mix in 12" deep boxes?
A: Either on the bottom or on top of 6" of hay.
Q: Any Termite proof box material?
A: Bricks and blocks will break their teeth.
Q: Termites & wood don't mix---any lasting material?
A: Try cinderblocks, vinyl fence material, or plastic-wood composite. composite
Q: Hi Mel, my name is Dan and I live in Texas . The book is great. My brother and his wife planted a square foot garden, and I could not believe the amount of vegetables they raised! I've got to try it myself. I'm planting a vegetable garden using your techniques. I've built boxes, and put them up on saw horses like your example for folks in a wheel chair (I just thought it would be more comfortable). I've got the book, but after reading your web page, I mixed up the new soil formula (1/3 peat, 1/3 vermiculite, and 1/3 compost). OK, my question is, after harvest, when I dig up and replant, what shall I do to the soil? More compost? If so could you elaborate? Also, should I drill holes in the plywood bottom for drainage? Thanks
YES, YOU DO NEED DRAINAGE HOLES
A: Dear Dan: Thank you for your letter and I'm so glad to hear you were inspired by your brother's garden. That is great ! In answer to your question, yes, you do need drainage holes in the plywood bottom. Drill a 1/4-inch hole in each square foot with an extra hole in each corner.
NEED A WELL-BLENDED COMPOST
It is very important that a good, well-blended compost be used so your garden gets all the nutrients needed. Hopefully, you have used a compost made from many different ingredients in your Mel's Mix. After you harvest, simply add a trowel full of a well-blended compost to each square and mix it in. That way you are putting nutrients back into your garden.
Best wishes , Mel B
Q: Hi Mel, my name is Leon and I live in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I think your book is well written and easy to read. I would like to build some raised SFGs. How do you set up the drainage when on a patio or porch to protect the floor surface?
Thank you, Leon
START WITH SOME HOLES
A: Dear Leon: Thanks for your question. A lot of people ask this, so here are some ideas. First drill 1/4-inch drainage holes in the bottom of your box, one in the center of each square foot with an extra hole in each corner. That will allow the soil mix to drain if too much water is added.
CATCH THE DRIPS
Now if you have a floor surface that would be harmed by dripping water, slightly raise one corner of the box so that it drains toward the opposite corner. You can do that by sloping the table or supports of the box. If it's a flat tabletop, you could just put a few pebbles under the 3 corners of the box so the 4th corner is lower, then you can easily put a container on the floor to catch any drips. Be careful not to over water and you shouldn't have many drips. The Mel's Mix holds moisture so well that not much will run out.
Good luck with your raised boxes, and please send us some pictures
Best wishes, Mel
DO YOU CUT THE VINYL FENCING?
Q: Hi Mel, with the vinyl fencing, do you just ask them to cut it shorter? How tall is yours?
Thanks, Jan from Texas
USE 1" x 6" SIDE RAILS
A: I don't understand your question about the vinyl fencing material. You said, "Do you just ask them to cut it shorter?" I think if you will read the answer that I sent you previously, in the paragraph that starts "I wish we could sell the vinyl boxes," you'll notice that the list of materials includes four 4-foot-long 1" x 6" rails. Those are the sides of your 4x4 box. You also need 4 corner posts, which are cut to stand 8 inches tall, so there is 1 inch above and 1 inch below the 6-inch rail. Just print out the picture on our home page and show that to them and they will understand quickly how to do it. That particular bed you mentioned where I'm sitting in a rocker is 4 feet wide by 16 feet long and every 4 feet it steps up another 6 inches or 1 section of the rail. Something like that is very complicated to make and extremely expensive, so I would just start with a 4' x 4' or perhaps go to a 4' x 8' flat box, later you can build a stepped up box for that extra-special garden look.
Yours truly, Mel
DOES MY BOX NEED DRAINAGE HOLES?
Q: Hi Mel, my name is Brian and I live in Michigan. I would like to shake your hand. My question is: I'm planning on planting on my apartment's balcony in 2' x 4' boxes 1' deep. I made boxes like you described in the book, but several people have said that I need to add drainage holes and/or rocks at the bottom in order to keep the roots from drowning (in case of a heavy rain, say). Do you feel this is unnecessary for some reason? I stapled plastic sheeting to the inside in order to prevent the pine (couldn't afford cedar) boards from quickly rotting away.
Thanks much ! Brian
ALL BOXES NEED DRAINAGE HOLES
A: Dear Brian: Thanks for your letter and the answer is "Yes, you do need provisions for drainage." I do not like rocks in the bottom, they just fill in with soil so they really don't do any good. Just one of those old fashioned practices that keeps getting handed down - sort of like old fashioned inefficient single row gardening some "experts" keep teaching. I prefer positive drainage by drilling one 1/4" hole per square foot with an extra one in each corner. Here are some other ideas:
BOTTOMS & DRAINAGE
If you're building a Square Foot Garden that is raised up so you can do sit-down gardening, or to use on a patio or deck, then yes you do need a bottom. We recommend plywood. I have never used particle or wafer board for a bottom and I don't think it would stand up to a wet condition. We use either plain plywood or waterproof or outdoor plywood. For a 4'x4' box, we use 5/8" thick plywood. Of course, you have to drill holes in the bottom for drainage. We drill a 1/4" hole, 1 hole per square foot with an extra one in each corner. Did you use pine or plywood bottoms?
