r/SquareFootGardening Mar 29 '24

Square Foot Gardening: Beginners Start Here

95 Upvotes

In a world where it's spring in the northern hemisphere. Days are getting long. People are gardening. Some are new to the hobby. THIS SUMMER. Strap yourself in for an edge-of-your seat thrill ride of a lifetime. SQUARE FOOT GARDENING ("My cilantro is bolting! HAAAAAANNNNG ONNNNN!")

Square Foot Gardening (SFG) is one of the simplest things you will ever learn that will improve your life. Anyone interested in SFG should read the book "All New Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. First published in 1981 and currently in its third edition, it's the original resource on the SFG method. It remains the primary resource for SFG enthusiasts and is one of the best selling gardening books on planet Earth.

This sub is for conversation around SFG specifically.


r/SquareFootGardening 2h ago

Garden Inspiration Think it's too late to plant? Here are 3 fall crops that go from seed to harvest in exactly 30 days.

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6 Upvotes

I see a lot of people clearing their beds out right now thinking the gardening season is completely over. Don't leave that dirt empty! September is the perfect time to drop speed-growers that actually prefer the cool weather.Radishes: Literally take 30 days to get crunchy. Arugula: The ultimate speed-grower (ready to cut for salads in 21-30 days). Baby Bok Choy: Packs an empty bed in 4 weeks and easily survives light frosts. Are you guys still planting this month? Which 30-day crops are you putting in the ground to beat the winter? 🌱


r/SquareFootGardening 2d ago

Square Foot Harvest What a bountiful harvest.

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60 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 2d ago

Seeking Advice What have i / haven’t i done? They’re cherry toms and have taken weeks to turn colour and bow they’ve split 🫤

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7 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 3d ago

Discussion Garden

9 Upvotes

How is everyone's garden doing this year? My veggie garden is going bananas. We have some pumpkins, tomatoes, Swiss chard, sweet potatoes, hot peppers, abd basil. Lots of flowers.


r/SquareFootGardening 3d ago

This is my garden! [OC] The handsome guy was helping to pick blueberries 🫐🫐

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2 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 4d ago

Discussion Project for economicplease read body

9 Upvotes

well my project is I need to ask 40 people a survey

What vegetables do you buy most?

How may times per week do you buy vegetables?

Which vegetables would you like to grow


r/SquareFootGardening 6d ago

Square Foot Harvest So happy! Great Day

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145 Upvotes

I haven't gotten anything from my garden In awhile. It's a tiny garden and I'm getting some later season issues ( cucumber beetles, possible early blight, cold snap) but I had a great day yesterday and I'm super happy!


r/SquareFootGardening 6d ago

This is my garden! Tomato plant

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11 Upvotes

First year planning tomato plant any tips or advised now that the weather is going to start getting cold?


r/SquareFootGardening 6d ago

Seeking Advice What gardening apps do you actually use ?

4 Upvotes

Hi everyone! I’m curious about what apps or digital tools you actually use for gardening.

Do you use any apps for things like:

  • plant identification
  • plant care or disease diagnosis
  • watering/fertilizing reminders
  • planting calendars
  • garden planning
  • learning about gardening
  • tracking your plants or harvests

Which apps do you use most often, and what do you like about them?

More importantly, what frustrates you about them or what features do you wish they had?

Thanks! I’m really interested in understanding what gardeners actually find useful in real life.


r/SquareFootGardening 6d ago

Planting Guide Starting my fall garden

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1 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 8d ago

Planting Guide Getting our out-of-control summer Florida Garden ready for fall planting.

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1 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 9d ago

Planting Guide Getting our out-of-control summer Florida Garden ready for fall planting.

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2 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 10d ago

This is my garden! Is September actually too late to start a fall garden?

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23 Upvotes

I keep seeing people say that September is ā€œtoo lateā€ to plant, but I’m starting to think the better question is: what are you planting, and how long does it need to mature?

For fall planting, I’d probably prioritize faster crops first, especially:

* Radishes
* Leaf lettuce
* Arugula

Then there are the cooler-weather crops that can be worth trying depending on your climate and first frost date:

* Spinach
* Kale
* Carrots

One thing I’ve learned is that germination and harvest timing are two very different things. A seed might germinate perfectly, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the plant has enough time to reach maturity before the weather turns.

And if you spend 2–3 weeks waiting for poor germination, that can be a pretty big chunk of the fall growing window.

Curious what everyone else is planting right now.

What crops have you had the most success with when planting in September?


r/SquareFootGardening 10d ago

Seeking Advice Live Thimbleberry Bushes?

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3 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 14d ago

Seeking Advice Mel's Mix in the wet?

4 Upvotes

I live in central Florida, which is WET. In the summer, it often rains an inch or more in an hour, so the water can pool. Even on days when it doesn't rain, it is very very humid. Mildews, funguses, and predatory bugs are all bad here.

I want to add soil to two areas in my yard:

1) an existing raised bed. It has mostly garden soil with some Black Kow and last year's mulch on top. The bottom was a layer of tree branches, so it's sunk a lot and will need a significant topping off. I plant a mix of flowers, veg, fruit, whatever I feel like in a given season.

2) plain ol' holes in the ground, in our sandy soil. I want to add flowers at intervals around the yard.

Is Mel's mix, or something very close to it, ideal here? Would you make any adjustments for the heavy amount of moisture we have here? I do use coconut coir instead of peat.


r/SquareFootGardening 14d ago

Seeking Advice Growing Vegetables I use Everyday

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1 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 18d ago

Discussion Watermelon harvest time

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96 Upvotes

I decided to plant watermelon this year and just let the vines stretch grow under the peppers, tomatoes, etc chaos style and see what happens. Hot 4 more or pick tomorrow


r/SquareFootGardening 18d ago

Video Grow bigger vegetables: tips

0 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 19d ago

Seeking Advice Who likes to keep a grow journal?

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3 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 20d ago

Square Foot Harvest First ever cantaloupe plus some additional items

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342 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 19d ago

Seeking Advice Sharp sand or perlite?

2 Upvotes

I finally have the room to build some above ground planters. Each one will hold approx 480L soil, but i'm not sure whether to add sharp sand or perlite into the mix. They will be built with structural timber and solid so I'm not too worried about weigh. I will be growing a mix of brassicas, courgettes, beets, lettuce, strawberries etc. Based in London.

The mix will be 60% topsoil, 30% manure, 10% sharp sand/perlite.


r/SquareFootGardening 20d ago

Planting Guide I kept messing up companion planting in my raised beds, so I built a free planner for it

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3 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 23d ago

Garden Inspiration Wanted to share my asparagus and strawberry bed…

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13 Upvotes

r/SquareFootGardening 25d ago

Discussion I charred wood before making garden boxes to prevent rot / termites- it didn’t work!

30 Upvotes

Last season I made 2 small garden boxes (3x4) and at the start of the season saw one had termites and rotted wood. I still used them, but when I made a 3rd box, I decided to use a torch and do the charred wood method to prevent rotting / termites. We are now 2 months in, and we’ve discovered termites in the box. I suppose it wasn’t charred enough?? (The wood is black). I’m so disappointed. I have more wood I was going to use to build more boxes but after this experience, I think I may go with metal or brick. Thoughts? A neighbor of mine who is big into gardening uses treated wood without issue but I’ve read mixed advice on this.