by Ruth Kongaika

Created on: October 15, 2009   Last Updated: October 17, 2009

If you have a limited space for a garden, want to conserve water, and get the maximum harvest out of a small area, you might enjoy having a square foot garden. It is a great alternative to using containers for growing vegetables.

You start by making a square box, 4 x 4 feet out of untreated wood. Use screws in the corners to hold it together. The height of the box should be around 6 to 8 inches tall. Also, it is good to make a wooden grid to divide the box into16 evenly spaced squares in which to grow your produce. You could also use nylon string to divide off the box tied to nails. Place the box in an area that receives about 6 to 8 hours of direct sunshine each day. It can be close to your house, but make sure there is about three feet of room around the outside of the box so you can walk, water and weed conveniently.

Get your vegetable seeds from a local shop and make sure they are not expired. You may want to start with seedlings purchased from a garden shop to quick start your vegetables. For your first planting, mix your soil with peat moss, fertilizer, and some vermiculite. Miracle Grow will also work if you cannot find the correct ingredients. You can start to keep all your wet fruit and veggie peelings to start your own compost, and mix that in the next time you plant. You can also add grass clippings for mulch to keep the soil moist. At the end of the season, you could cover with shredded tree leaves, which will decay and add to the soil quality.

Your first planting could include tomatoes, lettuce, yellow or green bell peppers, beans, peas, green onions, carrots, and swish chard. Plant the seeds so that you will have three or four seedlings growing up in one square. If you plant too many seeds, you will have to thin them out. The first small sprouts should begin to appear after about a week. It is suggested that you water them by hand, at least until the seedlings are strong. It is also advised that you water in the morning, rather than at night so the chance of fungus growth and other disease is minimized. Remember to only water the roots when the plants grow larger, since watering the leaves too much promotes disease and rotting.

If you have trouble with snails, you can purchase pellets to take care of that. Also, instead of spraying on toxic pesticides, you can mix a little dish washing soap (1 oz.) with 6 oz. water and spray the plants weekly. Certain flowers can be grown nearby which insects do not like. Marigolds are a particularly good flower for this and they add a touch of color.

Corn needs a much larger place to grow and it will take over and cast too much shade on the other vegetables. Do not be scared to thin out the carrots and green onions otherwise they won't grow too well. You will soon learn which plants grow best in this environment. After you harvest one crop, try a different vegetable so it doesn't pull the same nutrients out.

Square foot gardening can be done on a patio, deck or porch. In this case, however, it will need a bottom made of plywood to hold the soil and you would need to drill 1/8 thick drainage holes so the water does not pool.

Square foot gardening is a way to save space, money, water and your back. You can sit on a stool and plant and weed. Give it a try!

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