SOIL DEPTH
Another thought on the depth of soil for a deck garden, they do dry out rapidly and you will have to water everyday during the hot summer time, especially if it has extreme sunlight exposure. Making it a little deeper helps in that way so if you made it 8 or 10 inches deep, the soil would tend to stay moist longer, especially if you can't be there every day. So your 12" depth should be just fine. Another idea to save watering is to use a thick layer of mulch over the soil 2 inches of chopped up dried leaves works real well."
PLASTIC LINING
I'm not sure the plastic idea will work. Moisture will get underneath the plastic no matter what and it will create a constant wet area for your wood boxes. I can understand that you can't afford cedar, but if you provide holes for drainage, the boxes should last at least several years if not more. If you want to leave the plastic just drill the holes right through the plastic and the bottom wood, but I would tend to remove the plastic. The only problem with balconies is who lives below you and will the water drip on their balcony? So, what we've done sometimes with some boxes is to tilt them ever so slightly to one corner and then put a container on the floor underneath that corner so the water will all drip into that and prevent any problems downstairs. Hope that helps in your situation and good luck with your garden.
Yours truly, Mel B.
SFG SEEMS PERFECT FOR FLORIDA
Q: Hi Mel, my name is Judy and I live in Florida. I think your method is just perfect for me to avoid the sandy soil here that won't sustain any plants for very long and I would like to try SFG.
DOES THE BOX NEED A BOTTOM?
When we build the box does it have a solid bottom attached to the frame or do we put it directly on the ground with weed-block underneath? I can't wait to get started!
Judy.
START AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE
A: Hi Judy, Yes, it's a good time to plant in Florida. Put your bottomless box directly on the ground with a weed-block underneath unless you want to move your box about, then add a plywood bottom. Make sure you read all the info on the web site about Mel's mix and COMPOST.
START WITH A BOTTOMLESS BOX
You can make bottomless boxes out of 1" x 6" or 2" x 6" lumber and just lay them on the ground and fill those with Mel's Mix. If you want to do a little extra work, you can loosen your existing soil, but it is not really necessary. It usually just makes the gardener feel a little better. If there are any weeds or plant growth there, it is best to remove that before you lay the box down. If you are putting it on grass, just cover the grass with a layer of cardboard or several layers of newspaper or landscape cloth or dig out the grass and sod and put it upside down in your compost pile. Then wet down the newspaper or cardboard, lay down your box and pour in the Mel's Mix. Don't forget to add a prominent visable grid for a finished look. Then just start planting. It's all just that easy.
COMPOST - IF YOU DON'T HAVE YOUR OWN
To get started call some of your nurseries and garden supply centers like Wal-mart and Home Depot. Ask them what kind of compost they have and how good it is.
DON'T BUY ALL ONE KIND OF COMPOST
DON'T BUY THE CHEAP KIND
You don't want the real cheap bags. Actually you want the most expensive ones because they will have the best ingredients. And don't buy just one kind. Get one bag of this and another bag of that and so on. That way you will have a more blended compost That will get you started and then you can start using your own compost when your pile is ready.
WHAT'S A GOOD COMPOST ?
Sometimes you just have to go down there and feel it and smell it and you will know the right one to start with. Tell the clerk that you're starting a square foot garden and you need a really good compost. A blended compost made from many different ingredients. Remember, you will have this soil mix for the rest of your life, you never have to replace it, you just keep adding new compost to each square foot each time you replant.
Good luck with your new garden. Mel B.
TABLETOP GARDEN ON CEMENT BLOCKS
Q: Hi, Mel, my name is Kathleen and I live in Kentucky. I think your book, website, and method are all wonderful and have been using the method since I discovered it from my mother while still living in Florida.
I now have a disabling disease and my son set my garden on a table so I wouldn't have to bend down. We had so much rain this year that the table collapsed (cheap table) and he got the idea to put it up on cement blocks. He used four blocks on each corner but aimed them towards the center and this works great! It's not movable, like a table, but would work well for a wheelchair garden using fewer blocks. Next year I'm going to experiment with different levels to see how low I can bend down so I can plant some corn.
STRONG LEGS NEEDED
A: Dear Kathleen, You are another SFG success story to be able to sit down while you garden at a tabletop garden. Of course as you and your son found out it needs to be placed on a sturdy and stable foundation. I seem to remember a Bible story about building on the rock rather than the sands and wasn't there a three pig fable about long-lasting materials for your home, now we know the same thing applies to your garden. You have a great story and it will be a good inspiration to many others who thought they could no longer garden. My compliments to your son for figuring out that strong support he has come up with.
I Never Thought I'd Be Able to Garden Until I Read Your Book. God Bless You.
