The square-foot gardening method is a type of raised-bed gardening where you plant in 4×4-foot blocks instead of in traditional rows. Different crops are planted in different blocks according to their size, for example 16 radishes in one square foot or just one cabbage per square foot. A lattice is laid across the top to clearly separate each square foot.
This planting method, called square foot gardening, was developed by American author and TV presenter Mel Bartholomew in the 1970s. It’s a simple way to create easy-to-manage gardens with raised beds that need a minimum of time spent maintaining them. Square foot gardening advocates claim it produces more, uses less soil and water, and takes much less time to maintain than a traditional garden.
Mel Bartholomew retired as an engineer, and took up gardening as a hobby. He began analyzing the problems he encountered while gardening, specifically the amount of time that average gardeners spend weeding the big gaps between plants in long rows. He found that getting rid of the rows and using intensive deep beds could reduce the amount of time required for garden maintenance. Adding a one-foot square grid on top of the beds made it easy to space and rotate crops.
Is a Square Foot Garden more efficient than traditional “row” gardening?
SFG is more efficient and fun than traditional row gardening methods because it doesn’t waste space, energy, water, and plants. With SFG, you can grow only what you need and use all the space you have, while decreasing weeds, water usage, and labor. SFG is also great for planted veggies because they can be planted much more closely together, choking out weeds while growing more healthy food for you and your family.
How much more produce can you grow in a Square Foot Garden versus a traditional garden?
In a square foot garden, you can grow the same amount of food as you would in a regular garden, but in only 20% of the space. You also use 10% of the water, 5% of the seeds, and 2% of the work, and you don’t have any weeds! It’s a sustainable method that saves you time, space, and resources. Plus, it’s easy for both brand new and experienced gardeners.
Do you have to divide your garden into 1-foot squares with wood strips? And do you have to use raised beds?
It is recommended that people use raised beds (called “boxes” in Square Foot Gardening) so that they can plant different types of vegetables. The boxes only need to be 6 inches deep because of the nutrients in Mel’s Mix. The grids are what really make a Square Foot Garden organized and help the garden to produce more food in a smaller area.
What kitchen garden vegetables grow best with the SFG method?
All vegetables can be grown in a Square Foot Garden! This includes tomatoes, peppers, herbs, root vegetables, leafy greens, and climbers like cucumbers and pole beans. The key is in the planning and proper spacing. The All New Square Foot Gardening book (3rd edition) walks gardeners through every step of planning their new garden so they can be successful in growing the best and healthiest garden they’ve ever had.
Do you have recommendations for organic vs. chemical fertilizers and pest control?
Square Foot Gardening is all about being organic and not using any additional fertilizers. The only exception to this is if you are growing some alkaline-loving veggies like celery, cabbage, or peppers. In this case, they might appreciate a small handful of ground limestone at planting.
If you have a pest problem, the best thing to do is to start with a simple, gentle organic solution. There are many nontoxic sprays available, such as Neem Oil, that are very effective at keeping pests away.
Square Foot Gardening was published almost 40 years ago. Why do you think it (the book and the method) is still popular?
Both the popularity of the book and the method used speaks to how successful a Square Foot Garden can be. Garden fads come and go, but people will always come back to what works for them. Square Foot Gardening is an effective method that people will continue to use.
Square Foot Gardening has sold 2.5 million copies, has over 500 certified instructors, and is practiced by hundreds of thousands of gardeners around the world. This method is fun, time-tested, efficient, and effective.
How Deep Is a Square-Foot Garden Bed?
Bed depth should be 6-12 inches to provide rich nutrients while maintaining good drainage
Other Square-Foot Gardening Rules
- A specific soil mix, which is water-retentive and nutrient-rich, is used to fill the beds. This provides a weed-free start as well as being water retentive and full of nutrients. The rich soil enables plants to be grown much more closely than normal, which in turn crowds out weeds.
- Thin with Scissors: Instead of pulling up excess plants (which can disturb the root systems of the plants you want to grow), snip them off with scissors.
- Never walk on the soil in the bed, as this will only compact the soil. Back in the 1970s, this was a revolutionary idea!
Pros of Square-Foot Gardening
The main advantages of the SFG method are that it is easy and simple. This method is great for new gardeners, people who have little time, the elderly or disabled (SFG gardens can be built at a raised height to make them more accessible), and children. Many schools have chosen SFG because it is easy to install and maintain without becoming an additional burden for the teacher.
Cons to Square-Foot Gardening
- Although many vegetables can be grown in SFG gardens, it struggles to accommodate larger plants (squash, melons, main-crop potatoes, etc.), perennials (globe artichokes, rhubarb), and fruit bushes/trees. Once new gardeners experience the success of SFG gardens, they often want to expand the range of crops they grow beyond the standard SFG crops.
- Originally, a soil mixture of peat moss, vermiculite, and compost (“Mel’s Mix”) was recommended in SFG. While this makes an excellent soil for vegetables, two of the three ingredients come from non-renewable sources. Peat takes thousands of years to develop and is a valuable natural sink for greenhouse gases. Vermiculite is mined and is therefore also a non-renewable resource with a significant carbon footprint. In common with many gardeners, we have moved toward using coconut coir instead of peat or vermiculite.
- The specific soil mix and raised beds can be more expensive to set up than alternative methods, even though SFG is easier to maintain.
