Let's Square Foot Garden!!

Okay, so square foot gardening is all about maximizing usage of space. Awesome if you have a small backyard like I do. Also good to cut down on water wastage and weeds (even in big gardens).

1. First you split your bed into square feet. I use string attached to nails. It gets a bit cruddy but keeps me organized.
2. Plan to grow vertically whenever possible- pole beans, peas, tomatoes, cucumbers, squash. And plan these for the back (best against a north wall).
3. Make sure your soil is well fertilized with compost to begin with. And add some dolomite lime if you live in places where it rains a lot like Vancouver (2 weeks before starting). Cover if it has been raining a lot and the soil is soaked (2 weeks before starting).
4. Mix in 10-20% vermiculite (naturally occurring and helps retain moisture).
5. Remember to rotate locations from last year- especially night shades like tomatoes and eggplants and mustard plants (cauliflower etc I believe).
6. Think in terms of Spring (ie spinach), Summer (beans), Fall (carrots). And plan to rotate in appropriate plants.
7. Remember to think about companions like nasturtiums and marigolds to ward off pests (usually about 2 plants per square foot and no farther than 10 feet from furthest plant). And think about some beneficial plants near by- even just sunflowers would be helpful.
8. If you do more than 1 square of a plant then stagger planting by a week (except for the verticals, kale, salad greens etc that tend to keep replenishing). Good options are carrots, beets, scallions, radishes).
9. Remember what likes full sun and what likes part shade and plan accordingly (Part shade includes beets, carrots, chard, cucumber, lettuce, peas. Full sun includes tomatoes, beans, summer squash, corn, eggplant.)
10. Interplant- ie put little scallions under tomato plants (just 4 to 8 of them).
11. Every time you put in new seeds add some compost and fertilizer.
12. Use vermiculite where the seeds are planted (surrounding it by about the space of 3-4 seeds).
13. Water well but gently. I like to keep a watering can where it can warm up a bit. And try to refill the night or so before to allow chlorine to dissipate. Usually once a week but check on them!
14. Presoak big seeds (like beans etc).
15. Consider starting seedlings- but only plants that transplant well.
16. Now you can plan # of plants per square foot based on.

• 16 per square foot- carrots, radishes, scallions
• row- sometimes I find a row of salad greens is easiest- 2 rows for 1 foot deep
• 9 per square foot- spinach, bush beans, beets, garlic, peas
• 4 per square foot- chard, lettuce, parsley, flowers
• 1 per square foot- potato, peppers, eggplants, vertical tomatoes, muskmelon, corn
• 2 per square foot- cucumber vertical
• 8 per square foot- pole beans (but still split into 16 and don't use top/ bottom spots
• And research any plants I have not included.