Square Foot Gardening!

[indeliblesasha]

Or: The web design for the official site is so GOD-AWFUL BAD I want to CRY. I can't even look at it any longer. GOING TO CRY.

I need some help planning my vegetable garden, I'm doing just a 4x4 raised bed this year to get a feel for growing here in the Boulder, Colorado, US area. I literally have no idea what I'm doing, so someone who is willing to hold my hand through the process of figuring what to plant and when would be much loved.

OR, pointing me in the direction of sites with correct and detailed information? Because so far I'm finding nothing but contradictory info and stuff written for people who have degrees in botany.

HALP! I just want to grow some lettuce. Maybe some tomatoes. Broccoli? Sigh.


(edited to clarify location because I'm trying to remember that internet is not *just* in the US :D )

Comments

[beachlass]

I used to have the Square Foot Gardening book!

I always plant in beds rather than rows, and vaguely go by the spacing suggested on my seed packets. Some seeds (like lettuce), I'm prone to loosely scattering across the prepared area. I grow from local nursery seedlings more than from seed - partly because I've done the seedlings in the house thing before, and I know I'm not great at it/too busy; but also because seed packets give me way, way more plants than I have space and I like different varieties. (If I have room for 8 tomato plants, they're likely to be all different heritage varieties.) Some vegetables (like tomatoes) should be rotated - not grown in exactly the same spot year to year, because of the nutrients they draw out of the soil.

Last hint: some folks swear by collecting some brushed out dog hair and putting it around the garden to deter squirrels.

Good luck!

Thanks!

[indeliblesasha]

Would the book do me any good do you think? The site is ATROCIOUS but maybe the book is more useful?

What's your favorite tomato?

Re: Thanks!

[beachlass]

Well. I got rid of the book after having it for years because I didn't find it terribly useful.

I love weird heritage tomato varieties - there's a farm I get mine from - I like ones with black stripes. I'm usually grow a couple of different cherry ones - red and yellow pear. I love yellow/orange tomatoes too.

Square Foot Gardening Book is OK

[flora]

I used the All New Square Foot Gardening book last year and it worked. You have to grit your teeth through the tons of propoganda in the book about how great it is, but the techniques worked fantastic for tomatoes especially. (I'm in central Maryland near the PA border.) And the lack of weeds was great. We'll see how well it works this year.