Each square foot in a square foot garden has a different plant or variety. One square might have a tomato plant, another a cabbage (or perhaps two), and another a bunch of radishes. Some plants will grow to be tall while others will be bushy and fairly low. Some need more water and others less. Some attract bugs while others repel them. Some need more shade and some need less.
There are so many variables that can go into figuring out which plant should go into each square that I chose not to do too much thinking about it. I figure that the dominant factors, at least for a first time garden, should be height and accessibility. I don’t want tall plants shading short ones, and I need to be able to get to the various plants so I can pick the vegetables when they’re ready. With the amount of sphagnum peat moss that I have in the soil (it acts as a sponge soaking up excess moisture and releasing it slowly), I should be able to get by with general watering and occasional spot watering specific plants.
| marigolds | tomatoes | okra | spaghetti squash |
| rosemary | dill | cabbage | cucumber |
| oregano | poblano | basil | scallop squash |
| arugula | lemon balm | radishes | marigolds |
Plantings in the first square foot garden.
In the first 4’x4’ plot (the table to the right has the top representing roughly the north side — B/CS isn’t oriented on the cardinal directions), I put what should be the taller plants towards the top of the grid and the trailing squash (mainly the spaghetti squash) on the side. Marigolds are at both corners to help with pest control. I also tried to put shorter plants on the edges with slightly taller plants in the middle to help with harvesting. We’ll see how well I did when everything grows and I have to reach around things. I haven’t put any support in place for the tomatoes yet, but they’re on the edge, so I should be able to do that without too much trouble.
| marigolds | sweet 100 tomatoes | green beans | fennel |
| spinach | cabbage | marconi ross sweet peppers | butternut squash |
| thyme | swiss chard | (empty) | egg plant |
| kohl rabi | cilantro | parsley | marigolds |
Plantings in the second square foot garden.
The first 4’x4’ plot was so easy that I went ahead and built a second one. I tried not to duplicate anything, but I added a second cabbage plant since I like cabbage and I had another tomato plant to go with it. Tomato plants help repel certain cabbage pests.
I’ve learned a few things since putting in my second bed. For example, tomatoes, peppers, and egg plant are all in the same group and shouldn’t be planted in the same space from year to year. Ideally, I’d have them all in one bed this year and plant them in the other bed next year. Instead, I’ll start doing that next year and just make sure they are in different squares.
One option I might pursue if I have a deeper bed next year is to plant corn, beans, and squash together. This is known as the Three Sisters. The corn provides a trellis for the beans which provide nitrogen for the corn. The squash acts as a ground cover in place of mulch.
How did I figure how many to plant in each square? I only planted one seedling in a square. On the other hand, I planted more than one of the seeds except for the large plants such as egg plant. I mainly went by the separation distances on the back of the seeds. If it said that the plants should be six inches apart, then I planted two or three spaced 6”-7” apart. For three plants, for example, I placed them at the corners of a triangle centered on the center of the square. I planted more radishes than anything else — at least sixteen of them in 144 square inches.
The next few weeks will be interesting as various plants germinate and poke their way out of the soil. So far, I’ve only mulched the seedlings. As other plants make their way above ground, I’ll be mulching other squares until everything is either growing or I figure I need to replant the failed squares — something that could happen since I only planted a seed or two of quite a few plants.
What kinds of arrangements are in your small garden? How did you decide what to place where?
Another great resource for square foot gardening (if you don't have the book handy) is here: http://www.essene.com/Vegetarian/PlantSpacingsInASquareFootGarden.htm
It's amazing how much you can plant in very little space. Right now, I have 2 beds (4x4 and 4x8). Dave is working on 5 more beds this week!
Anyway, I still have some of my winter crop in (lots of onions, 1 more cabbage, and one more broccoli). I have transplanted 2 sage plants and 1 basil plant now that the weather is warmer. I also have 14 tomato plants, 16 bush bean plants and 1 spaghetti squash plant in.
In the next few weeks, I'll plant cucumber, more bush beans, green peppers, and more herbs.
The only thing I use to decide what goes where is if something needs trellised or not. Trellised plants have to be in the back so the other plants don't get shaded. Other than that, I just plant where I have space. You'll have to come over some time and check it out.
@Heather @ SGF
Thanks for the link! I think I planted a few too many of a couple plants and not enough of others, but oh well. That's part of the fun of gardening -- learning/seeing what works and what doesn't.
I did end up with the plants that need trellising on the northish side (this being B/CS). Now I just need to make the trellises. AggieCon is this weekend, so perhaps the first weekend in April I can make them.