Although some people may not think so, SFG can still be a useful part of a garden. You can use recycled compost in the beds, slowly increase the number of SFG beds, and combine it with other areas of your garden designated for fruit trees and larger crops. Many of the SFG techniques that were once new and different are now commonly used for vegetable gardening, such as deep raised beds, not compacting soil, and removable covers and plant supports.
Square-Foot Garden Plans
- Square-Foot Garden for an Apartment
This application helped me take advantage of my patio space! My patio is a little bit funny-shaped, but everything within the brown lines fits. The small red area is my back door and the larger red area is a shrub that I can’t do much with.
Garden Size: 18’ 7” x 15’ 11”
Garden Location: La Crosse, Wisconsin
Sun or Shade: Partial Shade
Garden Soil Type: Poor Soil
- Square-Foot Garden for a Home Garden
This garden has lots of different veggies and fruit that we like to eat.
Garden Size: 19’ 11” x 19’ 11”
Garden Location: Denver, Colorado
Sun or Shade: Partial Shade
Garden Soil Type: Good Soil
- Large-Scale SFG Garden
I am planning to raise my garden beds this year with the help of a new tool, with an emphasis on companion planting. The soil quality is not great, but adding manure, compost, and lime should help, and I will add more of these things this year. I am wondering about the problem of rotating crops next year, but I hope the benefit of attracting helpful insects will override that. I have planted a three-sisters garden (corn, beans, and squash) and onions everywhere to help ward off pests. I have also planted all the flowers that attract beneficial insects, as well as all the herbs and flowers I could fit in. I think it will take a lot of time to plant everything – but I am looking forward to it! The onions, leeks, and shallots are already up and waving! I have notes on seed starting on my plant list page. NOTE: Since I wrote this, I have made changes due to the groundhog, primarily putting all the plants in the onion family, as well as many herbs and flowers, where he came in last year.
Garden Size: 27’ 11” x 33’ 11”
Garden Location: Georgetown, MA 30×30 Town Garden Plot
Sun or Shade: Sunny
Garden Soil Type: So-So Soil
- Square-Foot Garden Plan for Home Garden
Organic gardens planted in raised beds made out of 4-foot-tall fence wire (bent to create sides that are 1 foot tall and a bottom that is 2 feet tall), lined with landscape cloth, and filled with a soil mix made of Black Gold (a special mix from a Nashville Nursery), worm compost, peat moss, coir, several different types of compost, mushroom compost, and rock dust.
Garden Size: 29’ 11” x 39’ 11”
Garden Location: Jamestown, TN
Sun or Shade: Partial Shade
Garden Soil Type: Good soil
- Square-Foot Garden for a Front Yard
The garden in the front of the house will have a ring of strawberries around the edge, with tall sunflowers in the middle.
Garden Size: 19’ 11” x 19’ 11”
Garden Location: Indianapolis, IN
Sun or Shade: Partial Shade
Garden Soil Type: Good soil
- Square-Foot Garden for a Front Yard
Some people are still using the traditional method of gardening, but more and more people are moving towards square foot gardening. The soil in square foot gardens is a mix of clay, sand, and organic matter that has been amended for three years with horse manure, leaf humus, household compost, wood chips, fish, and organic fertilizer.
Garden Size: 30’ 11” x 34’ 9”
Garden Location: Cleveland, Ohio near Lake Erie
Sun or Shade: Sunny
Garden Soil Type: Good soil, organic
What else should people know about Square Foot Gardening if they are growing a vegetable garden?
It is very easy to have a garden close to the house and it is a great joy to be able to walk outside and get fresh herbs or vegetables for dinner. Having the garden near the house allows you to more easily monitor the growth and health of your plants.
Does square-foot gardening work?
Square-foot gardening works well for people who have limited space because the plants can be closer together. There is also less weeding. If you don’t have a lot of time to take care of a garden, square-foot gardening could be a good option. It also has the benefits of raised beds, like the soil warming more quickly.
Although you can grow a variety of plants in boxes, there are some that do not do as well. These include plants that need more space, such as corn, potatoes, watermelon, and pumpkins.
While square-foot gardening may be a great system, it is not the only way to garden. Raised beds and good organization are also benefits to gardening.
Although SFG is successful in many ways, it is not the best option for every situation. The success of SFG often leads people to discover the joys of growing fruit trees, using barrels to grow large crops of potatoes, or managing a greenhouse full of valuable crops. SFG is a great way to get started in the world of growing your own food, and that is why it is still going strong 35 years later!
Best Vegetable Gardening Books
All New Square Foot Gardening, 3rd Edition
by Mel Bartholomew
This book has changed gardening forever and continues to be popular over 40 years later. With new illustrations and photos, it shows you step by step how to create your best vegetable garden ever.
The Vegetable Gardener’s Bible, 2nd Edition
by Edward C. Smith
If you want to learn how to grow tomatoes and peppers like a pro, or try your hand at new and unusual varieties of vegetables, this book is for you. Packed with useful information and expert tips, it’s an essential guide for anyone who wants to get the most out of their vegetable garden.
Square Foot Gardening with Kids
by Mel Bartholomew
This book will teach children of all ages how to garden and the valuable lessons they can learn from it. Mel Bartholomew shares tips and fun projects that will help kids build and grow their own square-foot garden.
This book is great for parents, home-schooled kids, and teachers who want their children to learn about math, water conservation, and nutrition.
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