Low-maintenance Square Foot Gardens require less watering and no weeding.
Gardening with kids is easy, right? You’re outside, they have dirt to play with, and everyone is excited about helping. But flash forward 20 minutes: Dirt is in their hair, teeth and eyes; everyone has ditched you; and the dog is eating the Brussels-sprout plants. You need a plan. Square Foot Gardening to the rescue!
Square Foot Gardening was developed by Mel Bartholomew in 1981. Devotees around the world love it for its simplicity and family-friendly approach. It’s more low-maintenance than your average garden because it requires less watering and no weeding. The squares make it easy to plan and share ownership. Did I mention no weeding? Let’s get started.
If you want to chicken out, most hardware and home improvement stores, such as Lowe’s and Home Depot, carry ready-made raised-bed kits. But if you’re up to the task, find a sunny spot, and then follow Mr. Bartholomew’s three simple steps:
Step 1: Build a Box
When choosing your box size, remember that 4 feet by 4 feet is standard. But if you have young kids participating, you’ll want to make it 3 feet by 3 feet for shorter arms to reach across.
Materials needed:
4 pieces of 6- to 8-inch-wide non-treated lumber; you can have it cut to whatever length you choose
Power drill
12 3-inch wood screws
Roll of weed barrier
Staple gun
Steps:
Assemble the box by arranging the lumber in a square and fastening with three screws at each corner
Stretch weed barrier over the box and staple it to the lumber to hold it in place
Flip the box over so the barrier is on the bottom
Step 2: Fill the Box
You can buy premixed Square Foot Gardening Soil at stores like Lowe’s or Home Depot. If you want to mix your own, you will need 8 cubic feet (for a 4-feet-by-4-feet bed) of 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 vermiculite and1/3 compost mix.
Steps:
Mix well if not premixed
Fill box
Step 3: Make a Grid and Start Planting
On a 4×4-foot frame, the grid divides into 16 easy-to-manage 1-square-foot spaces for up to 16 different crops. The grid can be cut long enough to fit across the top of the box or cut shorter to rest on the soil inside the box. Leave the grid in place all season.
Materials:
Grids can be made from nearly any material: wood, plastic strips, tomato twine, etc.
Power drill or screwdriver
Rivets or screws
Steps:
Fashion a permanent grid that divides the box into 1-foot-by-1-foot squares
Use screws or rivets to attach grid members where they cross and to the box
Plant!
