The Square Foot
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Showcase 2
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Location Info: Goodyear, AZ
Gardener: Norman
Overall Size: Overall Area: 11 X 26
Number of Boxes: Two 4 X 8
Box Material and Depth: 2 X 8 Redwood
Type of Soil Mix: 1/3 peat, 1/3 Vermiculite, 1/3 compost
Aisle Width & Materials: 3 with pea size red rock
Vertical Frames (number and type): Four with 1/2 PVC framework and 1/8 Nylon rope verticals at 4 spacing. Frames are located on the north side of the beds.
Grid Material: 1/8 Nylon rope
Type of plants: Typical vegetable garden i.e. corn, radishes, lettuce, tomatoes, turnips, onion, peas, beans, peppers, chives, marigolds, and morning glory.
Garden Specialty Features: Used brass cup hooks around the perimeter of the beds and threaded a single piece of 1/8 Nylon rope to form the 12 X 12 grid. Easily removed to work the soil. Also due to the Arizona sunshine, a ½ PVC framework was built over the top of the beds in order to support a sun shade during parts of the year.
How would you like potential visitors to contact you to arrange a visit? nsteiner_cox.net
Visiting restrictions: No specific time or day but would like an advanced notice via e-mail to schedule an appointment.
Do you want on-site visits or would you prefer showing your garden by web site photos, or both ? On site visits would be fine but I dont have anything really outstanding to see. Photos would probably be better with a verbal description.
Interesting facts about you and your garden:
How did you get started with SFG ?: Watched Mels TV program a number of years ago and purchased the book last year. Always wanted to try the concept since it really seemed to make sense. After actually starting a SFG, I am sold. I tried it during the summer last year but the 110 degree heat for over thirty days pretty much did it in. Tomatoes actually cooked on the vine. Having much better luck this spring since I planted the last week of February and it is doing great. Should be pretty much finished before the June heat.
What advice would you give others for starting ?: Soil preparation would probably be the best thing to start with. The three equal parts of peat, vermiculite and compost, that Mel recommends, is a perfect mix. Vermiculite is kind of hard to find but I located it at a commercial garden suppliers yard.
What is the best thing you can say about SFG ?: Ease of starting a garden and the fact that one or two beds can provide a fantastic amount of produce. It is so easy that it is not work but a real joy. Years ago, my wife and I had large row gardens and they were nothing but a lot of hard work with limited success.
What is the worst thing you can say about SFG ?: Nothing really other than trying to keep the cats out but think I have that solved now (laying thorny bougainvillea branches across the bed seems to do the trick).
Goodyear, AZ
Location Info: Prescott, 90 miles from Phoenix, AZ
Gardener: Bill
Overall Size: 2' x 26'
Number of Boxes: 6, 2' x 4' sections and 1 section 2' x 2' Box
Box Material and Depth: Redwood. Depth is 5-1/2" (depth of 2 x 6 boards. 2' x 2' section is 11" deep.
Type of Soil Mix: Mel's Mix
Aisle Width & Materials: No aisles. Ground is covered with rock and weedblock cloth.
Vertical Frames (number and type): I am using concrete construction grids a a trial. A work in progress.
Grid Material: Wood
Type of plants: Fall plantings of lettuce, beets, arugula, peas, sweet peas and misc. flowers.
Garden Specialty Features: Waist high for no bending.
How would you like potential visitors to contact you to arrange a visit? By E-mail: sbdeak_msn.com
Visiting restrictions: Advanced e-mail please.
Do you want on-site visits or would you prefer showing your garden by web site photos, or both ? Not sure. How busy can this get? Would welcome an occasional visitor.
How did you get started with SFG ?: Used your first edition fanatically when lived in Pacific Northwest and California. New edition was wondeful to find.
What advice would you give others for starting ?: Start small. Follow instructions closely.
What is the best thing you can say about SFG ?: Straight forward and simple.
What is the worst thing you can say about SFG ?: Nothing bad to say.
Prescott, AZ
Location Info: Near Riverside. (Southern California about 30 miles south from Riverside at the I-15 & State Highway 74)
Gardener: David SFG in Lake Elsinore
Garden Size: Overall Size: Backyard perimeter roughly 312 square feet plus one 4' x 4'
Number of Boxes: 14 total and 10 large pots (terra cotta and various other styles) for large bushes & dwarf trees.
Grid Material: Plastic dowels.
Aisle Width & Materials: Yard on one side, fence on the back side and 4' x 4' spacing in-between boxes for larger pots.
Vertical Frames: One, PVC.
Types of Plants: The 4x4 has tomato, squash, cucumber, radishes, beans & cayenne peppers. Terra cotta pots; one Dwarf Myers lemon and one Bearss lime, one Asparagus, and we plan on having one California Laura (Bay leaf), and other shrubs. In the other boxes we have a variety of flowers to attract Hummingbirds & Butterflies, we will also plant some of our garden in those areas.
