The Essential Guide to Square Foot Gardening

It's b??n a buzzw?rd ?n the g?rd?n?ng w?rld for decades: th? ??u?r? f??t g?rd?n, a revolution in ?m?ll ????? gardening ?v?r?wh?r?. It doesn't take much imagination t? f?gur? ?ut wh?t th?? b???? concept ?nt??l?. It ?nv?lv?? ??r?full? measuring gardening ?l?t?. Careful planning ??n have a huge ?m???t ?n h?w much food ??u gr?w, ?nd how mu?h w??t? ??u can avoid. But f?r tr?d?t??n?l g?rd?n?r? ?nd ???l?t?? ?f ?th?r ?t?l?? w? m?? need a bit more of a formal intro. What is ??u?r? f??t g?rd?n?ng, ?nd wh?r? did ?t ??m? fr?m? Wh?t'? so great about it? Why d? ????l? still u?? th? method in g?rd?n? today, ?nd wh? ?? it so popular? Sur?, ?t ?nv?lv?? th? ?l?v?r use of ??u?r? foot measurements t? g?t th? m??t ?ut of ??ur gr?w?ng ?????. But n?w?d???, w?th a burg??n?ng l???l food m?v?m?nt ?nd a passion f?r home growing, kn?w?ng ?ll th? ?n? and outs ?f th?? ?d??l?g? m??n? a wh?l? lot more. Square F??t G?rd?n?ng (??mm?nl? r?f?rr?d t? as SFG) is a planting method th?t w?? d?v?l???d b? Am?r???n ?uth?r ?nd TV presenter M?l Bartholomew ?n the 1970s. It'? a ??m?l? way t? ?r??t? ????-t?-m?n?g? gardens with r????d b?d? that n??d a m?n?mum ?f t?m? spent maintaining th?m. SFG rapidly gained popularity dur?ng th? 1980? thr?ugh M?l'? f?r?t b??k ?nd television ??r??? ?nd since then has ??r??d ??r??? th? w?rld, eventually g??ng 'm??n?tr??m' w?th several companies ?ff?r?ng r??d?-t?-????mbl? SFG g?rd?n?. SFG ?dv???t?? claim it ?r?du??? m?r?, u??? less ???l ?nd w?t?r and takes ju?t 2% ?f the t?m? spent on a traditional g?rd?n. S? wh?t m?k?? S?u?r? F??t Gardening special ?nd wh? don't ?ll g?rd?n?r? u?? ?t. Quite simply, SFG ?ll?w? vegetables and fl?w?r? t? be planted v?r? ?l??? t?g?th?r ?n r????d b?d? th?t ??n be fr?m?d w?th n?tur?l, n?nr?tt?ng w??d ?u?h ?? ??d?r. Th? b?d? can be ?n?wh?r? fr?m 2 feet b? 4 feet to 4 f??t b? 12 feet, w?th th? most ??mm?n ??nf?gur?t??n being 4 f??t b? 4 f??t. In m??t ?????, th? ???l is "d???gn?d" by the g?rd?n?r t? h?v? ??t?m?l dr??n?g?. Th? ???l u?u?ll? consists ?f a ??mb?n?t??n ?f sandy loam and generous amounts ?f sphagnum peat m??? ?r well-matured compost. F?r un?f?rm?t? ?n texture ?nd particle ??z? d??tr?but??n, w? have f?und th?t a portable concrete mixer th?t ??n ?lug into a ??m?l? household ?l??tr???l ?utl?t ?? th? b??t way t? m?x th? d???gn?d soil. B?????ll?, th? ??nd? l??m is m?x?d ?n a r?t?? of ?b?ut four parts ?f sandy l??m w?th ?n? ??rt of ??h?gnum peat m??? ?r ??m???t. An ?lt?rn?t?v? t? m?x?ng ??ur ?wn ???l would b? t? select fr?m ?n? ?f the h?gh-?u?l?t? b?gg?d soil ?r?du?t? ?n th? m?rk?t. On? of th? m??t ??mm?n b?rr??r? that ?r?v?nt people from growing their own food is ??m?l?x?t?. Im?g?n?, you finally d???d? to grow a garden but th?n ??u r??d ?b?ut th? ??mm?tm?nt n★★★★★★r? t? start a g?rd?n: buy this, make ?ur? to have th?t, be ??r?ful ?f th??. Aft?r reading up on ?ll th? r??u?r?m?nt? of gardening you m?ght b? feeling ?r?tt? overwhelmed. Surprisingly, g?rd?n?ng ?? much ??m?l?r th?n you m?? think. S?n?? gardens ??m? ?b?ut th?r?'? probably been a t?nd?n?? to m?k? miniature kingdoms ?n th? g?rd?n. J???n??? b?n??? dates b??k over a thousand ???r?, but th?? latest boom ??n be tr???d b??k t? fairy doors; tiny d??r? m?d? t? n??tl? ?nt? ?r?v???? ?f a tr??. F?v? t? 10 centimetres h?gh