Square foot gardening.

[Bigmallly]

It's 6 & 2 x 3's VC. I can either put one down the middle & 25 across the width.....or.........3 down the middle & 12 across the width...........what does that give me Vorderman cos my heads frazzled.

[veggiechicken]

But you're not meant to understand it, Shen
But BM, King of SFG, is

[Sheneval]

Now I'm confused but it's still your fault

[veggiechicken]

Oh Bu99er, trust me to choose tomorrow for my 2nd challenge......all I want to do is mark my SFG but it's turning into one of those 5 jobbers, you see I've got to take the rhubarb out of the SFG bed first, before I can do that I have to move the compost bin so I can make a new bed to put the bladdy rhubarb in.......I blame VC cos then I could have stuck with my 2ft square beds instead of 1ft x 2ft square beds......now I don't know what I'm talking about. http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ml#post1076823
You're confused? What about new readers!
So the plan is still 2' square beds but they're 2 square feet rectangles instead
Double the original size. but half what you were proposing?
Which way will be the 2' side? If its across the width of the bed, you're making life easier for yourself as you only need one central wire (down the length of the bed) instead of 3? Or have I misunderstood as usual?

[Bigmallly]

If memory serves me right they were Evesham, heeled in hard with a sprinkle of lime round each plant. No canes were needed for support. I think it was pidgeons that were the problem as they looked like they had been pecked at. They were edible once the outer leaves were removed.

[BertieFox]

How do you do the sprouts, Bigmally? I find that the one foot spacing means very small plants and very small sprouts. With the well cultivated soil of the bed they also tend to wobble around in the wind and get 'blown' too. Do you grow any particular variety?

[Bigmallly]

I had a lovely crop of sprouts Bertie, the downside is pests. I won't be growing any Brassicas in the SFG bed this year, they will all be under cover.

[BertieFox]

"the 1' squares have always seemed to me to be a bit too small".

I always thought that too until I successfully grew a dozen large caulis in a dozen squares! The trick was to liberally water them and feed them but that spacing is perfectly adequate even for such a demanding vegetable. Sprouts wouldn't work though as they DO need more space to make big long lived plants, and neither do globe artichokes, which I tried at this spacing. Most things work very well though, one cabbage, one square, 16 leeks or turnips, and reduce the number in each square if you want larger ones. I must admit I find French beans still easier to do in a narrow row as the square foot bed method means the ones in the middle are swamped with foliage and most of the crop is on the plants at the edge. But I guess Mel B would say I am doing it wrong by trying to grow a whole lot of beans in one bed rather than just a few plants in a square here and there.

[veggiechicken]

Only time will tell.......!
Seriously though, the 1' squares have always seemed to me to be a bit too small - not that I've ever tried it so this is just hypothetical. The kitchen floor tiles are 13" and I've tried to imagine "planting" them!
So, you found them a bit fiddly to weed? Any other issues?

[Bigmallly]

All you need to do is move 28 nails - job done! But, as long as you're not going to be toooooo downhearted by how mundane it will look.............

I'm sure I can live with it for this year then I may have a rethink for next........

[veggiechicken]

All you need to do is move 28 nails - job done! But, as long as you're not going to be toooooo downhearted by how mundane it will look.............

[Bigmallly]

Boring, boring, boring
At the end of the year, you'll regret it

Nah, it's too much work involved as I currently have nails placed at 1ft intervals on all four sides of the bed to which I fasten string or this year speaker wire as I hope it will last longer.

[veggiechicken]

Boring, boring, boring
At the end of the year, you'll regret it

[Bigmallly]

But 2' squares will look so boring - especially after all the variation you had with 4 squares wide. Try 3, you know you want too

No because it will become one of those jobs where I have to do 5 things cos I already have rhubarb left in from last year so that means I will have to move that, then....................I'm sure something else will need doing.....

[veggiechicken]

But 2' squares will look so boring - especially after all the variation you had with 4 squares wide. Try 3, you know you want too