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TCsbride
member
Critique my first sq ft garden please
TCsbride
member
This will be my first year doing a square foot garden. DH built the boxes this week from leftover composite decking we had. We started a compost late last summer, so that is ready for making Mel's Mix this weekend with the peat moss and vermiculite I got. All ready to start seeds this weekend (I know, I'm a little late on this for zone 5b). Now I just want to double check on my garden plan. I've been doing a lot of reading about succession planting and companion planting, so hopefully I incorporated that well. Bed will run north/south and get full sun.
First 4'x4' box:
1st 9x9 squares will be 2 zuchinni plants like suggested with carrots and lettuce as the border
Top right - garlic
2nd row, all the way to the right - more carrots
3rd row, all the way to right - eggplant (staked)
Bottom row (left to right) - pole beans, pole beans, bush beans, eggplant (there will be a trellis here on the north end of the bed)
*eggplant squares will be bordered with marigolds
Second 4'x4' bed:
1st row (left to right) - strawberries, strawberries (bordered with thyme), lettuce, lettuce
2nd row (L to R) - strawberries, strawberries, spinach, spinach
3rd row (L to R) - peas (bordered with marigolds), peas, cucumber, cucumber (bordered with dill)
TRELLIS RUNNING BETWEEN THIRD AND FOURTH ROWS
4th row (L to R) - peas (border = marigold), peas, cucumber, cucumber (border = dill)
Last box 3'x6'long:
1st row and second row (L to R) - broccoli (two squares checkboard), cabbage (two quares checkboard), cauliflower (two sqaures checkboard) - east side by broccoli is bordered by dill, west side by cauliflower is bordered by rosemary, and the south border by broccoli/cabbage/cauliflower is oregano
3rd row (L to R) - sweet onion, yellow onion, brussle sprouts, brussel sprouts, red onion, and garlic
Potatoes - I picked a few "bulbs" up at Lowes...decided I'd try them in an old plastic trash can we have lying around
Strawberries - also thought I'd try these in a bucket hanging by our deck...see which ones do the best.
Watermelon and pumpkin - going to try to grow along the back of our house. For some reason, things grow like crazy there without touching them (threw in some dying tomatoe plants and herbs there and they turned right around and flourished - who knows) - set up trellis along the brick and see what happens.
Zuchinni - our neighbors grow enough that I don't want to take up a 9 sq ft section in our garden, but I did buy the seeds. Figured I'd plant them in two large galvanized tubs we have or two large plastic tubs we have (probably 25-30 gallons in size) and set up a trellis for them on the side of the barn. They'll be on the east side of it. If it works fine, if not, no biggie.
My only two things I have left to find a spot for are the basil and cilantro (even though I know it probably won't grow well). I also need to figure out what spots will need to be planted twice (like lettuce), but as long as I can, I plan to plant the same crop again.
Finally worked out the "succession" planting part of the plan as well. From what I've read, looks like the early crops will include the lettuces (I have 3 or 4 different kinds), spinach, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower and possibly the onions?
In the lettuce spots, I plan to replant lettuce again. In place of the cabbage, I plan to do kale (intersting to try something new), and the onions will be replaced with radish and collards. If the broccoli and cauliflower are indeed early harvested plants too (need to double check the seed packets), I'll be replanting those as well.
So, any suggestions?
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Re: Critique my first sq ft garden please
I have never done a serious garden before this year so I can't help with the critique but you're not too late at all for spring planting in 5b. The earliest planting dates for up here are late March/ early April so you're right on schedule. We still had a hard frost this morning up by the lake. Mine aren't going in for another week or two when they show up and we get the new raised bed built.
Here's a good planting guide (although it's general for 5-6 rather than 5b specific)
Thanks! I've actually been planning it since last winter, but with all my pregnancy problems and having a newborn at home, it got put on the back burner. We didn't even plant flowers in the front of the house!
As for the tomatoes, we actually are not having any. Our neighors actually plant a rather large garden and are constantly bringing us stuff. A few eggplants and maybe a zuchinni or two, but mainly tomatoes galore (they do 25 different kinds) and peppers (another 30 kinds or so). So there is no need for us to plant those since we get so many from them. I've read that about the basil though! I'm going to suggest it to them even though I cannot imagine their tomatoes tasting anymore amazing!
I guess I meant I'm a little late on some of the seeds for starting them indoors. I can't remember off the top of my heads which ones, but a few say to start them indoors 8-12 wks before transplant. I'm about right on track with anything that needs 6-8 wks. Plus, we're right on the border of soze 6 and zone 5, so that bumps our frost free date up about a week as well. Who knows with this weather though.....took me 2 hrs to drive 20 miles for work today.....highway was a sheet of ice!
And although this is our first garden, we have high hopes. This is what we'd like our garden to look like in the next year or two. So pretty and relaxing!
Thanks both for the suggestions.
As for animals we thankfully shouldn't have an issue. Neighbors on both sides of us have gardens that do great, with no issues from animals of any kind. Just in case though, we plan on surrounding each of the beds with leftover chicken wire from our compost we built.
As for marigolds and garlic, I'll take a better look into that. I read a lot this past week on campanion gardening, and only put marigolds by the items that specifically said to.....other things, like dill and oregano were suggested in other areas, so I put those. I'll look into what else garlic and marigolds can be used by. I know some things can actually be killed by having garlic nearby. Also, it was my understanding that onions had the same affect as garlic so I was thinking about getting some green onions.
You'll want to stagger your lettuce/carrot/radish. You dont' want them all ripening at the same time. Twp plantings is not enough b/c you'll have a long wait in between 1st and second planting even with some of the cut heads growing new leaves. I plant a few lettuce every two weeks and it works out well. the first year I did lettuce I only planned on 2 plantings and was just miserable wanting more salad greens.
If you're trying to make room for basil/cilantro you don't really need a seperate square for radishes. They grow really fast and actually help loosen the soil for other things. You can plant them in the corners of your lettuce squares or most def. around the edges of the slower growing things like eggplant. Once the "main" plant gets big you will have already harvested the radish. Just tuck them wherever in the garden.
Basil/cilantro both grow really well in containers too. I hate cilantro (I've been told it's a genetic thing, but it tastes like soap to me and makes me want to puke) but I've grown several varieties of basil successfully in smallish pots.