Greening Your Square Foot Garden

BOXES:

Look for the free material to build the boxes. Like;

• Left over wood from the construction side. Ask the foreman for the permission to get it for free. • Old book shelve. Take out the shelves and use it as a box. • Old bed frame. • Crates used for glass. • Be sure not to use treated wood, as it would leach the chemicals out in the soil that would contaminate the crops.

COMPOST :

• Make your own to save money or add some of your good compost to already existing soil. • Mix 4 to 5 ingredients when making a compost to ensure enough nutrients supply for plants. When purchasing, buy different varieties and mix together. • When making your own compost remember to make smaller pieces and turn the pile often to get more finished compost.

GRID :

• Use old Venetian blinds or cast off strips of woods to make your own grid.

SOIL :

• Make a perfect soil mix recommended by Mel Bartholomew in his book.

The recipe is:

1 bale of peat moss 1 large bag of coarse vermiculite

10 pails (2 gallon size) of sand 2 pails of wood ashes and charcoal

10 pails (2 gallon size) of compost 1 coffee can full of lime (4 cups or 1 quart)

1 coffee can full of organic fertilizers

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly.

• Before planting make sure your soil mix is thoroughly moistened. SEEDS & PLANTS :

• Keep your seeds in a dry cool place (refrigerator), you’ll be able to re use them next year. • Plants that need space to spread out like Zucchini and Pumpkin should be planted in a separate area. • Plants like Tomatoes and green beans grow vertically so should be planted on the corners.

SUN & WATER :

• Choose the spot that gets at least 8 hrs of sunshine daily. • Get few buckets of water and put them under the sunshine and use it later to water your plants by hands.

PEST CONTROL :

• To keep the squirrels and rabbits away install an electric fence. (Safe for humans and animals) See resources.

GO SLOW:

• Start small. Plant few of plants first like tomatoes, then berries, beans.

GET SOME BOOBOOKSKSKSKS :

• Read Mel Bartholomew’s book on square foot gardening. You’ll find some good info.

Sources : http://timssquarefootgarden.com/gardentips.htm (Tips and tricks for square foot gardening) http://beingfrugal.net/2009/03/31/frugal-gardening-tips/ (Frugal gardening tips) http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com/Setting_UpSFG.html (Some more tips)

http://www.squarefootgardeningtips.com/Basics_SFG.html (Basics for SFG)

friendly ideas) http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/04/21/an-introduction-to-square-foot-gardening/ (An introduction to Sq. Foot gardening & Ten tenets for square foot gardening) http://www.plantcare.com/gardening-guides/square-foot-gardening/square-foot-gardening-tips.aspx (Square foot gardening tips) http://www.gardening-tips-idea.com/Square-foot-gardening.html (Square foot gardening Tips) http://www.mysquarefootgarden.net/planning-your-square-foot-garden/ (Planning your square foot garden design) http://www.squarefootgardening.com/index.php/Starting/inexpensive-ideas.html (Inexpensive Ideas) http://users.aristotle.net/~shicks/sqft/soil.html (How to mix the perfect soil for the perfect garden from the book by Mel Bartholomew’s)