I have used the squarefoot gardening method
myself, and found that it is perfect for the
beginning gardener, and for the small gardener
who wants to avoid a lot of hassle. By following
Mel Bartholomew’s advice in All New Square
Foot Gardening, you can avoid a number of the
difficulties in gardening.
The greatest challenges in gardening
are
usually:
One
of the greatest challenges in gardening is
to restore your soil to health and balance. This
can take years, and includes:
Mel’s mix gives you a nearly perfect soil right from the start. The components of Mel's Mix (which is 1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost) are readily available at your local garden center. Mel's mix is nutritionally balanced, holds moisture well, and contains no weed seed.
Once you have your box filled with Mel's Mix,
each time you replant a square foot in your
garden you just add a scoop or two of
compost.
You never have to add in any more vermiculite or
peat moss, only compost. Best of all, Mel
shows you how to easily make the compost
yourself, from readily available materials.
The soil in your back yard is probably filled
with weed seed. When you use Mel’s mix, or if
you just use compost as soil, it contains no
weed seed. With properly prepared compost, weed
seed is consumed by the microbes in the
composting process. This means that the only
weeds you will have are from seed carried in by
the wind, which is almost none. If a weed does
show up, just pluck it out. How easy is that!!!
Vermiculite and peat moss do a great job holding
water. Therefore it isn't necessary to water as
often. Many times watering once a week is
enough. Over watering is one of the easiest ways
to kill a plant. Because of the components of
Mel's mix, even if you do over water, the excess
water will just drain out the bottom of your
box. Square foot Gardening saves you from the
possibility of killing your plants by over
watering.
For information on how to make your own square
foot gardening boxes, and how to make the
“perfect soil” called Mel’s mix, click
here.
For square foot gardening tips, such as growing
crops vertically, packing your produce full of
nutrients, using a portable garden, and making
room for sprawling crops, click
here.
Learn about using squarefoot gardening to
grow more in the space you have, planting for a
continuous harvest, and ways to safeguard
against pests. Also at this link, you can view
pictures of my square foot garden greenhouse.
One of the best kept gardening secrets I know is the value of micronutrients. The best source of micronutrients is concentrated sea minerals from the ocean. Ocean Trace is the micronutrient product I rely upon in my garden.
Learn about using squarefoot gardening to grow more in the space you have, planting for a continuous harvest, and ways to safeguard against pests. Also at this link, you can view pictures of my square foot garden greenhouse.
One of the best kept gardening secrets I know is the value of micronutrients. The best source of micronutrients is concentrated sea minerals from the ocean. Ocean Trace is the micronutrient product I rely upon in my garden.
Order the
book All New Square Foot Gardening
If you are just learning to garden or if you
don’t plan on growing a large garden, Squarefoot
gardening may be for you! You can avoid many of
the problems associated with a "row" or "raised
bed" garden by ordering
All New Square Foot Gardening and following
Mel's advice.
(Return from Squarefoot Gardening to Healthy Vegetable Gardening)
..
