square foot gardening 101

Square Foot Gardening >>>Linna ‘The Locavore’ Ferguson

www.foodscaper.comvafoodscaper@gmail.com

Why is food gardening important to you?

My name is Linna ‘the Locavore’ Ferguson. I am a mother of two, a wife, a friend, I work full time, and I raise my own food. I preserve my

harvest for the winter. I have appeared on the Emeril Green

show. I write for Examiner.com. I am a certified Square Foot Garden

Teacher.

whowhatwhenwhy how&

So we are here to learn about the immensely popular Square Foot Gardening Method invented by Mel Bartholomew. Let’s use the five Ws to teach you its basics.

WHAT is SFG, and WHY does it work?

Mel Bartholomew is the founder of this method and has many

books and tools to help you learn about this method.

www.squarefootgardening.com

A backyard transformed- before

To get you inspired, here are some images of some SFG.

A backyard transformed- after

How awesome is this?

Versatility- patio boxes

You don’t even need a yard, this box is on legs! Making it easy for

all types of people.

Create your own style

Make it your own! Add flare, add your style.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jordancooper/2854553375/http://www.flickr.com/photos/-po/302360126Booz | Allen | Hamilton

As big or as little as you want it to be

Did you know that the average home garden is 20 x 35 feet long

which equals 700 square feet? To grow the same amount with the

SFG method, you only need 20% of that area, 140 square feet.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jordancooper/2854553375/http://www.flickr.com/photos/-po/302360126Booz | Allen | Hamilton

They come in all shapes and sizes

A great patio garden.

Garden even on the rooftop!

No yard, no deck, no problem! Rooftops work!

Garden in some of the most unlikely places- Iraq

So with all these garden types and styles, we just answered out WHO

can SFG, ANYONE!

http://www.etftrends.com

Now I have your attention...

SFG Top Ten

STEP 0: Location

• Access to water

• 6-8 hours of

sunlight• Well drained

Location is a deal breaker. If you don’t have 6-8 hours of sunlight and access to water, you can’t

have any type of garden.

STEP 1: Layout

• Think in squares,

not rows

• Have several

garden areas

Be creative, add your personal touch, make it your space, and you

will spend more time in it.

STEP 2: Boxes

• Use a variety of

material

• No wider than 4

ft.• Only need 6 inch

depth

Boxes are neat and tidy, organizes your planting, and hold’s Mel’s

special soil mix.

The basic SFG

The box can be 4 ‘ by anything… this size allows you to access all

part of the garden without stepping on your soil. Only need six inches of soil- so the box is not

very deep.

Six inches … really!

It’s true. Only 6 inches to grow most all veggies, except things like

potatoes, long carrots, etc.

Protect against critters

Box allows you to attach protective items to it to keep critters out.

Garden all year round

Or add a hoop so you can garden in the fall and winter.

STEP 3: Aisles

• Use a variety of

material

• No wider than 4

ft.• Only need 6 inch

depth

Important so you can enjoy moving around your garden.

Grass aisles

Wide aisles here allow you to mow them.

Be creative

Use what you have on hand.

STEP 4: Soil

• Use a variety of

material

• No wider than 4

ft.• Only need 6 inch

depth

This topic could be a class by itself. Soil is your most important garden asset. With SFG, you make ‘near

perfect soil’.

Building soil

1/3 vermiculite, 1/3 peat moss, 1/3 compost (use as many kinds as

you can, 5 recommended)

Tools:

Pencil Trowelscissors

Essential tools

Only tools you MUST have are a trowel, pencil, and a pair of

scissors.

STEP 5: Grid

• Must be permanent

• Must be permanent

• Must be permanent

If you don’t have grids, you don’t have a SFG.

Harvest from one 4x4 box

• 1 head of cabbage

• 1 head of broccoli• 1 head of

cauliflower• 4 heads of

romaine• 4 heads of red

lettuce• 4 heads of salad

lettuce• 5 pounds sugar

snap peas

• 8 bunches of Swiss chard

• 9 bunches of spinach

• 16 small ball carrots

• 16 beets• 4 bunches beet

greens• 16 long carrots• 32 radishes

STEP 6: Care &

Weeding

• Use weed barrier

• Easy to find

weeds• Care is a snap

Care is minimal as long as you are checking on your garden, looking

for pests, watering etc.

In my (2) Square Foot Boxes:

•Cucumbers

•Tomatoes

•Onions

•Cantaloupe

•Parsley

•Dill

•Broccoli

•Marigolds

•Bush Beans

•Lettuce

•Spinach

•Pole Beans

•Scallions

STEP 7: Grow

Vertically

• Maximize space

• Helps keep

healthy plants

Why? Why not! Saves space, grows healthy crops, and is very

cool!

Grow up not out

Only certain types of crops can be grown up….tomatoes, cucumbers,

pole beans, melons, etc.

STEP 8: Plant/Spacing

• Conserve seeds

• Using transplants

• Don’t forget the

pollinators!

Another essential concept, plant either 1, 4, 9, or 16 plants per

square, based on the space they need (see book for guidelines)

STEP 9: Water

• Water by hand

• Be efficient

• Water only what

you need to

May seem tedious this way, but gets water where it needs to be.

STEP 10: Harvest

• Garden all year

long• With each crop,

add compost

This is what you worked for, enjoy!

As we conclude…. Isn’t this beautiful?!

Simplify! Create positive first impression

Relate to target segments Provide top tasks up front

Resources - planning

Loudoun Locavoreshttp://groups.yahoo.com/group/Loudoun_locavores/ Kitchen Garden Planner

http://www.gardeners.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-Gardeners-Site/default/Link-Page?id=kgp_home

Planner Toolhttp://www.motherearthnews.com/garden-planner/vegetable-garden-planner.aspx

Examiner.comhttp://www.examiner.com/food-gardening-in-washington-dc/linna-ferguson

Simplify! Create positive first impression

Relate to target segments Provide top tasks up front

Resources - seeds

www.superseeds.comwww.southernexposure.com

www.fedcoseeds.com/www.cooksgarden.com

Where I am speaking next: Check www.chicamarun.com for details!

• SEED SWAP- Early March

• SFG- Mid March

• VERTICAL GARDENING WORKSHOP- Early April

• WILD HARVEST- late April

• SEED SPROUTING- TBD

Also provide demonstrations at the Purcellville Community Market- my appearances will be posted at

www.purcellvillecommunitymarket.com/

This presentation is located on SLIDESHARE:

http://www.slideshare.net/vafoodscaper/square-foot-gardening-101

For more information…

vafoodscaper@gmail.com

www.123foodgaardening.com

www.linnasgarden.blogspot.com

www.locavoreliving.ning.com

Booz | Allen | Hamilton

This is who I am, this is what I do.