More Efficient/easier Gardening

[utdan]

Sick of subsisting on the pesticide-laden veggies or the "Organic" veggies that are sprayed with Auxigro (contains MSG) that might grow you a third arm? Just kidding about the third arm but here's a great way to actually be able to live on what you grow.

My friend, Esperanza attended a special lecture series at my university last week, one being called "Square Foot Gardening" --a new technique for gardening that (is purported to) dramatically increase the yield per square foot of garden space you have while lowering the watering requirements, requiring little soil, eliminating weed pulling and other great benefits.

Rather than using the traditional gardening technique of planting everything all at once and then having to harvest all at once (thus providing you food for only a short while) you use the grid to plan out how much you plant per week thus giving you a sustained longer/useful harvest which you can actually live off of. This guy, Mel Bartholomew, an engineer (came up with this technique) claims that you can grow all the food you currently grow using traditional planting techniques in only 20% of the space. Think about it - Your own pure garden food --- with "1/2 the Cost, 1/5 the Space, 1/10 the the Water, 1/20 the seeds and only 1/50 the Work." As I understand it, it can be done almost *anywhere*: on top of worthless soil, etc..

the link: Open Original Shared Link

[edit, this is for those (like myself) who didn't know already]

p.s. I acknowledge that reading this post must be painful to all those who actually know/remember their English grammar.

[Nancym]

It isn't exactly new, it has been around for decades. But it is always exciting to learn stuff like that.

It reminds me I really need to rennovate my garden. Poor thing is so disused right now.

[utdan]

I wonder why this isn't discussed more? Have you had any experience with this technique?

I built my first garden 5 years ago, but my cats made it their litter box . Can't blame them, I should have seen that one coming.

[kabowman]

I have been doing square foot gardening for about 15 years and love it. It just makes sense. I don't like to weed and our current house we really set it up right.

This year hubby tried growing tomatoes and bell peppers upside down in pots, the plants grew great but didn't produce like they should have and then all died when we went out of town for a long weekend and weren't watered 2 times a day.

[queenofhearts]

I wonder why this isn't discussed more? Have you had any experience with this technique?

I built my first garden 5 years ago, but my cats made it their litter box . Can't blame them, I should have seen that one coming.

If cats won't leave your garden alone, you can mulch it with small sharp pebbles-- they don't like walking on them. Chunky fireplace ashes will sometimes help too (& they're a good amendment for clay soil). My neighborhood has a dozen feral cats wandering about, & yes, they make a bee-line for any freshly turned soil!

I don't have a square foot garden per se, more of a potager with veggies, herbs & flowers growing together. I'm always planting the next round-- especially arugula, which I can't live without, & cilantro, which goes to seed fast in my hot climate. But I'm less systematic about it than I probably should be... I'm sure I'd harvest more.

[chrissy]

i've been wanting to do this for awhile----i just need more info to get it done.

[utdan]

I replied to everyone's post last night but the website or something crashed. Here goes again.

I have been doing square foot gardening for about 15 years and love it. It just makes sense. I don't like to weed and our current house we really set it up right.

This year hubby tried growing tomatoes and bell peppers upside down in pots, the plants grew great but didn't produce like they should have and then all died when we went out of town for a long weekend and weren't watered 2 times a day.

That's great that you've had good results with the technique (except for this year). Wow, it seems like a pretty high maintenance job if you can't leave the plants alone for a weekend. Perhaps an automatic drip system would work nicely though if that's the case. Does one need to buy the book on the website to do it or how did you start doing it?

Queenofhearts, your suggestions are really appreciated. Next time I get the chance to do a garden, and cats are a danger, that will come in handy. That garden I made was actually at my parents' house. Do you think it is safe to eat from a garden fertilized by cats and dogs and chickens? Right now I'm living in a student apartment and don't have the space to start a garden, but am planning for the future.

[queenofhearts]

I replied to everyone's post last night but the website or something crashed. Here goes again.

That's great that you've had good results with the technique (except for this year). Wow, it seems like a pretty high maintenance job if you can't leave the plants alone for a weekend. Perhaps an automatic drip system would work nicely though if that's the case. Does one need to buy the book on the website to do it or how did you start doing it?

Queenofhearts, your suggestions are really appreciated. Next time I get the chance to do a garden, and cats are a danger, that will come in handy. That garden I made was actually at my parents' house. Do you think it is safe to eat from a garden fertilized by cats and dogs and chickens? Right now I'm living in a student apartment and don't have the space to start a garden, but am planning for the future.

As far as I know, chickens are okay-- it's a classic homesteader's trick in fact-- but cats & dogs can carry diseases that are problematic for humans. It's the fecal matter that's risky, not the urine-- though that can burn a plant to death from excess nitrogen!

Another pet-resistant trick that I've read, but haven't tried yet, is to sprinkle black pepper over the area in question. I'd think that would be expensive for a large area, but might be worth it if you have a major problem!

If you have a balcony or even a fire escape, you might want to look into container gardening, especially if you like herbs-- I grew all my herbs in outdoor pots for years before I got a proper garden. It saves money & the herbs are always handy. You can even grow great tomatoes in a big pot. I've not had much luck with herbs indoors, but if you have a really sunny window it might work.

Good gardening!

Leah

[plantime]

Thank you for the link. I had heard about it, but was unable to find anything on it.

[kabowman]

We have had good luck with our regular (sq. ft.) garden, but not the hanging pots - hubby was only going to do those and I said no, we need to keep going with the real garden, good thing too or we wouldn't have had much!

[queenofhearts]

Hanging pots in a hot climate are under so much heat stress that tomatoes can go into vegetable "Safe Mode"-- no fruit! But I've grown them in large pots, wrapped in bubble wrap & set into even larger pots (for insulation) & so long as they are kept well watered, they produce. The smaller tomatoes do best, though-- I have had great luck with Juliet.

[kabowman]

We did Romas and cherries - we got a few cherry tomatoes and one bell pepper from those. I have done tomatoes in pots at my last house because of deer which was better than nothing but not really great either.

[utdan]

Leah, thanks again for the tip on keeping the pets out. It hurts more especially because, with that garden, I had dug out about 3 cubic yards of dirt and filled in the hole with perfect planting soil purchased from a rock yard. From what you said I wouldn't want to risk it, probably have to dig it out again, but it will be easy compared to the hard heavy clay dug out the first time.

Another friend of mine in the next apartment complex over planted sunflowers, canaloupe, watermelon, and tomatoes. The sunflowers didn't produce seeds, does anyone know why? The tomatoes didn't do so well, probably choked by the watermelon plant. Oh well, we now have four big watermelons and some canaloupe to eat!!!

[VydorScope]

Simular to the black peperl, I have been told that Cheynne Peper works to keept dogs/etc away as they dont like sniffing it in!

As for the idea, it appears to be basicly container gradening, and that I know works very well. I only have cherry tomateos this year (becuase they just keep coming back with no help!) and I miss my veggie garden that I have had in years past. Hopefully next year I will get it re-started.

[utdan]

Simular to the black peperl, I have been told that Cheynne Peper works to keept dogs/etc away as they dont like sniffing it in!

As for the idea, it appears to be basicly container gradening, and that I know works very well. I only have cherry tomateos this year (becuase they just keep coming back with no help!) and I miss my veggie garden that I have had in years past. Hopefully next year I will get it re-started.

Good to hear it works well for you too, can't wait to start my own--maybe I'll do it in pots next year or something.

Yeah, that brings to mind that movie "Cool Hand Luke" where he was an escape prisoner and used the cayenne pepper powder to get the hounds off his scent trail. Good idea--Sasha and Mister will think twice next time!