SQUARE FOOT GARDENS

LOCATIONFive things to look for when touring your yard for a square foot garden.

1. Place close to the house for convenience.2. Pick an area that gets 6-8 hours of sunlight daily.3. Stay clear of trees and shrubs where roots and shade may interfere.4. The area should not puddle after a heavy rain.5. The existing soil is not important since you will not be using it.

DESIGN1. Keep in mind traffic. Maintain 3-4 foot aisles around the grow boxes.2. Don’t make dead ends.3. You do not have to put them all in a row or grid.

BASIC 4 BY 4 SQUARE FOOT GARDEN BOXBox material: Natural wood, redwood, or cedar.Recommended material size:

1. 1x6 lumber most economical, low traffic areas.2. 2x6 lumber of sturdier boxes, heavy traffic garden.3. 2x10 or 2x12 lumber for root crops such as carrots, potatoes, sweet potatoes etc.4. 4 feet by 4 feet is recommended size for boxes.

MATERIAL TO MAKE BOXES:See attachment A.

1. Work on a hard surface such as a driveway or pavement.2. Move box to chosen location. Remove grass, weeds, or granite rock in a flat area.3. Smooth out area where grow box will go.4. Trim weed cloth to fit box size and lay on ground or staple to bottom of box.

SOIL MIX1/3 Peat Moss, 1/3 Vermiculite, 1/3 Blended Compost.Mix in all three ingredients in equal parts by volume and not be weight. The best way to mix is on a large piece of canvas or plastic – then shovel the mix into the boxes.(“All New Square Foot Gardening” author Mel Bartholomew’s 3 part soil mix is sold at A&P Nursery.

Premium Soil Mix: This can be purchased at the following: Gro-Well Brands, 2807 South 27 th Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009, 602.269.5748, 602 269.3622, www.gro-well.com(I prepared the soil mix by adding 16-16-16 fertilizer and topping with 2 inches of Mel’s Mix.)

HOW TO PLANT YOUR NEW SQUARE FOOT GARDENThink of your plants as if they were shirt sizes, Shirt sizes come in small, medium, large, so do plantsSee Attachment B.When thinning plants do not pull up the plants – but snip them off at the top of the soil with a pair of small scissors.

VEGETABLE PLANTING DATESSee Attachment C.