Beginner Gardening: Square Foot Planning - Opinions?, 0 by locakelly

locakelly wrote:
In a nutshell though, SFG is just another form of intensive gardening and that is what you are trying to do - maximize the yield in your space. I garden in the SF method in raised beds. I have 3 4x4 beds, 1 2x10 bed and 1 4x10 bed for a total of 108 sq ft. When you plant intensively you can plant things tighter/closer than planting in rows. For example the SFG book recommends 16 carrots/sq ft, but I have successfully planted them 2" apart instead of 3". If you have not read the new SFG book, see if your library has it. It has good info on spacing, although through trial and error I have adapted those recommendations to my own scenario. I successfully grow small varieties of watermelons and cantaloupes so that they can trail over the sides of the bed or be trellised to maximize space. Cucumbers and squash can be trellised as well. There is really nothing that I can't grow using the SF method with a little ingenuity. Be sure to put things in the middle of your beds that require less attention/maintenance - makes it easier on you. And taller plants/trellises on the north side of your bed to prevent them shading other plants too much (unless that is what you want to do). Living in Houston I assume you get pretty brutal summer sun, so take that into consideration when planting as well. If you do not have natural shade from houses or trees you will probably need to provide shade protection, especially for the tomatoes.

Hope this helps!

Kelly