Dappled Air

I am quite happy with my square foot gardening system, but am always open to experiment with others. I am intrigued by these "10 weird intensive gardening methods that really work" from the gardening channel . Tire gardening (gardening in used tires) -  http://www.tiregarden.net/ Mittlieder method (combines soil-based gardening with hydroponic gardening) -  http://growfood.com/ Square foot gardening (planting in a square foot grid) -  http://squarefootgardening.org/square-foot-gardening-method Keyhole gardening (raised garden with a center composting basket) -  http://www.gardeningchannel.com/how-to-make-a-keyhole-garden/   Aquaponics (use fish waste to nourish plants) -  Oregonlive.com Window farms (Plants grow out of the bottle while an air pump circulate liquid nutrients that gently flow down the structure) -  one woman’s window farm initiatives Straw bale gardening (use straw bales to make raised beds) -  http://strawbalegardens.co...

Is there a trick to figuring out how many plants to plant per square foot? Alphabetical Order Basil: 1/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)  Beans: bush-type 9/sqft; pole-type 8/sqft Beets: 16/sqft  Broccoli: 1/sqft  Cabbage: 1/sqft  Carrots: 16/sqft  Cauliflower: 1/sqft  Celery: 4/sqft (6") (according to sqft reader Doreen Howard)  Chard(Swiss): 4/sqft  Corn: 1/sqft (revised in  2/96 OG  to 4/sqft)  Cucumbers: 2/sqft in a row of 4 sqft (6" apart along middle of sqft row)  Daffodils: 36/sqft  Eggplant: 1/sqft  Garlic: 4/sqft (6") (according to several sqft readers. Some say 9/sqft (4"))  Leeks: 9/sqft (see special technique in  2/96 OG )  Lettuce: 4/sqft  Marjoram: 4/sqft (according to sqft reader Kevin M. Wilson)  Muskmelons: 1/sqft (grow in row of 4 squares, on trellis)  Okra: 1-2/sqft (according to reader Sandra Walters)  Onions: 16/sqft  ...

backside of template with holes drilled I am just about ready to start planting my square foot garden . Until now I have used string and sticks to mark things, but then I got an idea of how I could easily make some templates from old plastic election signs. The material was easy to cut with a knife and a permanent marker would help with the design. At first I thought that I would need a whole bunch of templates, but as I got going I realized that I could actually get away with only 2 templates. First cut 2 12x12 inch pieces from the plastic signs Draw a grid:  template 1: 3 rows and 3 columns template 2: 4 rows and 4 columns Mark the center of each square of the grid by drawing diagonal lines Use the electric drill and a ½" drill bit and drill a hole at each center point. Template 1 Template 1 Grid of 3 row and 3 columns (9 plants - holes circled in blue) This can also be used for 1 plant per square foot (hole circled in black and then blue) ...

Why would you practice crop rotation for your vegetables? This is what Wikipedia says about it: Crop rotation is the practice of growing a series of dissimilar/different types of crops in the same area in sequential seasons. Crop rotation gives various benefits to the soil. A traditional element of crop rotation is the replenishment of nitrogen through the use of green manure in sequence with cereals and other crops. Crop rotation also mitigates the build-up of pathogens and pests that often occurs when one species is continuously cropped, and can also improve soil structure and fertility by alternating deep-rooted and shallow-rooted plants. I came across this image at a New Zealand site that explains it quite well. Every year you rotate between root and bulb, fruit and seed and leaf and stem vegetables. Here is a list of which vegetables belong to each group. Root & Bulb  carrots parsnip potatoes beetroot kohl rabi radishes onions leek garlic Fru...

Why would you want to do raised bed gardening ? The main advantage I found is that the earth in the raised beds warms up earlier in the year. So earlier planting leads to an earlier harvest. There are a number of ways to create raised beds. I have used both wood and cinder blocks. The cinder blocks take up a bit more space, but also give you little cubby holes to plant small plants. The other advantage of cinder blocks is that they absorb heat during the day and then release it over night, so keeping your plants in a warmer climate. Raised bed gardens also lend themselves well to square foot gardening.

When you're tight for space and still want to have a garden, that's when Square foot gardening comes into play. Wikipedia explains it this way: Square foot gardening is the practice of planning and creating small but intensively planted gardens. The practice combines concepts from other organic gardening methods, including a strong focus on compost, densely planted raised beds and biointensive attention to a small, clearly defined area. This method is particularly well-suited for areas with poor soil, beginner gardeners or as adaptive recreation for those with disabilities (Bartholomew, 2005). The phrase "square foot gardening" was popularized by Mel Bartholomew in a 1981 Rodale Press book and subsequent PBS television series. This is a chart that shows the basics - how many plants to plant in one square foot. 20161130 Update I just came across a fantastic free online resource about square foot gardening that I just had to share ► Square Foot Gardening: ...