Q: I think your book is just great. I would like to ask you, "Can all vegetables be grown in a waist-high garden?" I wonder about strawberries - will they freeze over winter and not be back the next year? My husband built me two. I'm not in a chair anymore, but can't bend at the knees or waist for any length of time, so I'm having fun planting in these containers. They are each about 10 or 11 inches deep. Can potatoes, corn - anything - be grown in them? Any that absolutely don't work? Thanks for your help. I can't wait to try vertical gardening. My mother is very skeptical. Can't wait to show her the results. Thanks for your answer and thank you for writing the book. I never thought I'd be able to garden until I read your book.
God bless you, Brenda in MO.
I Feel Blessed and Honored by Your Enthusiasm
A: Dear Brenda: The answer to your question is yes, just about anything that can be grown at a ground-level garden can be grown when it's raised up to tabletop height by adding a plywood bottom to your box. We recommend that the waist-high gardens be a little deeper because of the drying effect of the wind and the heat, but you've already accomplished that.
TRY THIS FIRST
If you're new to gardening and, particularly if you are new to Square Foot Gardening, we suggest that you first read the book, watch the video, study the website to learn all the latest improvements, and plant the simple, easy crops first. Gain some experience at least the first season. Then, each additional season when you are replanting each square foot, try a different crop and gradually work toward the more difficult things to grow.
MORE ADVANCED CROPS
What are the more difficult crops ? Well, they are things like corn, and melons, and potatoes, and watermelons, and pumpkins, and perennial flowers, and spring bulbs. And all those kind of things that either take extra space, extra care or extra support. Things that grow very tall like corn work well in an SFG, however, when they are starting 3 feet up in the air it becomes a little more difficult to support them so they don't blow over near the end of the season when you get a heavy, windy rainstorm.
VERTICAL GARDENING
The same thing applies to the vertical gardens. However, if you look in the book on page 254, you can see that vertical gardens can become a part of waist-high gardens because once you plant the crops at ground level, there is not much else to do except those activities that are higher up.
CONVERTING OTHERS
Someday, sit your mother down at your computer and show her the testimonies from both Amazon.com as well as our viewer's comments and remind her that a million people can't be wrong. Because it is a new way, then people that are used to doing things the same old way have trouble imagining anything new could be better. Don't worry about trying to convince her, just show her the results.
STRAWBERRIES
Everyone loves to grow strawberries except you are using that space the entire year for that one crop, or two at the most. And, I feel that you should have several garden boxes before you start strawberries. I see no reason why they wouldn't work at a waist-high garden. They are going to freeze over whether they are in the ground or above the ground or in a waist-high garden and that won't hurt them. It is usually easier to protect them through the winter by giving them a little mulch cover with straw when you have them planted in a Square Foot Garden. I would suggest that you try a few just as an experiment and see what happens.
Q: We live in Missouri, where the termites live also ! What can you suggest as a building material with termites in mind, for my square foot beds ?
A: The only sure thing, is something like bricks, blocks, or recycled plastic lumber (which is expensive, but lasts forever). Check them out at your local lumber or builder supply store.
Otherwise follow our advice and look around for FREE lumber 2 x 6s or double stack 2 x 4's. Grow your garden, feed the termites, and in 3 or 4 years go find some more FREE lumber.
SUBJECT: Wooden Frames and Termites
Q: My husband is concerned about building the frames out of wood - he doesn't want to be replacing them due to termite damage. Do you have any suggestions for some other building material that might be more permanent ?
A: I wouldn't use treated lumber if you're going to grow vegetables. Recycled plastic wood is readily available and vinyl fence material makes a great SQUARE FOOT box. Some people use bricks and cement blocks. Those that get FREE scrap lumber from construction sites (ask first) don't mind changing frames every 4 or 5 years. Good luck!
AISLES
Walking aisles between boxes.
Q: Can a big 10'x20' raised bed be converted into SFG?
A: Add 2'-wide, plank walkways across the middle to form four 8'x4' squares.
FAQ WARNING!
If you have any questions about gardening
Please do the following.
1. If its anything about:
When to plant in your area?
What to plant in your area?
Whats this pest in my garden?
Whats wrong with my plants?
Please call your local County Agricultural (Extension) Agent in your area. They are paid with your taxes to know everything about gardening conditions in your county. We dont, but they do. click here
HOWEVER
2. If its anything about SFG Do this:
1. Read the Book click here
2. Watch the 3 min trailer click here
3. Read our FAQs click here
4. Read the 10 most often asked questions
including click here
I cant find coarse vermiculite.click here
I cant find 5 different kinds of compost. click here
I cant find Mels Mix pre-bagged. click here
Then: and only then
If you still dont have an answer, Send us an e-mail.
If you dont do all the above first, we may just send Mel
to your house to:
Break your knees
Bless your SFG
Have dinner with your family
Confiscate all your harvest
Make you get up on stage with him to ask your question.
Choose your weapon partner!
Copyright 2010 Square Foot Gardening Foundation.
