But it’s not. We still have 50+ days before spring gets here. We always get these periods where you think it’s about time to start planting only to have another big snow storm lurking around the corner. Fortunately, as a square foot gardener you have some advantages-like the ability to grow produce and veggies even if spring is a ways off. When your gardens are limited in size you can protect them a lot better than you could a traditional single row garden. This picture is an example of that. You can barely see that in one corner of this 4X4′ there is short piece of rebar. I have rebar in each corner of the box at a slight angle. Then all you do is put your PVC over the rebar, tie it in the middle and then cover with plastic. The PVC shown is the more flexible variety, but don’t mistakenly buy funny-pipe. This is PVC but its thin and very flexible.  By covering your garden with plastic it will heat up at least 30 degrees.  So, if it’s 20 degrees outside, it’s going to be 50+ degrees under the plastic.  And at that temperature, you can grow all sorts of things.   If I wanted to make this garden box nothing but lettuce I could have 64 heads of different varieties-which I have done in the past. Now is the time to get your seeds ordered and be thinking about when you want to start. Are you wanting an early spring harvest or are you going to wait until it’s “safe” to plant outside after the danger of frost is over? No question about it, if your after an early spring harvest it’s going to be a little more work, but I certainly think it’s worth it. It will give you a great sense of accomplishment while at the same time feed your family with delicious garden produce-not to mention the cost savings. Don’t forget the last 5(out of 10) basics to keep in mind:
6. New boxes-put your boxes right on your existing soil-no need to dig them into the ground anymore
7. New isles-make it comfortable-no need to have them like the original picture of the 1st SFG book
8. New grids-if you don’t have grids, you don’t have a square foot garden-you have “grow boxes”
9. New idea-don’t waste seeds-you only need 2 or 3 seeds in each little hole-save the rest for later
10. New opportunities-tabletop gardens for those not wanting to kneel on the ground. Put a box on saw horses or an old table if you would like to try this. Just remember though-it’s got to be sturdy enough to hold a lot of weight if you are using a 4X4 box. Also keep in mind drainage-a simple thing. We can talk about that next time….

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It’s a lot of fun to go out to the garden, find some lettuce, give it a rinse and then chow. This lettuce mix was pulled in late fall. There’s lots of good things about being able to do this, but some of the main points are 1)I know its been taken care of organically, with no chemicals or pesticides. 2)I know the water source that was used so I won’t have to worry about any water-borne illnesses. 3)It tastes great-it hasn’t been sitting in the back of a truck or dock for several days before I get it. 4)It saves money! I don’t want to spend a lot of time on the last point, but I also don’t want to minimize the potential dollar savings you start to see when you grow and harvest your own things. As the first of February is rapidly approaching, I’m going to start my seed selection for the upcoming year. I always like to try at least one new thing each season, usually a lettuce variety. For those looking to start a brand new SFG-it couldn’t be easier! The first thing you need to do is buy Mel Bartholomews book. It will serve as a great reference point to answer all sorts of questions. But, for those who don’t have the book, here are the first 5(of10) steps:
1. New Location-Close to house(doesn’t need to be “way back there”)
2. New Direction-Up, not down(no digging required-put gardens right on top of existing soil)
3. New Soil-Mel’s mix-don’t cheat on this!
4. New Depth-Only 6″(but the more the merrier-I have pictures of things growing in only 6″ of Mel’s mix)
5. No Fertilizer-You don’t need it. I’ve never used any in 12 years because of my homemade compost
That’s it for now. If you’re a gardener who ends up hating gardening by the end of the summer because of the weeding, watering and hard work, then you really need to consider putting in a square foot garden. If you’ve tried square foot gardening but have not been pleased for one reason or another, try buying my new ebook which addresses the two biggest things that get in the way of a successful square foot garden…[ois skin=”below post”]

I went in to the local garden supply store yesterday and was talking to one of the owner. I asked when all the square foot garden supplies would be on the shelves and available. She told me that in another month and a half it would be out. She then asked me if I had ever had a square foot garden. After telling her that I was an avid SFG’er, she said “well, that Mel’s mix just doesn’t work. I got rid of it and put in my regular traditional garden that I’ve always had and I have had a huge garden ever since.” When I asked her what the problem with Mel’s mix could have been, she responded, “I don’t know but it doesn’t have all the things in it that you need to grow vegetables.” She mentioned that it was always dry and nothing ended up growing in her first SFG. I didn’t say much, but I felt like asking her if she would be interested in my new ebook. I now know that she failed on one of the two biggest mistakes that SFG’ers tend to make. I had actually gone in to see when they start to get their asparagus crowns in the store. Asparagus “crowns?” She didn’t even know what those were. I should have stopped right there. You know, if I didn’t know about square foot gardening and I listened to this store sales person, she could have easily talked me right out of having a square foot garden. And when I started asking questions about asparagus she was giving me information that was completely inaccurate. It was all rather disheartening. I re-learned the lesson that has been reinforced to me many times over the years: take the advice you get from experts(those who have been taught in the university agricultural methods and the like)and store employees with a grain of salt. This person was very insistent that she was right on a number of things that I knew she was incorrect about. Some of the practices used in farming are great-if you live on a farm! But us home gardeners are different. Home gardening is not like farming. Farming practices in the home garden has brought us a lot of weeding, inefficient use of resources, lots of hard work(digging, roto-tilling, etc.), and a lot of pesticides and chemicals. It’s been a discouragement for a lot of home gardeners over the years. This is why your spouse says to you at the end of summer “look at that mess back there. We need to weed and pull everything up and maybe think about doing something a little different next year.” The next year comes and you end up doing all the things that you’ve normally done with the same results. If you think I’m wrong, look at most of those community gardens as the end of the year. Remember the flurry of activity there was at the beginning of spring? All the hard work of gardening with farming practices burns people out. If you’re one of those gardeners who wants a simple garden with hardly any weeding, no heavy digging, 80% less watering, and 100% of the harvest, then a square foot garden is for you. If you’re one to think things through too much and come up with all the reason why gardening can’t possibly be a simple as that then a square foot garden is probably not the right method for you. For those who look at its simplicity and say to themselves “hey, I can do that”-this is it!

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