Square foot gardening.

[Bigmallly]

Gonna try The SFG with a bit of a twist this year. Although I was really pleased with last years effort, it was a bit of a jungle & difficult to keep on top of the weeds. So with that in mind I'm gonna have a 2ft square garden. That'll give me 50 squares instead of last years 100..........

[veggiechicken]

You sure about your maths there BM? Won't you have 25 squares?

[Bigmallly]

You sure about your maths there BM? Won't you have 25 squares?

Just wanted to see who was paying attention..........Gold Star VC.almost..........I'll have 24 plus a 1ftx4ft strip.........

[veggiechicken]

How was I supposed to know that you were having a strip?
So your bed (on the allotment!) is 4' x 25'?
If you made your squares 16" square you could have 3 squares wide x 18 long and still have your strip

[Bigmallly]

How was I supposed to know that you were having a strip?
So your bed (on the allotment!) is 4' x 25'?
If you made your squares 16" square you could have 3 squares wide x 18 long and still have your strip

Now don't be getting clever with me, I've already started marking out 2ft squares............wimmin....

[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

[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]

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

[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]

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]

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]

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?

[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.

[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]

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?