Square Foot Backyard

The square foot gardening is defined by 10 principles. Follow 8 basic steps to live out those principles.

1. Plant densely.
2. Grow up.
3. Mel’s Mix, not garden soil.
4. Garden close to home.
5. Grow shallow.
6. Fertilizer is not needed.
7. Keep aisles between boxes narrow.
8. Be stingy with seeds.
9. Plant in squares.
10. Rotate crops.

As I began growing vegetables, I found these principles kept me on track. There are so many projects you can tackle when gardening! What I’ve found has led to the best success in the garden is just starting. These principles and the following steps help you do that.

1. Plan your garden: what crops are you going to grow where? How much food do you need?
2. Plan your layout: where is the sun on your property? Where would a trellis make sense?
3. Build boxes and grids.
4. Build box accessories, like trellises and hoop houses.
5. Create Mel’s Mix = peat moss, coarse vermiculite, and compost blend.
6. Plant!
7. Maintain your garden.
8. Harvest!

To learn more, check out https://squarefootgardening.org/method/.