square foot gardening

our square foot garden without the deer netting

Square foot gardening is one way to organize raised beds for a garden. Here is an example of a 4 foot square container garden that some students made for a retired kindergarten teacher. We used the guidance of Mel Bartholomew's book, All New Square Foot Gardening. We used untreated pine lumber planks that were 8 inches wide.  There is a barrier on the ground and we mixed compost, peat, and vermiculite to fill in the box. The white lath strips mark out the 16 squares.The 1/2 inch diameter PVC pipe bends nicely to make a frame for a cover of the garden. We planted marigolds in the corners, then radishes, carrots, and leaf lettuces around the perimeter with cabbages and green peppers in the center squares. The kids liked using the power drill and screwdriver! And they were very proud of their finished garden!

written by Fern