Specialty Features: The 4x4 is 20 inches tall with a false bottom of about 10 inches of potting soil mix. We plan on making a copper pipe topiary in the shape of an umbrella that we saw on 'Rally round the house' cable program with a Hummingbird vine growing out of it, and we have a 54" x 6" x 1/2" thick old wagon wheel rim which will be made into a wind chime that will look like a 'dream catcher'. Our trees are; Acacia, Parkinsonian (Blue Palo Verde), Australian Tea tree, Chase (Vitex) or Snowball tree, Strawberry tree, two Queen palm trees and we plan on a Melaleuca Linariifoila ( Paperbark) tree. (For example, deck or patio gardens, waist or chair height gardens, or handicapped gardens.)
Contact Info for Visits: E-mail: davkasad_yahoo.com
Visiting Restrictions: The usual, no pets, kids if controllable by parents, only on certain days and times, must be by advanced e-mail.
Web Site: N/A
Interesting facts about your garden: Several years ago I watched Mr Mel on TV and was very interested, bought his books & tapes and began to do Square Foot gardening. When I was in elementary school here in CA., my Grandmother & I would dig our adobe soil into a garden with the OLD fashion way of rows, which I didn't like. When Mr Mel was viewed on TV it stirred my interest to gardening that way and have Loved it ever since.
How did you get started: As mentioned above.
Advice for those starting SFG:
It is easy, simple, and a lot of fun especially when you don't have to dig in bad soil.
Best thing about SFG:
Fantastic, I wished it were started when I was a lot younger.
Worst thing about SFG:
Nothing.
Lake Elsinore, CA
Location Info: Monterey - central coast California in the Carmel Valley
Gardener: Mandy
Garden Size: Overall Size: 9600 sq. feet 18 boxes
Box Material & Width: Redwood, 3 feet
Grid Material: Twine.
Aisle Width & Materials: 12' x 3'
Type of Soil Mix: Part compost, part sand
Types of Plants: Vegetables - lettuce, beets, radish, carrots, spinach, parsley, onions and Flowers -
poppies, cosmos, marigolds, holyhock
Specialty Features: None standard garden.
Contact Info for Visits: E-mail: mwinston_asds.org
Visiting Restrictions:
must be by advanced e-mail
Web Site: No website at this time
How did you get started: A gift from a friend and a great way to teach children about gardening
Be sure to plant your seeds evenly the square.
My students have responsibility for their squares and take true ownership of their garden plots.
So far, nothing.
Carmel, CA
Location Info: Lancaster , CA.
Gardener: Wendy
Garden Size: 16' X 20'
Number of Boxes: 2 pyramids, 3-4 X 4's, 2-2' X 5's
Box Material and Depth: Pine boxes, 6" deep
Grid Material: 1" lathe
Aisle Width & Materials: 2 1/2' aisles with cedar chips over ground cover
Vertical Frames: One vertical climbing frame, Mels mesh and frame
Type of Soil: Mel's mix
Types of Plants: Bulbs, California popies, lots of flowers, broccoli, cauliflower, sugar snap peas on the vertical frame, carrots, several lettuces, cabbage, cilantro, lots of different herbs, onions, and that is what grew from October through April.
Specialty Features: I like my pyramids the most, but I plan on adding chair height boxes on my patio because I have multiple sclerosis and its getting harder to bend or kneel down.
Contact Info for Visits: E-mail: wendydfmeyer_yahoo.com
Phone: (760)375-0380
Visiting Restrictions: Come as you are, kids are very welcome. I have two cats, so dogs wouldn't be a good idea.
Do you want on-site visits or would you prefer showing your garden by web site photos, or both ? I don't have a web site, so on site would be best. I live way out in the Mojave desert. I don't know that anyone wants to drive this far.
We would like to show one photo of your overall Square Foot Garden (can you furnish that ?) I will be sending pictures as soon as I get them developed onto a disk.
Interesting facts about your garden: I have MS and this is the only way I could continue to garden. I can't spend alot of time out in the heat and I sure couldn't run a rototiller.
How did you get started: The LDS website provident living sent me to Mel Bartholomew.
DO IT!!
Best thing about SFG: No weeds, no rototiller, easy to cover for winter and summer sun.
The boxes are hard for me to make, I have to have someone else do the cutting of the wood.
Ridgecrest, CA
Location Info: Near San Jose, CA.
Gardener: Lisa
Garden Size: Small
Number of Boxes: Four, but only two are in use. My son likes to play in the other boxes.
Box Material and Depth: Redwood, plastic, other scraps of wood. The depth varies from 3 inches to 12 inches.
