A Guide to Square-Foot Gardening

Square-foot gardening (SFG) is a method of growing a variety of vegetables in a way that means you can have a variety of produce whilst maximizing the space you have in your garden.

It was first thought of in the 1970s and has since become a popular way of having a manageable garden. The square-foot spaces are usually mapped out into raised beds making them ideal for those with limited garden bed space.

If you have a place in your yard that you think would benefit from some square-foot gardening, check out these tips and have a go for yourself.

Pros of SFG

SFG is said to allow folks to grow more, in less space whilst requiring less soil and water. The compact nature of SFG means that there is much less wandering around the garden to do, and less weeding.

For this reason, it might be a great option for those with limited mobility. The raised beds can also be raised up to a height that makes them easier to reach and manage.

Another SFG pro is that it makes rotational gardening a little more efficient as it is much easier to know what you planted where when it is in a grid system.

SFG uses less seed, too. In traditional gardening, often seeds are just broadcast across the soil with unwanted seedlings being weeded out at a later date. With SFG, seeds are planted much more intentionally in a very specific spot.

Raised beds can be placed onto any surface, so if you have a yard with only concrete or slabs in place, this is a great way to bring some soil into your space without having to completely relandscape.

Getting Started with SFG

Source: GrowVeg/YouTube

First of all, you will need to construct some raised beds. If you already have some that have fallen to the wayside, this would be a great opportunity to revamp them.

Ideally, your raised bed should be at least 4 feet x 4 feet. This way you will get sixteen separate square-foot plots. Try to make them at least 6 inches deep. This will be enough space for most roots to have space to spread. Of course, make them deeper according to what you what grow.

Remember that your raised beds do not have to be square in themselves. You could end up with a long double-reach raised bed that is two feet wide and x number of feet long. It all depends on the space you have in your yard.

You also do not have to plant something different in each square-foot plot. You might have six square feet of cabbages and 2 square feet of cucumbers.

Fill the raised beds with good-quality soil that is rich in organic matter. Then, on top of the soil, map out your square-foot grid. You can use string and anchors to map this out, canes laid along the soil, or even use some old wooden strips and nail them to the sides of the raised bed box.

The idea is to not use anything too thick as this will take away from your growing space.

What to Plant Where

As fabulous and fun as SFG is, there are some limitations. When you are working in such as small space, ideas of growing pounds of potatoes, wide-reaching rhubarb, towering corn, or vining pumpkins is just not really on the cards here.

Instead, try to plant vegetables that are comfortable growing with some close neighbors. Greens such as arugula, kale, lettuce, and mustard are great options. As well, tomatoes, cabbages, carrots, and radishes work well in close quarters.

If you plan well, you could grow a cucumber vine up a trellis at the back of your raised bed, making sure that you don’t shade out the rest of your plants.

Each one-foot square plot gets its own type of plant. Think about companion planting, and interspersing your vegetables with supporting flowers and herbs.

Don’t Overcrowd the Squares

Each square will have either one, four, nine, or sixteen plants depending on the species and size of the plant. For example, one square will have just one cabbage, tomato, or pepper planted in the middle, whereas there might be sixteen carrots or radishes growing side by side in the next square.

When you come to plant, draw out a grid in the soil with your finger to evenly map where to plant the seeds or seedlings will go. Once all the plants are established, you can mulch if you wish.

Now, just keep an eye on your plants. Keep them watered, and harvest regularly to encourage more and more veggies to come.

Related Content:

• What to Plant in Your Garden to Help Save the Bees
• 8 Great Plant Combinations to Keep Your Veggie Patch Healthy and Thriving, Naturally!
• How to Find Your Green Thumb and Start a Garden
• Here are the 5 Easiest Flowers to Plant
• What to Buy and Prep Now So You’ll Be Ready for Gardening Season

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade over and over again.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing you with high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and important stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!