(no subject)

[serene]

[crossposted here and in norcalgardening]

I'm pretty happy. I've got a rough plan for my square-foot gardening scheme. I'll probably be doing tomatoes, cukes, broccoli (I know it may not grow if it gets too hot), marigolds, bush beans, beets, cabbage, carrots, basil, radishes, and lettuce. If I've got enough space, I'll also do pole beans, garlic, onions, melon or squash, and zucchini.

The square-foot garden is based on a 4'x4' "block", with each square foot planted with something different (with, of course, duplicates of some things, notably tomatoes). I plan to start with one block and then see if I have the time/energy/money/etc. to start a second block. (someotherguy & sogwife: click the link and see how he's updated the layout and uses boxes instead of walkways now. That'll fit in great with those boxes already in place at Bushrod.)

So I guess this is my new hobby. I haven't had a new hobby in a long time, and I've been trying to get this going since we moved here, more than two years ago, so I'm beyond excited.

I'm also going to build or buy some vertical frames for the climbing stuff (tomatoes, cukes, pole beans, and believe it or not melons/winter squash). I will go looking at the garden store, and if they don't have what I need, I'll build it myself.

*bounce*!

Comments

[twostepsfwd.livejournal.com]

yay for gardens. wish i had enough room for garlic, too. pole beans don't take up much room. squash, on the other hand, is a space hog. I can't imagine a way to grow squash in a 4x4 space and have room for other vegetables.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Zucchini takes up three feet in each direction, so you plant it in the middle of a 3x3 chunk of the 4x4 block, which takes up 9 of the 16 squares, and leaves 7 over. I'll only do this if I have room and time for two blocks rather than 1.

[artemii.livejournal.com]

i'm so excited for you! :)

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Thank you! The most gardening I've ever done on my own was a container of tomatoes. I'm jazzed.

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

oh! that looks lovely! i'm going to steal that link and post it to my gardening community (gardens_not_gas)

thanks!

n.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

Ohmigosh, thanks so much for the pointer!

[nex0s.livejournal.com]

thanks! we need more folk. it's not very active just yet...

n.

[kightp.livejournal.com]

Yaaaaay, gardening!

I've thought about converting my raised bed (which is 4'x12') into a sqarue-foot plot, but I seem to be getting pretty good production right now, so why mess with a good thing?

One thing that's made a huge difference to my creaky old knees: I built the raised bed 2 feet high. Which means I can sit on an upended bucket to plant and cultivate without messing up my knees or back. Of course, deeper boxes take more soil, but you might consider it.

I don't know about down there, but up here broccoli gets planted in the late fall, when everything else is harvested, and grows over the winter for harvest in the late spring.

[serenejournal.livejournal.com]

The broccoli is mostly a lark -- stonebender likes it, and doesn't like most other veggies, and it apparently grows okay here if it doesn't get too too hot, so I'll give it a shot. (typo: give it a shit)

The boxes are already in place, as far as I can tell, but on Wednesday, I go see my plot and talk with the gardening guy, so we'll see how much choice I end up having.

loracs should show you her planters. they're up high, so she can garden standing up.