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4.5
My first season with this method is a resounding success. I decided to start with the first book and I'm very satisfied with it. I have a small raised garden, 12'x4', and needed a way to maximize the space. This method has produced really well. I added the soil additions suggested and tilled them in to the soil already in the garden along with compost from my bin. No fertilizer has been used during the season.Here are some findings:A 12" square wasn't enough to accommodate each of three wildly prolific tomato plants. Although I attempted to confine them to the trellis as the book says, they had other ideas and even escaped the cages I put over them. I've had to tie them up further for support (they are over 6' tall and are growing down the other side of the trellis). Next year two plants max!Cucumbers do really well on the trellis, producing very long straight produce. They, too, are so prolific I've had to search for new recipes.Don't plant peppers right next to the items on the trellis, which bush out; they don't get enough sun. Root vegetables seem to do better there.Go easy with the marigolds and nasturtiums. Mine are so huge they are taking too much space away from the produce. Next year, one plant of each.Because of my small garden, I didn't plant things that took a lot of space, like squash or melons, but have lots of swiss chard, beans, carrots, beets and onions, and enjoyed lettuce, spinach, radishes and peas earlier in the season.All in all, my garden is a huge success and I've continued to rely on the book to tell me which things I can replant and when. It's really encouraged me to be bolder about removing spent plants and reusing the spaces left.Long time gardeners know things like planting density and timing, I'm sure, but for those who want to make the best use of a small space with minimum effort and don't have a huge amount of knowledge, this book is ideal. Sure planting info is on seed packets, but it's awfully nice to have it all in one place for reference, along with so much other valuable information. It's become my gardening bible with lots of paper tabs and notes added and I continue to refer to it regularly. My favorite part is the reference section at the back with the requirements for each type of plant well described, including the easy to read planting/harvesting chart for each.Another huge positive of this method is that with the garden's space so densely covered with produce greenery, there are few weeds so that chore is greatly minimized.I created my raised bed originally because the soil here is hard clay and too difficult for me to work, plus I have a serious deer problem so I needed a way to fence them out. My garden has tall posts on the corners and midway on each side that allow me to secure chicken wire around the whole thing. The wire is kept closed by hooks on the middle posts. I unhook it to work on the space. It works perfectly. Some day I may build official wire panel 'doors', but for now, this simple method of hooking and unhooking works. Last year, using traditional planting methods, I got almost nothing from the garden, but this year, with the Square-foot method, it's doing great. I look forward to a late season of replanting, per book directions, as well.I highly recommend this book and this method--anyone want some cucumbers?
