Square Foot Gardening Workshop

If the beautiful days of May are making you think about getting out into your garden to plant vegetables, you might be interested in learning more about the techniques of square foot gardening.

Linna Ferguson returned to College Park again this year to lead a gardening workshop at the Old Parish House (Saturday, 8 May 2011), co-sponsored by the College Park Committee for a Better Environment and CPAE.

When Linna came last year, she focused on something called the “lasagna method” of enriching your soil by putting down layers of leaves, dirt and compost.

This year, she focused on the “square foot gardening” method, made famous by its originator, Mel Bartholomew. 

In a nutshell, the square foot gardening method uses 6 inches of soil in raised beds that are marked off in 1’ x 1’ grids. The method uses a soil mixture of one third compost, one third peat moss, and one third vermiculite (popped mica). Linna assured us that using the peat moss, a non-renewable resource, was responsible, since the garden would continue to produce, year after year, on a one-time input of peat moss -- the garden is renewed with compost after every harvest.

To construct a square foot garden, you need to put down a weed barrier and build walls that are at least six inches high and no more than four feet wide. Raised beds necessitate more water, but they raise the temperature of the soil, helping plants grow faster. 

Last year, I left Linna’s workshop thinking about incorporating my leaves better in my compost pit. This year, I’m thinking about adding a bag of vermiculite to my soil.   Vermiculite helps the soil remain lofty with helpful little air pockets, and it soaks in water.  She also told us to use sun-warmed water -- ie. water kept in a bucket and scooped out by hand for each square’s worth of plants.

Another key concept of square foot gardening is harvest and replant. Once the lettuce is eaten, plant more! Eat the entire carrot -- the leaves are edible and nutricious! In six inches of soil, you may have to plant a stumpy carrot, but it will be tasty. Beets are also delicious from the root to the top of the leaves -- stir fry the whole mess together, in garlic and a little soy sauce, eat it over rice, and you will be amazed at the simplicity of such a gourmet meal. Each square hosts a certain number of plants, depending on the size of the plant, so depending on how many plants you take out, you put that number back in. 

To find out more about Linna Ferguson, the locavore lifestyle, and square foot gardening, go to http://www.foodscaper.com/.

Enjoy your garden, and remember to eat Local!