Grid Material: Tile scraps
Aisle Width & Materials: 1 foot - grass and weeds
Vertical Frames: 1 made of PVC pipe
Type of Soil: Some have sand mixed in and some don't.
Types of Plants: Peas, lettuce, cilantro . . . assorted vegetables and herbs
Contact Info for Visits: E-mail: turbockow_yahoo.com
Visiting Restrictions: No pets
Interesting facts about your garden:
How did you get started: I read about it on gardenweb.com .
Advice for those starting SFG: Look at pictures of what other people have done and check out the book from the library
Best thing about SFG: It is good for people with small spaces
Worst thing about SFG: So far, nothing.
Santa Clara, CA
Location Info: Pueblo, CO
Gardener: Robert Vialpando
Garden Size: Overall Size: 30 Feet X 15 Feet
Number of Boxes: 5
Box Material: and Depth: Douglas Fir - Untreated with 10 inches in depth
Grid Material: Sisal Twine
Aisle Width & Materials: 2 ft - 3ft.
Vertical Frames: 4 measuring 4 ft height, 3 ft wide
Types of Plants: Cucumbers, Pea, pole beans, swiss chard, strawberry, lettuce, radish, carrot, summer squash, watermelon, basil, lavender, cilantro, parsley.
Specialty Features: Completely automated with watering system (bubblers and sprinklers) and fertilizer incorporated at water source.
Contact Info for Visits:
Visiting Restrictions: appointment only during weekends.
Web Site:
Interesting facts about your garden: In addition to garden, I have built single "Potato Boxes" and single "Squash boxes" made of an old fence I have taken down and incorporated them into my SFG.
How did you get started:
Researched the best method and efficient way of producing a harvest for the table. Read SFG book - perfect fit!
Plan, Plan, Plan, make sure you know the details of the plants you will be growing and apply the spacing - this is critical to a beautiful garden. This method is very easy if you are prepared. The results will astound the beginner and surprise the avid. You are able to grow plants you never thought possible!
One is able to enjoy a harvest nearly everyday if planned correctly.
Have yet to discover a negative aspect... but will let you know when one arises!
Pueblo, CO
Location Info: Destin, FL
Gardener: Donna
Garden Size: Overall Size:1200 square feet
Number of Boxes:9
Box Material: and Depth: 1 x 8 Plastic/Vinyl House Trim (8 inches deep)
Grid Material: Wooden Dowels (twist tied together)
Aisle Width & Materials: 3-4 feet wide. St. Augustine Grass
Vertical Frames: 5 Metal Trellis's and tomato stakes
Types of Plants: Sugar snap peas, heirloom tomatoes, blue lake and roma bush beans, carrots, onions, shallots, herbs, lettuce blend, broccoli, aloe vera, peppers, marigolds, verbena, miniature roses, petunias, asparagus, cucumbers, watermelon.
Specialty Features:
Contact Info for Visits: jdtatham_cox.net
Visit by appointment. No smokers please.
I tied in pop up sprinkler heads to my existing irrigation system. Each bed has it own sprinkler.
How did you get started: I was researching gardening with raised beds and found Mel's book.
Advice for those starting SFG: Get started right away! You will not be disappointed.
Best thing about SFG: It is a true pleasure to tend to my garden.
Worst thing about SFG: Nothing.
Destin, FL
Location Info: Fort Pierce, FL
Gardener: Melissa
Garden Size: Overall Size: 96 square feet
Number of Boxes: 3 - 1 _ 8x4 and 2 _ 16x2
Box Material: and Depth: Untreated lumber 2x6, lined with landscape fabric
Grid Material: fence and nylon netting
Aisle Width & Materials: Raised beds on 4x4 posts - regular grass below
Vertical Frames: 1 in the picture divided in the center back made of fence, 2 more planned along both outside edges of the U, made of nylon netting
Types of Plants: vegetables with companion flowers (marigolds and nasturtiums)
Specialty Features: My garden is raised and in the shape of a U. This was done for several reasons, including protecting my hubby's grass and keeping our 3 dogs from digging in the garden. It is also easier on my back and knees than kneeling or bending to plant and harvest. The garden is wheelchair accessible, if we add a solid path for a wheelchair.
Visiting Restrictions: Please email if you want to visit my garden. Since we have three dogs, we can't accomodate anyone else's pets. Advance notice is especially nice if you'd like to bring your kids so that we can keep our pets in the house.
How did you get started: I read the book many years ago, but finally decided to "just do it" when the economy started heading downward.
Advice for those starting SFG: Just do it and don't get caught up in big worries. You can always amend your soil as you go.
Best thing about SFG: It's so easy. Keep things watered and the plants grow themselves!
Worst thing about SFG: Um... nothing?
Fort Pierce, FL
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