/r/SquareFootGardening

Photograph via snooOG

Square Foot Gardening (SFG) is one of the simplest things you will ever learn that will improve your life. This sub is for conversation around SFG specifically. Anyone interested in SFG should read the book "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew. Currently in its third edition, it's the original resource on the SFG method, and remains the primary resource for SFG enthusiasts.

The Square Foot Gardening method is one of the simplest things you will ever learn that will improve your life.

It's a simple method for planting seeds in a specific way in a raised bed garden. It was popularized in the 1980's and has helped home gardeners across the world grow their own food. It's a foolproof way to enjoy a beautiful garden and plentiful harvest every year.

Frequently asked question:

HOW DO I CREATE A SQUARE FOOT GARDEN?

Read up on SFG here and here, and in the SFG book, available in libraries. You'll emerge with the following basic knowledge:

Step One

Build a raised planter box with interior dimensions in increments of one square foot. Example: two feet by four feet.

Step Two

Fill with potting soil. You'll blend a custom mix of equal parts peat moss, coarse vermiculite, and assorted brands of compost (or better, your own homemade compost).

Step Three

Add a grid and start planting! It’s that simple!

You may also like:

r/homestead

r/urbanfarming

r/suburbanfarming

r/gardening

r/aquaponics

r/livingofftheland

r/TerraSerenus

r/TinyHouses

r/soil

r/composting

r/houseplants

/r/SquareFootGardening

43,911 Subscribers

4

For Mel's Mix, should I soak the coco coir first?

Hello fellows!

I'm going to prepare my first mel's mix using 1/3 coco instead of peat. I was wondering if I should soak and strain it before placing it inside the measuring cup?

Thank you.

2 Comments
2024/12/01
17:54 UTC

1

Student project

Hello, I'd like to ask you to help me with a project. I'm a master's student in entrepreneurship and I need your help to carry out an in-depth study for a group project. Could you help me by giving me some of your time and completing this questionnaire? We'd like to target people with a passion for gardening.

This link is a form for people with irrigation systems:

https://forms.gle/Dx6ZihCj8Cy5omCA6

This link is a form for people who don't have an irrigation system for watering their plants:

https://forms.gle/Sfuzvs8qDuPxx9YH7

0 Comments
2024/11/30
17:19 UTC

3

Soggy ground

I’d really like to start gardening with a raised bed, but the only part of my small yard big enough tends to have a bit of water pooling. Is there anything I can do to make it work there?

3 Comments
2024/11/30
16:24 UTC

0

Great Christmas gift for any gardener

Do you have someone in your family who loves gardening? Here's a cool gift idea I came across. Bonus points if they watch the TV show Alone because it was created by Nicole who's been on the show twice (if you haven't seen the show you should give it a try, it's an interesting concept).

It's a gardening kit with seeds for 10 different plants that can be used to make various herbal remedies. It also comes with a book written by Nicole where she goes over everything you can make with the plants from ointments and teas all the way to essential oils and infusions. It's not something you'd find in a normal store so it makes for a unique gift especially if the person you're buying it for is a fan of natural remedies.

I ordered a kit for my Mom's birthday earlier in the year and she was a massive fan of it. She now makes her grandkids sleepy tea before bed whenever they sleep over and always offers us some substance she makes from the feverfew if we complain about a headache. I think she's probably made every recipe in the book and it's only been 9 months.

Here's the link to the website if you want to check it out: https://medicinalkit.com/

1 Comment
2024/11/30
00:55 UTC

10

My first SFG - question about cubic feet of Mel's Mix

This bed is 4' x 4' x 11" - that should be around 16 cubic feet Mel's Mix. But, only 12 cubic feet filled it up this much. I was watering as I went about filling it up, so that shouldn't be an issue. Will Mel's Mix settle?

Also, ignore the fact that this is in the shade, it's about Winter here, this will get full sun in the summer.

7 Comments
2024/11/24
18:18 UTC

21

Economic way to fill raised beds?

Basically title, I live in a house adjacent to other ones (kind of like San Francisco), I've got a little terrace but no dirt, so I want to know what do you guys recommend to fill my raised beds without breaking the bank.

Thank you!

21 Comments
2024/11/19
20:55 UTC

10

🌱 Hello, fellow gardeners! 🌱

We’re on a mission to create an innovative gardening platform that brings gardeners together like never before! 🌼

But we need your help to make it truly special. We’ve put together a quick survey (it takes just 3–5 minutes) to learn about what matters most to you as a gardener.

By participating, you’ll be helping shape a gardening app tailored to your needs—whether you’re here for tips, creativity, community, or commerce. Your insights are invaluable, and we’d love to hear from you!

Every question in this survey is optional, so feel free to answer only the ones that resonate with you! 😊

The link for the survey: https://forms.gle/dX9DSoCJ3BUJuB5Q8

Thank you for growing this idea with us. Let’s make gardening even more rewarding, together! 🌷💚

3 Comments
2024/11/17
19:25 UTC

15

Bagged “topsoil” isn’t really just topsoil?

I’m currently building my first raised bed (4’x4’). So I don’t have too much compost, I bought some bagged topsoil from my local garden center and realized it looks a lot like the finished compost I get from my compost share… small wood chips and very loose. Went to the website and it says it’s compost, bark fines, and soil, but doesn’t say how much of each. What should my plan be here? I got enough pure finished compost to fill half my remaining bed space, but I’m worried it will end up being too much compost overall. I know options like Mel’s mix use no topsoil, so maybe I could just use a little less of each and add peat or something else to keep the overall compost % down?

23 Comments
2024/11/15
16:41 UTC

29

How does this layout look for my first garden?

I have an 18x4 section of land on the side of my house that I want to build a square foot garden on. It's southern facing and has great soil. I want to know if this is a good starting point. Is this too much to take on for a first timer? Do these plants grow well together? Any tips or critiques are welcome

13 Comments
2024/11/10
16:37 UTC

3

Perennials in SFG?

Very new to gardening. I've read the SFG book, but have a question around fertilizing/feeding. So, in the book it mentions refreshing the soil with a trowel full of compost while preparing for the next plant. But, what about perennials? How do those get fed?

8 Comments
2024/11/08
16:26 UTC

34

How can gardening provide a continuous supply of food?

I’ve been planning on homesteading for a while, and first thing I want to do is to turn half my backyard to a vegetable garden. Doing my homework I found out that most vegetables can only be harvested once, so my question is: is it possible to have a vegetable garden provide a continuous supply of food? If so, how? Or was it all just an exaggeration made by people?

37 Comments
2024/11/04
09:36 UTC

4

help planting my fall/winter gardening

8 Comments
2024/11/03
16:02 UTC

4

Put the Kids to Bed for the Winter

1 Comment
2024/10/17
01:30 UTC

3

Help Us Improve Lawn & Garden Watering Practices! 💦🌿

Hey everyone! 👋

We are a team of design students from Purdue University conducting a research project on homeowners’ experiences with lawn and garden care. 🌱 Our goal is to better understand your watering practices, identify common pain points, and explore solutions that promote more efficient water use. Your feedback will be invaluable for our study and help us create smarter irrigation and gardening solutions! 🚰💧

💡 What’s in it?

  • 🌟 10-15 minute survey: Our survey is designed to be easy and engaging, with almost all questions being multiple-choice or checkboxes! ✅ Just select the options that best match your experience 😉
  • 💵 $15 Interview Opportunity: If you’re interested, we’d love to invite you for a short, 30-minute follow-up interview to gain deeper insights (compensation will be provided).

🔒 Rest assured: All responses will be kept confidential and used solely for academic research. No personal information will be published.

💌 If you’d like to participate, check out our survey here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeqX0hdjk2DMrBFTEb_FzExPtEp0KHx4EeVoNoBKcR_2AHtVA/viewform?usp=sf_link
or scan the QR code in the attached image.

Thank you for taking the time to help us out! If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to comment below or reach out to us directly.

🌿 Let’s make watering smarter together!

https://preview.redd.it/7o0zs71iequd1.png?width=1920&format=png&auto=webp&s=d22f76ea8f651a629a03d17798264b4271876c98

0 Comments
2024/10/14
14:24 UTC

178

Looks like I will have more sunny space in my backyard next year

South Carolina hurricane aftermath. By spring, this should be all cleared up. And there will be some new sunny spots for raised bed gardening.

Yes, I am desperately looking on the bright side. Why do you ask?

25 Comments
2024/10/13
22:49 UTC

8

New Raised Garden

I’m just getting in the game and am planning to start my first raised bed next spring. Is there any benefit setting up the bed this fall to be ready for the spring? Or is it wasted effort? I was hoping maybe the extra time could help it settle over the winter and get some worms/critters working the soil too. But at the expense of exposing my wood bed to the winter weather unnecessarily. Thanks!

10 Comments
2024/10/13
19:49 UTC

4

Winter cover crop

Does anyone do a cover crop over the winter? If so, what do you recommend and what's the timing like? I'm right at first frost in my zone, is it too late?

Maybe I'm just missing it, but can't find anything about this in the book.

4 Comments
2024/10/08
14:51 UTC

6

Deep raised bed - different soil on lower layer?

Hi everyone, a new square foot gardener here who has built a raised bed to get ready for next season.

I've got multiple sections of raised bed, some are 1 foot deep, and some are 2 feet deep.

I know that I want a foot of 'Mel's Mix' on the top of each of the two beds.

But for my deeper bed, is there any guidance on whether I can get away with a decent quality commercial garden soil on the bottom half before adding Mel's Mix to the top half?

Does this take away the advantage of good drainage qualities? Or is a good choice because it results in some cost savings by filling with slightly cheaper material?

5 Comments
2024/10/04
13:48 UTC

2

new gardener here. ihave 4 grow bags that i have filled with about 8 inches of soil on concrete, i sowed a big variety of seeds including beans, cucumbers, tomatoes , zuchinis, chillies and herbs randomly to see what will grow

17 Comments
2024/10/01
02:42 UTC

18

Interested in feedback

This is my first garden I am working with limited space so these are two 3x8 I have a trellis set to be built for the north side box

Thanks for comments

7 Comments
2024/09/22
14:39 UTC

11

Feedback welcome

Messing around and looking to spend the next couple of months learning more about gardening / the SFG method. Starting off with some indoor herb plants through the winter. Downloaded Planter and messed around with a potential garden for next year. Would love feedback or thoughts!

Note: looking to do herbs, veggies, and flowers together. Also tried to choose things we use/eat frequently!

5 Comments
2024/09/19
03:18 UTC

Back To Top